Offbeat Wall Street Research Firm Says It Sent an Analyst to Strait of Hormuz. Here's What They Learned
Citrini Research sent an analyst by boat to Oman’s Musandam Peninsula to watch shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, reporting roughly 15 vessels per day – far below normal but still active. The firm argues that many ships turn off AIS, so actual traffic may be higher than satellite data shows. It suggests Iran is selectively permitting passages, creating a functional checkpoint rather than a full blockade. Citrini expects the disruption to persist, embedding a risk premium that favors December 2026 WTI contracts over front‑month crude.
Air Force Wants Nearly $1 Billion to Start Buying CCAs in 2027
The Air Force has asked for nearly $1 billion in FY 2027 to begin procurement of Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs). The budget request totals $996.5 million for procurement plus $150 million advance procurement and $1.37 billion for research and development, bringing the program’s FY 2027 request...
MSC Consolidates USWC, Asian Calls to Boost Trans-Pacific Reliability
MSC announced it will eliminate Oakland from its Orient trans‑Pacific service, effective with the April 30 departure of the 8,827‑TEU MSC Naomi from Qingdao. The carrier says the move reduces exposure to West Coast port congestion and improves schedule reliability. By...
US Lawmakers Aim to Ban Export of DUV Chipmaking and Etching Tools to Leading Firms in China — Bipartisan Proposal...
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced the MATCH Act, shifting export controls on advanced wafer‑fabrication equipment from fab‑level to company‑level restrictions. The bill would bar DUV lithography, etching and deposition tools from reaching Chinese firms such as Huawei,...
FMCSA Study on Truck Parking Squeeze Launched, Seeks Comments
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has launched a study titled “Quantifying the Benefits of Creating New Truck Parking Spaces,” seeking public comments through May 6. The agency plans to collect roughly 1,000 survey responses from truck drivers to gauge...
Court Strikes HRSA 340B Policy Restricting Initial Hospital Drug Purchases Through GPOs
On March 31, a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. vacated the Health Resources and Services Administration’s 2013 rule that barred disproportionate‑share hospitals from making initial outpatient drug purchases through both the 340B Drug Pricing Program and a group purchasing...
Codelco and SANY Conduct Successful Pilot of 100% Electric Transport Truck on Strategic Northern Route
Codelco and Chinese equipment maker SANY completed a 680‑kilometre round‑trip pilot using a 100% electric heavy‑duty truck that hauled 27 tonnes of copper between the Radomiro Tomic mine and Angamos Port in Chile's Atacama Desert. The test, conducted under a new...
Truckload Carrier Earnings: Will Q1 Mark the End of Struggles?
Q1 2026 earnings for major truckload carriers are expected to be the last bout of weak results as supply contracts and demand begins to recover. The quarter was hit by two severe winter storms and a 56% surge in diesel...
Ocean7 Ranger Is Burns Harbor’s First Ocean Vessel of the 2026 International Shipping Season
Ports of Indiana‑Burns Harbor kicked off the 2026 international shipping season with the arrival of the Ocean7 Ranger, a 10,500‑dwt Liberian‑flagged general cargo vessel operated by Germany’s Hammonia Reederei. After a 52‑day voyage from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the ship delivered a...
PennDOT Accepting Unsolicited Proposals for Transportation Projects
Pennsylvania’s Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Office of Public‑Private Partnerships is accepting unsolicited proposals for transportation projects through 11:59 p.m. on April 30, 2026. The agency runs two solicitation windows each year—in April and October—to invite private‑sector ideas for state‑owned infrastructure across all...
OPEC+ Flags Rising Threats to Oil and Energy Security
OPEC+ warned that attacks on energy infrastructure and disruptions to maritime routes are heightening market volatility and jeopardizing global oil supply stability. In its April 5 statement, the coalition—including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Russia and Iraq—highlighted the high cost and long...
ONE Applies Fuel Surcharge for Land Transportation in Latin America
Ocean Network Express (ONE) announced a new inland fuel surcharge for land transportation across Latin America, citing fuel supply disruptions linked to Middle East instability. The charge, which varies by country and cargo type, ranges from $10 per container in...
Lift Truck Tips: How to Right Size Your Fleet Through Utilization Metrics
Lift‑truck fleet right‑sizing has moved from guesswork to data‑driven decisions, leveraging telemetry and warehouse management systems to capture real‑time utilization metrics. Key performance indicators such as overall utilization, lift‑to‑travel ratios, and maintenance histories enable managers to match equipment type and...
Miebach and Solventure Partner to Address the Execution Gap in Supply Chain Planning
Miebach Consulting and Solventure have formed a strategic partnership to close the execution gap that many firms face after investing in advanced supply‑chain planning tools. The collaboration shifts focus from technology deployment to strengthening data, orchestration, and decision‑making layers that...
Packaging Corner: The Wood Pallet Vs. Plastic Pallet Conversation
Wood pallets have long been the supply‑chain workhorse, but plastic alternatives are gaining traction as automation expands and hygiene standards tighten. IMARC Group projects the global plastic‑pallet market to grow from $7.1 billion in 2025 to $10.4 billion by 2034, driven by...
This 28-Year-Old College Dropout Has Raised $24 Million to Fix a Military Problem ‘Nobody Was Thinking About’
Peter Goldsborough, a former Facebook AI researcher and chief engineer at Anduril, co‑founded Rune Technologies and secured a $24 million Series A round to address military logistics. Rune’s flagship product, TyrOS, combines real‑time inventory data with predictive analytics to keep troops supplied...
MSC, MarinTrust Seek Feedback on Revisions to Chain of Custody Standards
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has launched a 60‑day public consultation, running until 30 May 2026, to revise its Chain of Custody Standard. The overhaul will merge the three existing versions into a single, clearer document, tighten audit consistency, and introduce mandatory...
West Asia Conflict: Indian Refiners to Delay Maintenance Shutdowns
India, with over 258 mtpa refining capacity, is postponing most maintenance shutdowns to safeguard domestic diesel, petrol and jet‑fuel supplies amid the West Asia conflict. Only Nayara Energy’s 20 mtpa Vadinar refinery will undergo a scheduled 35‑day maintenance window starting April 9‑10, as...
NY Fed Says March Supply Chain Pressures Highest Since Start of 2023
The New York Federal Reserve’s Global Supply Chain Pressure Index rose to 0.68 in March, up from 0.54 in February, marking the highest level since early 2023. The increase follows a peak of 4.49 in December 2021, but remains well...
Hesitation From Port Authorities Slows Automation in Southern California
Port authorities in Southern California are stalling approvals for terminal automation, even though the ILWU‑PMA agreement has guaranteed automation rights since 2008. The region’s two largest gateways, handling about 40% of U.S. container traffic, face land constraints that make automation...
MODEX 2026: Rockwell Automation to Highlight End-to-End Autonomous Operations Platform
Rockwell Automation will unveil its end‑to‑end autonomous operations platform at MODEX 2026 in Atlanta, the first time the company presents a fully connected production logistics solution on the Material Handling Industry stage. The platform ties digital‑twin simulation, orchestration software, OTTO...
Ulta Doubled Store Fulfillment Capabilities in 2025
Ulta Beauty doubled its ship‑from‑store locations to over 1,000 U.S. stores in fiscal year 2025, up from about 500 the prior year. The expansion was powered by an AI‑driven order‑management system, while the company kept its existing distribution‑center network and...
Metal Tariff Adjustments Aren’t a Win for Packaging, Trade Groups Say
The Trump administration revised Section 232 metal tariffs, keeping a 50% rate on products made almost entirely of aluminum, steel or copper while lowering the levy to 25% for derivative items substantially composed of those metals. Items containing 15% or less...
D2C Brands Face Longer Wait, Higher Costs to Enter Quick Commerce as Monetisation Tightens
Direct‑to‑consumer brands are encountering longer onboarding times and higher fees to list on quick‑commerce platforms, with commissions rising 8‑12% and premiums of about 8% versus last year. Combined platform costs now exceed 35% of the selling price in many categories,...
Sysco To Acquire Restaurant Depot In $29.1 Billion Deal
Sysco announced a $29.1 billion cash‑and‑stock acquisition of Jetro Restaurant Depot, creating a food‑service distribution platform with roughly $100 billion in annual revenue. Restaurant Depot adds 166 warehouses across 35 states and a cash‑and‑carry model that complements Sysco’s delivery network. Sysco plans...
The Price of Progress: How Manufacturers Are Weighing AI’s Energy Demands
Manufacturers are accelerating AI and robotics deployments, with 81% of executives planning higher AI spend over the next three years. While early‑stage robots like Agility Robotics' Digit cost roughly $1 per shift in electricity, experts warn that energy demand can...
ORDC Approves Grant Assistance for Projects
On April 6, 2026 the Ohio Rail Development Commission approved $3.9 million in grant funding for two local projects and earmarked additional state funds to support three larger rail‑rehabilitation initiatives seeking federal CRISI assistance. The grants include $300,000 for Ross County...
How DHL Tackled Mail and Parcel Boom During Peak Easter Season
DHL’s Post & Parcel division in Germany handled a record Easter surge, processing up to 10.5 million parcels on April 7, well above the previous year’s 9 million daily peak. The surge was managed through a multi‑year $1.15 billion investment that modernises sorting centres,...
Electra Battery Materials Restarts Construction on North America’s First Cobalt Sulfate Refinery
Electra Battery Materials has restarted full‑scale construction of North America’s first cobalt sulfate refinery near Temiskaming Shores, Ontario, after a two‑year pause. The plant is designed to produce 6,500 tonnes of battery‑grade cobalt sulfate per year and is backed by...
Hormel Modernizes Supply Chain with AI Planning Platform
Hormel Foods has rolled out the o9 artificial‑intelligence planning platform across more than 70 of its facilities, linking demand, supply and inventory in a single system. The deployment, completed between March and December 2025, aims to shift the company from...
NYC Law Enforcement Agencies Now Have 1,000 Plug-In Vehicles in Service
The City of New York’s Department of Citywide Administrative Services announced that more than 1,000 plug‑in vehicles are now assigned to its law‑enforcement agencies, including nearly 500 units for the NYPD. Across all 15 agencies, the fleet comprises 781 battery‑electric...
UPS, Teamsters Reach Nationwide Agreement on Driver Choice Program, Following Disputes
UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters have reached a nationwide agreement on the company’s Driver Choice Program, a voluntary buyout offering $150,000 severance to eligible drivers. The deal caps the total number of severance packages at 7,500 and applies...
34,000 Shipping Routes Diverted From Hormuz Disruption: Report
More than 34,000 vessels were forced to reroute in the first four weeks after the Feb. 28 U.S.–Israel strike on Iran, with week 4 recording the highest diversion volume. Project44’s data show that traffic has not reverted to pre‑disruption patterns, as carriers...
Purolator Orders 100 Electric Step Vans From Workhorse
Workhorse Group received a purchase order for 100 battery‑electric step vans from Canadian logistics provider Purolator, doubling the carrier’s electric step‑van fleet. The order follows Purolator’s earlier purchases from Motiv, now part of Workhorse after a 2025 merger. Workhorse, which...
A Growing Problem: Lead Testing Uncovers ‘Deeply Concerning Issue’ in Spirulina Supply Chain
Cyanotech’s testing of 37 top‑selling spirulina and greens products found 18 samples—nearly half—exceed California’s Proposition 65 lead limits. Third‑party verification across multiple production lots confirmed the contamination is systemic, originating from offshore sourcing in the Asia‑Pacific region. The study also showed...
Retailers Rely on This Tariff Mitigation Tactic. Congress Has Noticed.
Retailers are increasingly using the decades‑old First Sale customs rule to lower tariff liabilities, with Target citing the method in its FY2025 filing and reporting sizable refunds. The rule lets importers declare the price paid in the earliest transaction of...
Mexico Truckers Block Key Freight Routes in Nationwide Strike
Mexican truckers and farmers launched a nationwide strike on Monday, blocking key freight corridors across more than 20 states and several U.S.-Mexico border crossings. The protest, organized by ANTAC and FNRCM, targets rising cargo crime, soaring diesel prices, deteriorating road...
West Asia Crisis Hits Activated Carbon Exports as Costs Surge Amid Shipping Woes
The West Asia crisis has shut Red Sea shipping lanes, halting Indian activated carbon shipments to key gold‑mining markets such as Sudan and Egypt. Exporters now face a $3,000 war‑risk surcharge per 40‑ft container and an extra $1,800 cost to...
Salary Survey: What Logistics and Supply Chain Jobs Pay in 2026
Logistics Management’s 2026 Salary and Compensation Study reveals a broad pay spectrum across the supply chain sector, with the average annual compensation reaching $126,400, a 5% rise from 2025. Executive‑level roles such as VP/General Manager command over $215,000, while warehouse...
Auto, Manufacturing CEOs Remain Upbeat on Growth; Bet Big on AI: KPMG
KPMG’s 2025 CEO Outlook shows automotive and industrial manufacturing leaders remain upbeat, with 87% and 81% respectively expressing confidence in sector growth despite geopolitical and cost pressures. Around three‑quarters of CEOs also trust their firms can execute large‑scale transformations. AI...
In a Tight Market, Reliability Wins
Freight carriers are facing tighter margins and heightened demand for consistent delivery performance. PrePass’s 2026 Mile Marker Impact Index shows that bypassing weigh stations can save an average of 7 minutes, half a gallon of fuel and $10.65 per event,...
How Procurement Teams Are Scaling Sourcing Without Hiring
Procurement leaders face rising spend volumes and tighter timelines, prompting a shift toward agentic AI that can initiate and drive sourcing events autonomously. Fairmarkit’s VP Erin McFarlane explains that automating repeatable tasks—such as intake classification, supplier matching, and bid analysis—allows teams...
Indium Corporation Announces Strategic Agreement for Domestic Critical Metals Recovery
Indium Corporation has signed a long‑term offtake framework with Flash Metals USA, a Metallium subsidiary, to purchase critical metals recovered from electronic scrap using Flash Joule Heating technology. The agreement covers gallium, germanium, copper, tin, gold and indium, with an...
Saab Wins $273m FMV Order for Mobile C-UAS
Saab has been awarded a Skr 2.6 bn ($273 million) contract by Sweden’s Defence Materiel Administration for a mobile, modular counter‑unmanned aerial system (C‑UAS). The system is designed to protect both military installations and civilian infrastructure from low‑altitude drone threats. Deliveries are planned...
Artemis II Supplier Series: Orion’s Windows
McDanel Advanced Materials, after acquiring Rayotek, will provide every Orion spacecraft window for Artemis II and the next four missions. The windows use a multi‑layer construction that shields against micrometeoroid impacts, radiation, and microbial growth while meeting strict mass limits. McDanel’s...
Tirupur Textile Units Accelerate Transition to PNG Amid LPG Shortage
Textile manufacturers in Tirupur are fast‑tracking the shift from liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to piped natural gas (PNG) as a prolonged LPG shortage, driven by Middle‑East geopolitical tensions, inflates production costs by roughly 15%. Industry leaders, backed by Adani Total...
In Person Interview: Sai Shivareddy of Nyobolt
Nyobolt CEO Sai Shivareddy says the battery market is booming, with global revenue projected to rise from $154 billion in 2025 to $555 billion by 2033. The company’s fast‑charging cells deliver super‑capacitor power density while retaining lithium‑ion energy, offering ten‑times longer cycle...
How Thieves Move $1m in Freight Before Anyone Realizes It
Authorities in Los Angeles busted an organized theft ring that had siphoned more than $1 million in high‑demand apparel and consumer goods. Over 50 pallets were recovered from a staging warehouse that was already feeding live‑e‑commerce resale channels. The operation illustrates...
5 Ways In-House Warehouse Expertise Improves Project Success
Storage Solutions highlights how its in‑house warehouse expertise drives project success across five core areas. By retaining design, engineering, and project management internally, the company tightens schedule control, anticipates hurdles, and delivers customized layouts that boost operational efficiency. Rapid response...
Nam Cheong Bags RM102.5 Million in Vessel Charter Contracts
Nam Cheong secured offshore support‑vessel charter contracts worth up to RM102.5 million (approximately $23 million USD) from regional oil majors. The deals, each lasting up to two years with a one‑year extension option, bring the company’s long‑term charter coverage to 69%—25 of...
