Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
Know What's Happening in Supply Chain
DHL Express ramps up India push under Strategy 2030
DHL Express is accelerating its India strategy as part of its global Strategy 2030 plan, targeting a 50% increase in worldwide revenue from the 2023 baseline. India is one of 20 priority markets, with the carrier focusing on high‑growth sectors such as life sciences, new energy, e‑commerce and digital sales, and it has recently added temperature‑controlled assets to support the expansion.
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During the March 8 Defense & Aerospace Report podcast, analysts examined a surge in geopolitical tension and market volatility shaping defense spending. The Trump administration is expected to request $50 billion in supplemental funding as the US‑Israel conflict with Iran intensifies, while energy prices have jumped 35 percent after discussions to allow limited Russian oil sales. Boeing is nearing a 500‑jet order with China ahead of President Trump’s April summit with Xi, and Europe is expanding nuclear deterrence, including France’s new ballistic‑missile submarine slated for 2036. Supply‑chain constraints and rising costs also led Switzerland to trim its F‑35 order to 30 aircraft.
Sustainable procurement embeds environmental, social, and economic criteria into buying decisions, moving beyond traditional cost‑only models. Companies adopt it to address climate change, resource scarcity, and rising stakeholder expectations. The approach delivers risk mitigation, long‑term cost efficiencies, and compliance with...
Ellerman City Liners has revived its IPEX2 service, re‑establishing a dedicated shuttle route between Hull, United Kingdom and Gdynia, Poland. The relaunched line will operate with a single 325‑TEU vessel, delivering a direct North Sea‑Baltic connection after a period of...
U.S. officials defended a 30‑day waiver allowing Indian refineries to purchase Russian oil, aiming to ease market pressure as gasoline prices surged amid the Iran conflict. The waiver, announced by Energy Secretary Chris Wright and UN Ambassador Mike Waltz, seeks...
Everybody is watching the Strait of Hormuz, but they should also be watching Singapore. The image on the right are all the laden tankers sitting in an around Simgapore. The one in the left, with less ships, are loaded Very...
Northrop Grumman and the U.S. Air Force are speeding up production of the B‑21 Raider stealth bomber as testing progresses. The company has poured more than $5 billion into digital engineering and manufacturing infrastructure to support the ramp‑up. Final assembly continues...
If you are not following @TankerTrackers you dont understand the tanker situation. Look at the gap forming between the Strait of Hormuz and Strait of Malacca. Now there is also about 100M barrels of fuel afloat in and around Singapore and...
We had a good thing, Britain. A really good thing. You taught us this game. Mahan studied you. We just wrote bigger checks. The deal was simple. We spend the trillions. Fight the hard wars. We even let you sit out Vietnam. And...
Turkish carrier Akkon Lines will launch the Bulgaria Shuttle Service later this month, adding a dedicated short‑sea loop between Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania. The service will operate a single 350‑TEU vessel, calling at Gemlik, Izmit (Gebze), Varna, Burgas and Constanta...
India’s west‑coast logistics bottleneck is easing after Jaigad Port inaugurated a plant‑quarantine office and a NABL‑accredited FSSAI laboratory. The new facilities enable local certification, cutting container transport costs by up to ₹60,000 and reducing logistics expenses by 10‑15 percent. With a...
Numina Group unveiled Batchbot 2.0, an AI‑driven solution that fuses its Real‑time Distribution Software with KUKA’s fifth‑generation autonomous mobile robots and a voice‑picking suite. The system claims to slash more than 20 minutes of idle operator travel per hour and...
Mexican authorities have suspended import activities and begun canceling permits for 350 steel‑importing firms as part of Operation Clean‑Up, a coordinated crackdown on smuggling and misuse of trade programs. The Ministry of Economy flagged these companies among 750 firms suspected...
Goldman Sachs warned that global oil prices could breach $100 a barrel within days and climb to $150 by month‑end if the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked. Iran’s effective blockade has cut crude flows through the strait to roughly 10%...
NASA has granted HEBI Robotics an $850,000 Phase II SBIR contract to develop and test space‑rated actuation hardware. The two‑year effort will produce modular actuators and compatible avionics for low‑Earth‑orbit and geosynchronous missions. HEBI’s technology aims to survive ionizing radiation and...
On International Women’s Day, Logistics UK highlighted the accelerating presence of women in the UK logistics sector. Over the past four years, female road‑transport drivers have surged 322%, directors up 36%, forklift drivers 15%, and clerks 61%, signalling a major...
Rhenus Group has opened a 7,320‑square‑metre multi‑user warehouse in Parañaque, Metro Manila, expanding its Philippine network to eight facilities. The site features 20‑metre ceiling heights, comprehensive security systems and sustainability measures such as LED lighting, solar‑panel provisions and skylights. Rhenus...
Gravis Robotics announced its full commercial rollout in the United States at CONEXPO‑CON/AGG 2026, showcasing live autonomous earth‑moving equipment alongside partners Develon and Hitachi. The company introduced Gravis Copilot, a machine‑guidance platform that makes existing fleets autonomy‑ready without altering workflows. Deployments...
Leading Chinese chip executives issued a stark assessment of their domestic semiconductor sector, calling it small, fragmented, and weak despite years of state subsidies. Their analysis, timed with the 2026‑2030 five‑year plan, sets targets to stabilize 28 nm production, achieve reliable...
China imports crude oil based on the day, between 65 and 85% of its total, and about three-quarters of that comes specifically from the Persian Gulf. And that has now dropped to zero. Unlike countries like the United States, which...
The diesel surge is welcome news for freight brokers that have contracted freight. Fuel surcharges will provide a lot of relief, as the diesel surge is moving much quicker than trucking spot rates. Brokers will make a couple of percent on fuel...
The sudden closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted roughly 700 oil cargoes, representing about $40 billion in trade, and exposed the vulnerability of Europe’s post‑2022 energy strategy. Simultaneously, Russia warned it could exit the European market before any formal ban,...
The impact of the Iran war is spreading. 1,000+ containers at Chittagong. War risk insurance pulled for the Gulf.
For the record, I’m not thrilled about this whole Iran thing. I was in the camp of bulldozing @CENTCOM to fund moving @Southcom back to the Panama Canal. But if we must be there a few weeks longer… maybe… just...
Abu Dhabi’s state‑owned oil giant Adnoc announced it has activated contingency protocols to keep crude flowing despite the Iran‑US‑Israel conflict disrupting tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The company is adjusting offshore production, leveraging the 1.5 million b/d ADCOP pipeline that...
Everyone has always wondered what the PLAN (Chinese Navy) was configured for. We may see this come to fruition if they send a squadron to the Persian Gulf to escort their ships. The PLAN is perfectly sized and...
If you thought oil and energy was the only thing impacted by the Gulf War, hang on to your containers.
CMA CGM announced a suite of new freight‑all‑kinds (FAK) rates and surcharges that take effect on April 1, 2026, covering Mediterranean origins to Australia, New Zealand and North America. The carrier also introduced a Peak Season Surcharge (PSS) for China‑to‑East‑Africa routes from March 15...
Everyone’s shocked the Royal Navy can’t get a warship to the Mediterranean, let alone the Persian Gulf. But remember, King Charles also commands Canada’s Royal Navy. Surely he can dispatch her broken subs and battle kayaks for backup. https://t.co/Yo6gQLLxR6
Technically, yes @SecretaryWright. But if the oil and natural gas can't get from the suppliers to the consumers it doesn't really matter to those who rely on imports from the Persian Gulf
A second bulk carrier, the Liberia‑flagged Sino Ocean, announced Chinese ownership while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, joining Iron Maiden that did the same earlier this week. Both vessels used destination signals like “CHINA OWNER” to seek safe passage amid...
American support for international trade is at an all-time high (and, no, not just among Democrats) https://t.co/QayxCkWNFn
For those who want an overview without watching my full hour+ long video on the Strait of Hormuz Crisis https://t.co/QDALtGFKiC
"U.S. DFC unveils $20BN plan for maritime reinsurance in the Gulf" The CEO of the DFC looks like someone who would sell you $20B worth of insurance. https://t.co/QRhFuzBtx0 https://t.co/0v78TH7CKl
So, Iran loading at Jask is significant as it is outside the Gulf and right on the Gulf of Oman. H/T @TankerTrackers https://t.co/LiGn8YEVqW
Heading home this morning from a lovely couple of days in the mountains. Friendly reminder that Freight Forwarder goes out tomorrow. Here's this past week's newsletter if you missed it. Freight Forward: Global Trade Risks Grow https://t.co/bCNXLH05QO https://t.co/Sc2FCjjfV3
Wow, one whole large tanker?! Need to up that >100-fold and just simply to return to normal. And that’s not counting the massive backlog of ships, disruptions, and durable damage to both regional infrastructure and global supply chains that will take months...
PHOTO OF THE DAY: China is still getting (some of) its oil. Nine days into the war, Iran continues loading oil supertankers from Kharg Island. Tehran has sent some of them across the Strait of Hormuz into the high seas wihthout any...
“The US is roughly speaking oil independent… on net, we export petroleum products.” That’s why this is less an ‘America is poorer’ story than an ‘Americans reshuffle who wins’ story. Oil industry wins. Drivers lose. https://t.co/Efd22aQEeK
"Texas Feedlot Operators Explain Why U.S. Beef Supply Depends on Mexican Cattle Imports" https://t.co/D3IHviRfRg https://t.co/fO9Ac9MceR
Map of average diesel prices by market (updated each morning). SFO has the highest at $5.96/gallon https://t.co/DgH7FMrsx0
Diesel prices have surged, but still below 2022 and 2008 levels. With the recent run up in spot rates, most carriers can absorb the current surges, but if it continues to surge, it could be detrimental for carriers operating in...
America’s military success has never been a function of numbers of troops, it’s all about the use of advanced tech and an almost endless military supply chain
The US is planning to build up a fleet of 2400 F-35s, which would make it the 4th largest global air force alone. https://t.co/YAnXK2vCUQ
Kuwait Declares Force Majeure Due To Middle East Conflict. A BIG force majeure. More continuing of my take that the occurrence of force majeure could become significant as the war continues. A level in the circles of supply chain hell....
“The Source-to-Pay (S2P) cycle in many orgs. is often fraught w/ internal conflict & misunderstanding. The snags usually center on lack of clarity, ineffectiveness, & poor definition of process responsibilities.” 🔗 https://t.co/gy1EdLnhmk #procurement #purchasing #supplychain https://t.co/7SDiE74WE4
Whenever fuel surges like it has, we see a rash of small carrier bankruptcies. Large fleets and big brokers benefit from high fuel prices due to fuel surcharges, smaller truckers get creamed.
Should the US Navy Start Targeting & Seizing Iranian Tankers 1⃣Sea Power vs Seapower 2⃣How did the US Torpedo Global Shipping? 3⃣Convoying in the Past 4⃣Current US Naval Situation 5⃣Potential Strategy for the US H/T: @ed_fin @gCaptain @LloydsList @ianellisjones Video: https://t.co/XpwiR2J9Cb
Air War Against Iran Enters Week Two Iran continues to target its neighbors' oil production as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is nearly at a stand still. Latest: https://t.co/EOkyezfgoC
PMI shows US manufacturing softness. That means supply chains too. What will the Iraq war do?
Could there be more to the new #AI guidelines from the US General Services Administration (GSA) than “a government-wide effort to strengthen #procurement of AI services” and mitigate #supplychain risks? Via @joemillerjr & @GeorgeNHammond @FT https://t.co/nB2mq431A9
