KeyMe Locksmiths Deploys 8,000th AI-Powered Kiosk, Scaling U.S. Manufacturing Through Partnership with Benchmark
KeyMe Locksmiths announced the rollout of its 8,000th AI‑powered self‑service kiosk, marking a nationwide expansion across major retailers such as Walmart, Kroger and 7‑Eleven. The kiosks have already duplicated 47.2 million keys and serve millions of customers annually. The scale‑up is driven by a partnership with Benchmark, which has industrialized design, robotics and electronics to manufacture the units in the United States. Over the past 14 months, Benchmark produced an additional 2,000 kiosks, accelerating domestic output to meet rising demand.
CRP USA to Exhibit at RAPID + TCT 2026 with Windform SLS Solutions for Aerospace and Defense
CRP USA will exhibit its Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) solutions using Windform high‑performance composite materials at RAPID + TCT 2026 in Boston from April 14‑16. The showcase, located in Booth 2443‑3 within the America Makes Pavilion, targets aerospace, defense, and...
Ukraine and Bulgaria Plan to Launch a Passenger Train Service
Ukraine and Bulgaria, together with Romania, will launch a summer 2026 passenger train linking Kyiv, Bucharest and Sofia. The 24‑hour service follows a route through Vinnytsia, Mohyliv‑Podilskyi, Ungheni and Iași, reviving the historic Bulgaria Express corridor that ended in 2014....
Santana Secures Build Slots for Bendigo-Ophir Project
Santana Minerals has secured a NZ$115 million ($65.8 million) build‑slot agreement with Komatsu New Zealand to supply the primary mobile fleet for the Bendigo‑Ophir gold project. The package includes PC3400 and PC2000 excavators, 140‑ton HD1500 haul trucks, plus dozers, loaders and graders, all...
Saudi’s Folk Maritime Shifts India-Gulf Service to Red Sea as Hormuz Disruption Bites
Saudi state‑owned Folk Maritime announced it is pulling its India‑Gulf service out of the Hormuz corridor and redirecting the two 1,900‑TEU vessels to the Red Sea, focusing on Jeddah and Aqaba. The move follows the effective closure of the Strait...
ICS and ITF Press Gulf States on Seafarer Welfare
The International Chamber of Shipping and the International Transport Workers’ Federation met Gulf State officials to address the plight of roughly 20,000 seafarers stranded in the Strait of Hormuz due to regional conflict. They discussed an IMO‑backed reporting system for...
A Potential Beef Blockage Is Looming
A possible work stoppage at the JB Swift beef processing plant in Greeley, Colorado could create a significant supply‑chain blockage for U.S. beef. The disruption was discussed on the Working Lunch podcast, where Align Public Strategies’ Joe Kefauver and Franklin...
Sysco Makes a Huge Play for More Local Restaurants
Sysco announced a $29 billion cash‑and‑stock acquisition of Jetro Restaurant Depot, adding a network that serves roughly 725,000 local restaurants. The deal gives Sysco a foothold in the cash‑and‑carry segment, which it currently does not participate in, and is expected to...
DoorDash Invests in EV Startup with Plans to Automate More Deliveries
DoorDash is investing in Also’s $200 million Series C round and launching a multi‑year partnership to develop autonomous electric‑vehicle delivery units. The collaboration builds on DoorDash’s earlier Dot robot rollout and aims to create purpose‑built, small EVs that can navigate bike lanes...
Captive Suppliers? What Low Supplier Prices Really Mean in Global Supply Chains
New research on India’s garment sector shows that low supplier prices stem from two distinct buyer‑power mechanisms: insurance‑based agreements that create surplus and partial vertical integration that can capture surplus. By analysing 35,000 fabric purchases worth about $180 million, the study...
Venergy Lifts MR Options at K Shipbuilding
Greek owner Venergy Maritime has firmed up options for two additional 50,000‑dwt MR product tankers at South Korea’s K Shipbuilding. The options raise its total MR orderbook at the yard to eight vessels, with the new pair slated for delivery...
Google Signs Long-Term Deal with Amex GBT, Shell SAF Platform
Google has renewed its long‑term agreement with American Express Global Business Travel and Shell Aviation to source sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) data through the Avelia registry. The partnership, first launched in 2022, uses a book‑and‑claim model that lets business travelers...
Air Cargo Demand up 11.2% in February 2026, IATA Reports
The International Air Transport Association reported that global air‑cargo demand in February 2026 jumped 11.2% year‑on‑year, with international demand up 11.6%. Available cargo capacity rose 8.5% (9.8% for international routes), trailing the demand surge. Africa led regional growth with a...
Inside Khetika’s Bet To Build A ₹2,000 Cr Staples Brand
Khetika, a Mumbai‑based D2C food startup, is targeting a ₹2,000 Cr (≈ $241 million) clean‑label staples brand by rebuilding the supply chain around single‑origin sourcing, stone‑grinding, and preservative‑free packaging. The company reported FY25 revenue of ₹247 Cr (≈ $30 million) and projects ₹350 Cr (≈ $42 million) by fiscal‑end,...
Pan Ocean Adds VLCC Newbuild to Growing Tanker Play
South Korea’s Pan Ocean announced a $121.8 million order for a new VLCC, slated for delivery in December 2029, with the option to convert the vessel to run on ammonia. The deal follows earlier 2025 purchases of two VLCCs at roughly $127 million...
How Companies Can Stay Ahead Of Tariffs That Keep Changing
Tariff volatility has shifted from occasional adjustments to continuous, rapid changes, forcing companies to abandon 12‑month planning cycles. John Burhans of Mercury emphasizes that speed and full‑chain visibility are essential to identify SKU‑level exposure within hours. Effective scenario planning now...
Royal Air Maroc Cargo Expands Cold Storage Capacity at Casablanca Hub
Royal Air Maroc Cargo is expanding its temperature‑controlled facilities at Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, adding a fifth cold chamber and raising total refrigerated space to 590 m². The upgrade introduces dedicated import and export chambers covering 2 °C‑8 °C, 15 °C‑25 °C, and frozen...
Hasbro Opens Distribution Hub to Cut Costs, Speed Deliveries
Hasbro has launched a 600,000‑square‑foot distribution center in Midway, Georgia, operated by GXO, to streamline its U.S. logistics network. The new hub consolidates five distribution nodes down to three, supporting both brick‑and‑mortar retailers and direct‑to‑consumer sales. Hasbro projects roughly $8 million...
New TT Club Cargo Theft Report Shows Escalating Cargo Crime Across Benelux
TT Club, BSI Consulting and TVM released the 2026 Freight Crime Report, highlighting a sharp rise in cargo theft across the Benelux region, home to Europe’s busiest ports. Criminals are deploying AI‑generated credentials, deep‑fake identities and fake‑carrier fraud to infiltrate...
MTF Issues Safety Guidelines for Wind-Assisted Ships
The Maritime Technologies Forum (MTF) released safety guidelines for ships equipped with wind‑assisted propulsion systems (WAPS) such as rotor, suction and wing sails. The recommendations focus on integrating these technologies into existing Safety Management Systems, emphasizing risk assessments, incident reporting,...
DHL Supply Chain Appointed by Air France to Deliver Ground Handling Services at London Gatwick
DHL Supply Chain has secured a contract to provide full ground handling services at London Gatwick for Air France‑KLM. The agreement coincides with Air France’s launch of two daily Airbus A220 flights between Gatwick and Paris‑Charles de Gaulle, targeting both...
Rising Fuel Costs Intensify Pressure on Fragile European Road Freight Market
European road freight operators are feeling a sharp rise in fuel costs tied to the Middle East conflict, which now represents up to 30% of their operating expenses. The International Road Transport Union warns this is a structural shift, not...
Huawei Joins Orange Carbon Cutting Scheme
Huawei became the tenth company to join Orange’s Partners to Net Zero Carbon programme, which aims to cut the operator’s greenhouse‑gas emissions by 45% from 2020 levels by 2030. The initiative focuses on supply‑chain improvements, targeting Orange’s 40 most emission‑intensive...
Tariff Turmoil: Refunds, Lawsuits and New Duties Ahead
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not give the president authority to impose tariffs, invalidating duties on imports from China, Canada, Mexico and dozens of other nations. The decision opens roughly $166 billion in...
Iran's Parliament Security Committee Approves Plan to Impose Tolls on Strait of Hormuz
Iran's Parliament Security Committee approved a Strait of Hormuz Management Plan that introduces a rial‑based toll system for vessels transiting the vital waterway. The plan explicitly bans American and Israeli ships and targets nations imposing unilateral sanctions on Tehran. It...
Risky Business: Inside the Freight Fraud Surge
Freight fraud and cargo theft are accelerating, with organized theft rising over 1,500% since 2021 and annual losses projected at $35 billion. The 2025 TIA report shows truckload freight as the most targeted mode, and unlawful brokerage is the most common...
Russian Urals Premium in Asia up, but Costs, Attacks Weigh
Russian Urals crude premiums in Asia climbed to about $8 per barrel versus Brent, up from $5 a week earlier. However, Ukrainian drone attacks have forced the closure of roughly 40% of Russia’s oil‑export capacity, including the 700,000‑bpd Ust‑Luga port....
Kangnam to Build New Incat Crowther 80m Vessel Design
South Korean shipbuilder Kangnam has hired Incat Crowther to design an 80‑metre high‑speed catamaran RoPax ferry for Korea Express Ferry. The vessel will link Incheon with the Yellow Sea islands of Daecheongdo, Baengnyeongdo and Socheongdo, carrying up to 572 passengers,...
Tekmar Bags €2+ Million in Contracts for Japanese Offshore Wind Project
Tekmar Group has secured two contracts worth roughly $2.5 million for a Japanese offshore wind project, supplying its 10th‑generation cable protection systems. The work will begin immediately, with revenue recognized through the rest of fiscal 2026 and into the first half...
Nanya Raises $2.5 Bln, Signs DRAM Supply Deals with Kioxia and SanDisk
Nanya Technology raised roughly $2.5 billion via share sales and private placements to expand its DRAM production capacity. Kioxia invested T$15.6 billion for a 2 % equity stake and a long‑term DRAM supply agreement, while SanDisk committed T$31 billion and signed a multi‑year supply...
Challenge’s First 777-300 Freighter Conversion Adds Valuable Capacity
Challenge Group has placed its first Boeing 777‑300 passenger‑to‑freighter (P2F) conversion, 9H‑CAZ, into service after an IAI‑led retrofit completed in January. The aircraft adds roughly 100 tonnes of payload capacity, expanding the carrier’s ability to move pharma, live animals, oversized and...
Airfreight Rates Heading Back to Peak-Season Levels
Airfreight rates are climbing back toward peak‑season levels as the Middle‑East conflict and soaring jet‑fuel costs tighten the cargo market. The Baltic Air Freight Index rose 9.3% week‑on‑week and is 10% higher than a year ago, while jet‑fuel prices have...
Chancerygate and Bridges Complete €40m Dublin Logistics Development
Chancerygate and Bridges Fund Management have finished the Airport Trade Park, a €40 million (≈$43 million) grade‑A urban logistics complex on a five‑acre site near Dublin Airport. The 120,260 sq ft development comprises 13 units, with three pre‑let totaling 31,200 sq ft to firms such as Imprint...
Why China’s New Humanoid Robot Standards Could Change the Industry
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released its first national standard system for humanoid robots in February 2026, aiming to unify safety, technical, and ethical requirements. The framework, developed by a 120‑member committee, addresses hardware integrity, predictable software behavior,...
Road Freight Is the only Mode of Transport that Grew in the Past Decade
Eurostat’s latest report shows that between 2014 and 2024 road freight was the only transport mode to increase its share in the EU, growing 3.3% to exceed a quarter of all goods moved. Maritime’s share fell 2.5% yet remains dominant...
Pandora Opens Distribution Centre in Canada to Reduce US Tariff Impact
Pandora has opened a new distribution centre in Mississauga, Ontario to process Canadian online orders locally, reducing reliance on U.S. facilities and exposure to higher tariffs. The move follows President Trump’s increase of import duties on Thai‑made jewellery, which Pandora...
From Belt and Road to Belt Tightening: China's Neighbours Get Cold Shoulder on Energy
China has imposed broad bans on fertilizer and fuel exports, citing domestic energy security concerns, while refusing to acknowledge the restrictions publicly. Southeast Asian nations—including Bangladesh, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, and Australia—are pressing Beijing to honor existing contracts and keep...
Impact of Energy Disruptions on Agri-Food Supply Chains
A blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has sparked a global oil supply shock that reverberates through agricultural and food supply chains in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. Using the hypothetical extraction method and Asian Development Bank input‑output tables, researchers...
Securing Asean’s Food Resilience Amid the Middle East Conflict
The ongoing Middle East conflict threatens ASEAN’s food security by jeopardizing both fertilizer imports and the LNG supplies that power nitrogen‑based fertilizers. ASEAN relies on 82% of its fertilizer imports from outside the region, with Thailand, Cambodia and Myanmar especially...
Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation Reports 2% Profit Increase
Cosco Shipping Energy Transportation posted a modest profit rise in 2025, with total operating revenue reaching RMB 23.89 billion ($3.45 billion), up 2.7% year‑on‑year, and net profit climbing 2.1% to RMB 5.36 billion (about $774 million). The company highlighted the cyclical flexibility of international oil transport...
Chevron’s Wheatstone LNG Plant Remains Offline Due to Cyclone Damage
Chevron announced that its Wheatstone LNG plant in Western Australia suffered extensive damage from Tropical Cyclone Narelle, forcing both of its 8.9‑million‑ton‑a‑year processing trains offline. The damage includes fin‑fan arrays and air‑cooled heat exchangers, making repairs complex and time‑consuming. Chevron...
What Vanguard’s ‘Surrender’ Means for T&L Boardrooms, BlackRock & State Street
Vanguard filed Schedule 13G/A amendments showing it holds 0% of CH Robinson, Expeditors and Forward Air, effectively surrendering its voting rights in these transportation‑and‑logistics (T&L) companies. The move is not a market sell‑off but a compliance‑driven relinquishment of influence under...
Southeast Asia Braces for Fertilizer Shortages as Prices Spike on Iran War
Southeast Asian nations are confronting looming fertilizer shortages as global prices have surged sharply following the outbreak of war in Iran. The region relies on more than three‑quarters of its nitrogen‑based fertilizers passing through the Strait of Hormuz, making it...
Credit Is Now a Primary Growth Lever: Flipkart Wholesale on the Future of B2B Commerce
Flipkart Wholesale says credit has shifted from a peripheral service to the primary growth lever for India’s kirana stores. The company highlights three concurrent trends—localized supply chains, range‑driven buying, and deeper credit penetration—fueling higher ticket sizes and repeat orders. GST...
Drone Strike Hits Laden Supertanker Off Dubai as Gulf Shipping Incidents Flare Again
A Kuwaiti‑flagged VLCC Al Salmi, carrying about 2 million barrels of Saudi and Kuwaiti crude, was struck by a drone off Dubai, sparking a fire that was later extinguished without injuries or oil leakage. The incident, reported by UKMTO, follows a recent...
Drones and the Future of Urban Logistics: Rethinking Congestion in the Supply Chain
Cities are confronting curb‑side congestion as the primary bottleneck in urban logistics, prompting officials to explore unmanned aerial vehicles as a remedy. In New York, a drone could transport a container from Brooklyn Marine Terminal to Wall Street in under ten...
Centre Approves Pulses, Oilseed Procurement in UP, Haryana and Karnataka
India's central government has approved minimum support price (MSP) procurement for safflower in Karnataka and large‑scale purchases of pulses and oilseeds in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh for the 2025‑26 and 2026 Rabi seasons. Karnataka will buy 6,923 tonnes of safflower...
Oil-Thirsty Asian Nations Seek Russian Crude as Iran War Strains Supplies
Asian nations are scrambling for Russian crude as the U.S.-Israel war with Iran has cut roughly one‑fifth of global oil supply, especially through the Strait of Hormuz. The United States temporarily eased sanctions on Russian shipments, first for India and...
Piyush Goyal Discusses Early Implementation of India-EU FTA with European Parliament Delegation
Union Minister Piyush Goyal met a European Parliament delegation in New Delhi to discuss accelerating the India‑EU Free Trade Agreement, which was concluded in January 2026 and is expected to be ratified by early 2027. The FTA targets $300 billion in...
"Unfortunate for India," Ex R&AW Chief Hints at Probable Inflation if West Asia Situation Escalates
Former Research and Analysis Wing chief Vikram Sood warned that the escalating West Asia conflict, highlighted by the attack on Iran and the killing of its supreme leader, could jeopardize India’s oil and fertilizer supplies. He noted India’s heavy reliance...