Tariffs Alone Won’t Revive U.S. Textile Industry
"It Will Take More Than Tariffs to Bring Back U.S. Textile Manufacturing, Industry Insiders Say" 😯 https://t.co/xrPxylUcmA https://t.co/DDxL6NjUj4
PCB and Wire Bonding: Overlooked Semiconductor Bottleneck
"Clearly the most underrated bottleneck in the semi supply chain is in printed circuit board and die-attach wire bonding", EthereumFire's senior crypto analyst wrote in a note to clients.
Beef Imports Surge to Record $13.75B, up 28% Yo
"[B]eef imports in total are exploding at $4.5 billion through March, up 28% from a year ago. That comes after record for beef imports at $13.75 billion in 2025, up nearly $2.5 billion from a year earlier." https://t.co/M9mSqQvOq6
Transportation Capacity Tightening Rapidly, Market Set to Worsen
Transportation capacity has never tightened this fast outside of the kick off of peak season during COVID. This is a very tight market that is expected to see further tightening as the year progresses.
Self‑driving Trucks Could Cut Grocery Prices and Boost Safety
Autonomous trucking company Aurora is starting to put sponsored articles in sites like Axios stating that autonomous trucks will lower grocery bills and increase safety. "Autonomous trucks — trucks that operate without a driver — could lower shipping costs, helping reduce...
BioNTech's Remarkable Vaccine Supply Chain: A Bittersweet Legacy
For those of us (OK, mainly me) obsessively tracking the details of BioNTech's *INCREDIBLE* vaccine supply chain buildout during COVID-19, this piece is bittersweet. What BioNTech achieved for humanity in 2020-21 is simply an incredible story. https://t.co/H0YcTszLjr
U.S. Forms Global Coalition to Tackle Memory Chip Shortage
LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. is working to address the global memory chip shortage through a supply chain coalition with allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, a State Department official told Nikkei Asia Monday.
CSAIL Revives 80s Three‑s
In the '80s, future MIT prof. Bill Freeman envisioned a three-sided zipper that could switch items between soft & rigid states. Last year, CSAIL revived his idea w/an automated design tool. It 3D prints "Y-zippers" that snap gear, robots, & art...
Amazon's New Supply Service Mainly Boosts Baseline Capacity
"...We see the overall disruptive impact [Amazon Supply Chain Service] as on the margin, given our view that Amazon's primary motivation for a third-party offering is aimed toward densifying its baseload capacity..." - Bruce Chan, Stifel
Amazon Business Launches Same‑day Grocery Delivery for Firms
Interesting move - Amazon Business is providing same-day delivery of perishable groceries to business customers in more than 2,300 U.S. cities. https://t.co/fq9JaBDdDJ "Amazon Business serves more than eight million organizations globally, including 97 of the Fortune 100."
Flip the Ratio: Cheap Assessment, Board‑
"The answer probably starts with flipping the ratio: making assessment as cheap as generation, paying for fixes instead of just finds, and treating supply chain security as the board-level priority it has been pretending to be."
Contract Rates up $0.08/mile, Poised for 10% Gain
Contract rates net of fuel $+.08/mile since April 1st. This is a really strong move for contract rates. We believe that contract rates could move another 10% by the end of the year and finish around $2.80/mile. https://t.co/1elgECt0Lg
Huang Urges US AI Lead, Blocks China From Top Chips
Nvidia's Jensen Huang says China should not have its most advanced chips CEO backs US lead in AI while pushing for ability to sell older chips in China https://t.co/5ZqkduCG9u via @NikkeiAsia
EU Funding Block Threatens Solar Supply, Risks Blackouts
EU blocks funds for key Chinese solar energy parts “In practice, this could mean a remote shutdown of member states’ networks leading to countrywide blackouts." Anything is possible...but.... https://t.co/FDkl759Yjg via @ft
Global Oil Liftings Rebound to Pre‑war Levels.
CHART OF THE DAY: Impressive chart via @Vortexa. On a 7-day moving average, global oil liftings (into tankers) have **recovered to their pre-war level** due to a surge in liftings in the Americas. (Of course, that's helped by massive stock...
Project Freedom only Clears Outbound Tankers, Not Two‑way Flow
Project Freedom (the new US attempt to unblock the strait) is all about getting oil tankers out. So far, no indication the US is even contemplating a two-way traffic, with tankers going into the Persian Gulf. The later is a...
Apple's Foundry Talks With Intel Are More Advanced Than Expected
Agree with this, we think Apple is much farther along than just "discussions" with Intel on foundry.
Middle East Conflict Sparks Unbuffered Global Supply Chain Shock
Coming up on CNN International to talk the conflict in the Middle East and ripple effects for the US and global economy. The shock is more than an oil shock, which is painful in its own right; it is...
UP Refuses to Divest Lines in Historic Merger
The biggest merger in transportation history takes a new path with UP saying it won’t divest lines if required by the STB https://t.co/b8lMunECRh
Trump's Oil Seizures Raise Investor Trade Dilemmas
Trump is stealing other countries’ oil. And because Trump is blockading Venezuela & Iran for confiscation - literal armed robbery - this is seen as Wall Street friendly. As a long-term investor (no ODTE punks pls), do you care? If so, how...
Iran's AIS Jamming Disrupts Shipping, Causes Signal Gaps
Iran is jamming the AIS (or GPS) signals of shipping. Notice what happens to it below, and how they jump around and then disappear.
CVC Sells Hermes to Loomis for $433M
CVC exits cash logistics specialist Hermes in $433m sale to Loomis Read more here: https://t.co/k0F0CruFmu https://t.co/OdEex5wVol
Relationships, Not Transactions, Drive Reliable Procurement
Anyone can click "Add to Cart." But when stock runs out or a shipment is late, that transactional supplier won't go out of their way for you. The ones who will? The ones you've built a real relationship with. Here's why that...
Iran’s Existential Threat Fuels Erratic Response to US Strait Push
What's happening in the Strait of Hormuz this week is very significant. Iran is blockaded, while at the same time the US is trying to open up the Strait to Western ships. All this is an existential threat to Iran...
Peter Russo Explains Source‑to‑Pay Workflows on ServiceNow
MyPOV: here with Peter Russo talking workflows in source to pay of course. @ServiceNow #Know26 https://t.co/EdRDIqQyfd
Intel's Logic Deals Rise to Meet Capacity Demand
$INTC logic deals are coming. It’s not an indictment on $TSM, it’s purely capacity driven. Intel will get its chance to shine here as it will offer critical wafers to meet rising demand. 👏🏻
Siemens and Gray Construction Boost U.S. Manufacturing Investment
A couple of recent press releases from Siemens and Gray Construction highlight U.S. manufacturing investments. https://t.co/Q8ylywuocS
Flatbed Truckload Rates Hit $4.10 per Mile Record
Flatbed truckload rate hit new all time high of $4.10/mile, as industrial activity cranks. https://t.co/ecib1OmolR
Effective Warehousing Is the Backbone of Supply Chains
If your warehousing doesn’t work, neither does your supply chain. That’s why intralogistics – what happens inside your four walls – matters. Lessons from my 45 years inside warehousing: https://t.co/2f3aFzbooL #Intralogistics #SupplyChain https://t.co/MUYegmczpc
Chinese Automakers Lead Africa’s Rapid EV Surge
Across Africa, EV adoption is now among the fastest-growing globally and Chinese automakers capturing the lion’s share of the market. On this week's Next Africa Podcast Jennifer Zabasajja looks at China’s growing grip on Africa’s EV fast lane. https://t.co/0eQfp5JrH4
Iran's New Toll Lanes Redraw Strait of Hormuz Navigation
MAP OF THE DAY: Based on the information disclosed by the US (via @UK_MTO), I have drawn this Strait of Hormuz map. 🔴 Old route: Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). ☠️Mines 🔵 New mandated Iranian shipping lanes (tollbooth) 🟢 New US Navy route:...
EU Bans Chinese Inverters From Funded Clean‑energy Projects
SCMP: "The EU has taken its most direct step yet to cut Chinese clean energy hardware out of publicly funded projects, banning Chinese inverters from all EU-funded schemes in a move Brussels described as the first in a series of...
Chinese Supply Chain Key to $30K EV Mass Adoption
Back @MacroPoloChina we did a EV supply chain project on how you get to $30,000 EV by selecting different supply chain options (hint: you can only do it by selecting Chinese vendors). We thought that was the sweet spot for...
Mike Waltz Profits While UN Ignores Hormuz
Mike Waltz is a joke UN resolutions don’t reopen Hormuz But that's his paycheck #oil #Hormuz #shipping #geopolitics #energy
China’s Logistics Factory Operates Almost Entirely with Robots
#Robots Run the Show in China’s Almost Unmanned #Logistics Factory by @Natie2Natie #Robotics #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology https://t.co/O1sfBZU5VL
Strait of Hormuz Closed Until Insurers Approve Risk
The Strait isn’t “open” because a navy says so It’s open when insurers, shipowners, and crews decide the risk is acceptable. Right now, it's CLOSED #oil #Hormuz #shipping #energy #markets https://t.co/KM8CM0Dffv
China Aims 70% Domestic Advanced Wafers by 2026
Exclusive: China targets 70% advanced domestic silicon wafer use by 2026 Local leaders led by Eswin drive major expansion for self-sufficiency milestone https://t.co/GCoRLhlgwu via @NikkeiAsia
Airplane Boneyards Keep Global Flights Flying with Recycled Parts
The Economist has great piece on Arizona’s airplane boneyard and business model of nearby facilities that store, maintain, convert and disassemble planes: ▫️$5k a month to store single-aisle jet ($10k for larger) ▫️for disassembly, large jet (eg. Boeing 777) has >130k unique...
Volvo and AUR Launch
$AUR and Volvo light up Dallas to Oklahoma City. 200 miles, customer endpoints, 5 days a week. Supervised for now. Volvo targeting hundreds of VNL Autonomous trucks in 2027. Great milestone for both companies.✅
Oil Executives Warn of Emerging Western Physical Shortages
Oil Execs: 'We are starting to see physical shortages emerge in the west' Market: https://t.co/s25BclzDwg
Choose Forwarders that Align with Your Supply Chain Value
Bottom line up front: No, they did not. More robust answer: We obviously have to respect what Amazon is doing and will not dismiss them out of hand, but this is a product that has been on the market for years now...
Iran Strikes UAE Oil Hub, Signaling Heightened Retaliation
In response to the US launch of “Project Freedom” to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Iran launched a drone and missile attack. It hit the UAE’s Fujairah oil industry zone. Iran is LOCKED AND LOADED. https://t.co/R8f939cm7w
Procurement Talent Must Protect and Enhance the Brand
“Building people capability in #Procurement ensures the function has talented & engaged staff. They must be attuned to the sentiments of people outside the function—hence be aware of the ‘Procurement brand’ & how their behaviors burnish or tarnish it.” > https://t.co/dayL4yHpRb https://t.co/TXmsAyAw0P
Unclear Ship Traffic in Hormuz Highlights Information Gaps
So, have there been ships traversing Hormuz or not... why is it this hard to figure out what is actually happening in the Strait?
Iran Energy Shock Accelerates South Korea’s Clean‑Energy Push
The Iran-driven energy shock is adding urgency to South Korea’s push to cut its reliance on imported fossil fuels, giving President Lee Jae Myung momentum to push his clean-energy agenda. https://t.co/8DsMrfLHrW
Iran's Full Oil Storage Pressures Leaders, Sparks Policy Uncertainty
This shift will be caused by Iran's oil storage reaching capacity. Now that the real decision-makers will feel the pressure, there will be an opening for policy change. The outcome, however, remains uncertain. #crudeoil #iranwar #straitofhormuz #geopolitics https://t.co/EAeq2uZUcK
Dry Van Rates Dip to $2.35, Near McDouble Equilibrium
Dry van rates now only 15 cents from hitting McDouble equilibrium of $2.50 According to DAT: Last week, spot rates on DAT’s top 50 lanes, based on load volume, dropped a penny per mile, settling the average at $2.35 per mile...
China Should Lead Strait of Hormuz Reopening, Not Follow
Shouldn't China be leading, rather than following, when it comes to reopening the Strait of Hormuz? They have the most to gain. https://t.co/no60ONPKDg
Meituan Launches Drone Hub, Reshaping Shenzhen Logistics
Shenzhen’s Sky #Logistics: Meituan’s #Drone Hub Takes Flight by @ShuoYangAIR #SupplyChain #Innovation #FutureTech #Tech https://t.co/hxh2H38Inj
US Escorts Commercial Ships Through Strait Amid Iranian Threats
Two U.S. Flagged- Commercial Ships Sail Through the Strait 1⃣Project Freedom: U.S. mission to escort merchant vessels 2⃣Joint Maritime Information Center (JMIC) advisory and security threats 3⃣Iranian verbal warnings and threats to shipping 4⃣Marine Corps armed guards on ships 5⃣Role of Military Sealift Command (MSC),...