Tankers Lift Global Orderbook to 17-Year High
The global shipbuilding orderbook reached 191 million compensated gross tonnes (CGT) at the end of Q1 2026, representing 17% of the world fleet—the highest level since 2011, Bimco reported. New tanker contracting jumped 40% year‑on‑year, with a three‑fold increase in orders and a notable rise in LNG‑carrier demand, pushing the tanker‑ordering frenzy to a 17‑year peak. Chinese shipyards dominated the market, accounting for 70% of new contracts and operating at full capacity for three to four years, while Japanese yards saw an 83% YoY decline. Despite the surge, Bimco warned that swelling orderbooks and long lead times could slow future contracting amid market uncertainties.
Here’s How Much Money Iran Can Make Charging Tolls on One-Fifth of the Wo...
Iran could generate hundreds of millions of dollars each month by imposing a toll on oil tankers that traverse the Strait of Hormuz, provided traffic returns to pre‑conflict levels. The narrow waterway handles roughly one‑fifth of the world’s seaborne crude,...
Frozen Veg in New Zealand: The Data Behind McCain and Wattie’s Cuts
McCain and Wattie's announced factory closures and job cuts in New Zealand's frozen‑vegetable sector. They cite soaring energy and labour costs and a sharp drop in frozen‑veg demand, with households spending only about $8 USD per year on frozen peas. Despite overall...
Iran Attacks on Crucial Saudi Pipeline and Production Facilities Slash Kingdom's Oil Output
Iran attacked Saudi Arabia's strategic East‑West pipeline, knocking out about 700,000 barrels per day of capacity, and simultaneously struck the Manifa and Khurais production complexes, trimming Saudi output by roughly 600,000 barrels per day. The pipeline, which routes crude to...
How an Ancient Resin Traded for Centuries Got Snarled up by the Iran War
Frankincense, a 6,000‑year‑old aromatic resin harvested from Boswellia trees across the Arabian Peninsula and Horn of Africa, is now caught in the fallout of the U.S.–Iran conflict. The war has heightened the risk of closing the Strait of Hormuz, prompting...
Southeast Asian Street Food Sellers Hit by Soaring Packaging Costs
Southeast Asian street food vendors are grappling with sharply higher packaging costs after the Iran war triggered a surge in plastic resin prices. In Indonesia, the price of a 50‑sheet plastic wrap pack jumped from 9,000 rupiah to 19,000 rupiah,...
Volkswagen Killing U.S. ID.4 and Could Be Readying a New Pickup
Volkswagen will cease production of the ID.4 electric compact SUV at its Chattanooga plant by the end of the month, reallocating the line’s capacity to the upcoming 2027 Atlas SUV. The company says the current ID.4 inventory will sustain North...
Strait of Hormuz: How Food and Beverage Companies Can Navigate the Latest Developments
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted key inputs for food and beverage manufacturers, notably polyethylene and aluminum used in packaging, global fertilizer supplies, and freight costs driven by soaring oil prices. These shocks create three primary challenges:...
Target Fuels Next-Day Delivery Expansion with Shipt
Target is expanding its Shipt‑powered next‑day delivery service, called Target Last Mile Delivery Direct, to 20 additional metropolitan areas this spring. By the end of 2026, more than 100 stores across 50 markets will ship orders directly from the retail...
Why Smart Recruitment Planning Beats Last-Minute Hiring Every Time
Professional auto transport is presented as a safer, more cost‑effective alternative to driving a vehicle across the country. The article outlines hidden risks of DIY trips—driver fatigue, vehicle wear, and unexpected expenses—while showing that carriers provide zero added mileage, insurance...
Leveling up Industry 4.0
The March/April 2026 EDN issue spotlights the next wave of Industry 4.0, highlighting event‑based vision, wide‑bandgap power electronics, smart motor‑control ICs, edge AI, and new cybersecurity mandates. Event‑based sensors reduce latency and data load, while SiC and GaN devices boost efficiency...
The Struggle to Diversify Rare Earth Supply Chains
Demand for rare earth magnets has doubled since 2015, and the International Energy Agency projects a 30% increase by 2030. China now controls roughly 60% of mined production, over 90% of refining, and 95% of permanent‑magnet output, creating a single‑source...
MODEX 2026: Peak Technologies Introduces Peak Automation Intelligence
Peak Technologies launched Peak Automation Intelligence at MODEX 2026, an AI‑powered platform that delivers real‑time visibility and automated data capture across warehouses, distribution centers and manufacturing operations. Built on machine‑vision, smart optics and mobile computing, the solution tracks every pallet,...
Brazil on Track to Fill China Beef Export Quota by May as Prices Hit All-Time High
Brazil is on track to exhaust its 1.106 million‑tonne beef export quota to China by early May as cattle prices hit a record R$365 (≈US$71.6) per arroba. March saw a historic 233,950 tonnes of fresh beef shipped, generating roughly R$7 billion (≈US$1.37 billion) in...
Walmart to Close Illinois Fulfillment Center
Walmart will permanently shut its Matteson, Illinois fulfillment center, affecting 111 employees. Operations will be transferred to other NextGen facilities in the retailer’s evolving fulfillment network. Affected workers can receive a $7,500 incentive and relocation benefits if they move to...
Three Strategies for Closing Fleet Risk Blind Spots
Bob O’Connell of J.J. Keller warns that fleet operators often view risk as isolated events, a blind spot that regulators and litigators exploit. He proposes a three‑part framework: run the operation as if a merger or acquisition were imminent, embed...
Project44 Unveils Fleet of AI Agents at Customer Event Decision44
Project44 unveiled a suite of AI agents at its Decision44 event, promising to compress the traditional three‑step logistics workflow—truth, decision, action—into seconds. After a decade and $1.5 billion in R&D, the company now leverages a data graph of over 1 billion daily...
Only Five Ships Crossed the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, Far Below Iran’s Pledge as Negotiations Begin
Only five vessels crossed the Strait of Hormuz on April 9, far below Iran's pledge of at least fifteen ships during the two‑week ceasefire. The traffic level is a stark contrast to the pre‑war average of 130‑160 daily transits, highlighting...
Attacks Cut Saudi Oil Capacity by 600,000 Barrels per Day
First official confirmation of scale of damage done by Iran to kingdom’s energy sector
MODEX 2026: Linde Material Handling Debuts Connected Fleet Platform, Electric Lift Truck
Linde Material Handling unveiled its myLinde fleet management platform, featuring AI‑powered natural‑language chat, at MODEX 2026, alongside the new E18‑E20 electric counterbalance forklift. myLinde aggregates telematics data into a cloud dashboard covering safety, service, utilization and energy performance, delivering real‑time...
TD Cowen: 26% of Carriers Would Use AI Instead of Freight Brokers
TD Cowen’s first‑quarter carrier survey shows 26% of U.S. trucking firms would replace human freight brokers with AI‑driven load‑booking tools, while another 40% would rely on AI for simpler shipments. The remaining 28% prefer to keep brokers for all loads,...
M&S Invests £2.1bn to Extend Its Commitment to British Lamb and Beef with Decade-Long Contracts
Marks & Spencer is allocating roughly $2.7 bn to secure British lamb and beef for the next decade, signing new ten‑year contracts with processors ABP and Dunbia. The agreements cover 3,500 M&S Select farmers and protect exclusivity for premium ranges such...
US Imports of Consumer Electronics Face Threats to Growth Plans
U.S. consumer‑electronics imports are under pressure as 2025 saw a 2.2% drop in containerized shipments. Vietnam’s share of those imports climbed to 18.1% while China’s fell to 40.7%, reflecting a broader supply‑chain shift. At the same time, rising fuel prices...
Egypt Agrees to Buy Full Output From Cyprus’ Aphrodite Gas Field
Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Co. signed a preliminary agreement to purchase the entire output of Cyprus' Aphrodite offshore gas field once it begins production around 2031. The deal includes a framework to build an offshore transmission system operated by a...
MODEX 2026: Yale Lift Truck Technologies to Showcase Offerings that Address Warehouse Challenges
Yale Lift Truck Technologies is showcasing its latest lift‑truck portfolio, operator‑assist systems, and automation portal at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta. The exhibit features ergonomic three‑wheel stand‑up trucks, a new lithium‑ion‑powered counterbalanced model, and the Route Runner direct‑store delivery solution. Interactive...
ALAN Launches 2026 Survey on Disaster Logistics Gaps
The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) has launched its fourth annual Humanitarian Logistics Survey, running through May 31, 2026. Open to nonprofits, government agencies, logistics providers and private firms, the survey seeks to map current collaboration and pinpoint gaps in disaster‑relief...
Vietnam Sourcing Fair to Showcase Asian Manufacturing Capabilities in April
The Global Sourcing Fair Vietnam 2026 will run April 22‑24 at Ho Chi Minh City’s Saigon Exhibition and Convention Centre, featuring over 500 exhibitors from Vietnam, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India and South Korea. More than 40,000 export‑ready products across...
WakeMed Takes New Approach to Enterprise Clinical Asset Management
WakeMed Health & Hospitals has signed a multi‑year deal with PartsSource to consolidate visibility, service orchestration, and supply‑chain data for more than 38,000 medical devices across its three North Carolina hospitals. The new Asset Uptime platform delivers real‑time telemetry, predictive...
Lamb Weston Warns of Supply Chain Pressures Amid Iran War
Lamb Weston warned that the ongoing Iran war could spark heightened volatility in key commodities such as packaging and fuel, adding pressure to its already‑tight margins. The company now projects a 250‑ to 300‑basis‑point decline in adjusted gross margin for...
UK to Give £380m Grant to Tata Battery Factory in Somerset
The UK government is providing a £380 million (≈$483 million) grant to Tata’s Agratas subsidiary for its Somerset gigafactory, which will supply batteries to Jaguar Land Rover. The plant is slated to create 4,200 jobs long‑term and aims for 40 GWh annual capacity, though production...
At Age 26, She Was a Construction Industry Outsider. Within 5 Years, Her Business Was Bringing In $5 Billion In...
Maria Davidson, a former Goldman Sachs analyst, left venture firm 8VC to launch Kojo in 2018, a digital procurement platform for construction materials. Within five years the company became the U.S.'s largest platform, handling more than $5 billion in annual orders...
UAE Oil Chief Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber: 'The Strait of Hormuz Is Not Open'
UAE oil chief Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber said the Strait of Hormuz remains closed despite a U.S.–Iran cease‑fire, noting that Iran still controls ship movements and imposes permits. About one‑fifth of global oil passes through the narrow waterway, and the continued...
The Strait of Hormuz Is Not Open as Iran Controls Access After Ceasefire, UAE Oil CEO Says
Following a U.S.-Iran cease‑fire, Iran has begun requiring ships to obtain its permission before transiting the Strait of Hormuz, effectively keeping the waterway closed to free navigation, according to ADNOC CEO Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber. The restriction affects roughly 20 % of...
75% of Supply Chain Failures Happen on Factory Floor, Study Finds
A LeanDNA study reveals that three‑quarters of supply‑plan failures originate on the factory floor, not in demand forecasting. Nearly half of manufacturers say these execution gaps threaten at least 10% of annual revenue. While 74% of firms prioritize forecasting, 80%...
A Global Food Emergency: Why the Closed Strait of Hormuz Puts Half the World’s Calories at Risk
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz has disrupted the flow of roughly a third of the world’s fertilizer shipments, driving U.S. fertilizer prices up more than 40% in a single month. Higher fertilizer costs force farmers to cut applications,...
Jet Fuel Supply Disruptions Are Comparable to 9/11 and Could Take Months to Replenish Even if Hormuz Strait Is Reopening,...
IATA chief Willie Walsh warned that jet‑fuel shortages caused by the Iran‑related war will linger for months even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens. Refining capacity in the Middle East has fallen 10‑12%, removing over 2 million barrels per day from...
Progress Rail Provides Locomotives to Short Line, Enters Tie Deal with Triton Group
Progress Rail delivered four EMD SD70ACe‑Tier 4 locomotives to Michigan‑based Lake State Railway Co., replacing five 40‑year‑old units and supporting the short line’s sustainability agenda. The new fleet incorporates the Uptime IQ analytics platform for data‑driven maintenance, helping extend asset life and...
Reliance Caps Fuel Sales at $11 per Pump Amid Growing Shortages
Reliance Industries, through its Jio‑BP joint venture, has begun limiting fuel purchases to roughly 1,000 rupees ($11) per customer at more than 2,000 retail pumps across India. The caps are a response to supply strain caused by the ongoing Hormuz...
India Mulls Creating 30-Day LPG Strategic Reserve
India is evaluating a 30‑day strategic reserve for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), which would require roughly 2.4 million tonnes of storage capacity. The country currently relies on two underground caverns – 80,000 tonnes in Mangalore and 60,000 tonnes in Visakhapatnam – that together...
Labor Constraints Are Accelerating Adoption of Dock Automation and Robotic Picking
Labor shortages and high injury risk in manual trailer and container unloading are prompting warehouses to adopt dock automation and robotic picking. Contoro Robotics showcases a semi‑autonomous solution that removes the most strenuous tasks while keeping workers in supervisory roles....
Letters to the Editor Dated April 09 2026
The Hindu BusinessLine’s April 9 letters highlight a newly announced cease‑fire in the Middle‑East conflict, which sparked a modest rally in Brent crude and equity markets. However, Iran’s $2 million per‑ship toll for safe passage through the Hormuz Strait threatens to undermine...
MODEX 2026: Stoecklin Logistics to Showcase Intelligent Automation, ASRS Technologies
Stoecklin Logistics will unveil its latest intelligent automation solutions at MODEX 2026, highlighting the FSP Shuttle System and the CasePicker platform. Both technologies are engineered to boost efficiency, accuracy and adaptability in modern distribution centers. The offerings are supported by...
The Volkswagen ID.4 Is Dead—For Now
Volkswagen will halt production of the ID.4 at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant in mid‑April 2026 to free capacity for the upcoming 2027 Atlas SUV. The current ID.4 will remain on dealer lots as a 2026 model, but VW signals a...
VW Is Killing US ID 4 Production to Focus on the Big, Gas-Powered Atlas Instead
Volkswagen announced it will cease production of the ID.4 electric SUV at its Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, with the shutdown slated for mid‑April. The company is redirecting the plant’s capacity to the newly unveiled Atlas, a larger, gasoline‑powered SUV that ranks...
Data Drives Traceability in Fashion Amid Obstacles and Opportunities
Fashion brands are turning to data‑driven traceability solutions to meet sustainability goals and upcoming regulations. Celio leverages the Higg Index to prioritize renewable‑energy suppliers, while Woolmark has achieved 100% RFID traceability for Australian Merino wool. Lectra’s TextileGenesis platform is being...
Lesson From West Asia Conflict Is to Factor-In Adverse Scenarios While Framing Policies: Oil Secretary
India’s petroleum secretary, Neeraj Mittal, warned that the West Asian conflict underscores the need to embed adverse‑scenario planning into the nation’s energy policy. He noted that despite the hostilities, LPG cargoes continue to arrive via the Strait of Hormuz, keeping...
How Global Conflicts Are Threatening India’s Maritime Trade and Energy Security | Energonomics Podcast | EP 15
The Energonomics podcast examines how escalating geopolitical tensions are jeopardizing India’s maritime trade and energy security. It highlights the vulnerability of critical chokepoints such as the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, where conflict could disrupt oil and cargo...
Diesel Supplies to Poland's Ports at Record in March
Seaborne diesel deliveries to Poland’s Baltic ports surged to a record 776,000 tonnes in March, eclipsing the previous high of 667,000 tonnes set in May 2022. The spike was driven by a planned turnaround at the 210,000 b/d Gdańsk refinery and...
Supply Chain Performance Undermined by Fragmented Warehouse Systems
Manufacturers are hampered by fragmented warehouse management systems that limit data visibility and coordination across production, inventory, and distribution. Info‑Tech Research Group’s new blueprint, “Future‑Proof Your Warehouse Operations With Modern Warehouse Management Systems,” offers a capability‑driven framework for CIOs to...
What’s Happening with Airlines and Airports in the Gulf Right Now?
Cirium data shows Gulf hub capacity remains sharply reduced despite falling cancellation rates, indicating a structural adjustment after the conflict began. In the second half of April, scheduled capacity at Dubai (DXB) and Doha (DOH) fell about 50% year‑on‑year, while...