Logistic & Supply Chain

Supply Chain/Logistics Disruption

Container waiting times at Port of Shanghai rise to 12.1 days from 4.6 on March 28, due to China's COVID-19 quarantine, according to Project44; goods imported from China worldwide make up about 15% of total US imports and include solar panels and textiles
CE Noticias Financieras (04/25)

Empty containers meant for China are stuck at US ports, causing imbalance in supply, demand for boxes, says Container xChange CEO; once Shanghai reopens, there may be overwhelming demand from the backlog of orders in March and April, says shipping expert
Business Line (04/22)

Geopolitical Change/Disruption

Commentary: With China having 63% of rare earths production and US with 12%, US seeks self-sufficiency by building first sustainable supply chain to wean off China's exports; professor expects US rare earths self-sufficiency occurring in seven or 10 years
Benzinga (04/25)

Supply Chain/Logistics Software

Transport tech solutions company Breakthrough launches CleanMile, which it says is the first end-to-end scope 3 transport emissions management solution for shippers to analyze shipment data; scope 3 constitutes roughly 90% of a company's emissions
Business Wire (04/22)

Trucking/Van Delivery

Commentary: Sharp downturn in demand to truck goods, skidding rates in spot market may indicate start of US trucking recession that could decimate truckers' ability to dictate prices, push some into bankruptcy; Stifel sees soft truckload demand in Q2, Q3
Reuters (04/25)

US DOT's Federal Highway Administration launches Carbon Reduction Program that unlocks US$6.4B in funding for states and localities over five years; projects can include zero-emission vehicles and facilities, truck stop and port electrification systems
U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT) (04/25)

Ryder opens nearly 440,000-sq-ft omnichannel distribution center in Columbus, Ohio, as part of new supply chain offering Ryder E-Commerce by Whiplash; center serves nearly 50% of US within a 10-hour truck drive and features robot-assisted order picking
Ryder System Inc. (04/25)

Fitch forecasts US road freight volumes to grow 2.3% year-over-year in 2022, and road freight will make up 85% total freight volumes mix; e-commerce to remain key driver of freight demand due to continued shift of economic activity to online platforms
Fitch Solutions Sector Intelligence (04/22)

Canada-based GTI Transport Solutions acquires asset-light brokerage firm Foxconn Logistics to strengthen its focus on the north-south corridor between Montreal, Texas; firm is based in Nashville, Tennessee, and specializes in intermodal logistics at ports
EquityBites (04/22)

Rail Cargo/Shipping

US DOT's Federal Railroad Administration announces climate challenge to the rail industry to reach net-zero GHG emissions by 2050; agency regulates over 140,000 freight route miles, previously worked with Amtrak to develop biodiesel fuels for locomotives
States News Service (04/25)

CSX honors Active Minerals International, Amazon Logistics, Cemex, Georgia Pacific, Molson Coors Beverage Co. and Wal-Mart Transportation with Customer Environmental Excellence Awards; winners chosen based on truck-to-rail conversions over previous year
GlobeNewswire (04/22)

Ocean Cargo/Shipping

BDP International enters three-year agreement with Goodyear to deploy its BDP Smart technology in Turkey to facilitate ocean and air freight booking management and control for its international supply chain; network spans over 30 locations in 20 countries
BDP International (04/25)

Fitch expects US to see high port traffic via increased imports and intra-US trade in 2022, with elevated volumes and rates in coming months; risks stem from falling US retail demand, inflation, halting of stimulus checks, increased spending on services
Fitch Solutions Sector Intelligence (04/22)

Marine Ports

Port of Montreal joins the UN Global Compact, which is an initiative of over 15,000 companies in over 160 countries focused on developing, implementing and promoting corporate sustainability practices; port is the second largest in Canada
Canada Newswire (04/25)

Toyota uses Tri-Gen energy solution to make Long Beach, California, port facility first of its kind to use 100% renewable energy; Tri-Gen energy solution to produce renewable hydrogen, electricity, hot water on-site from agriculture waste
Toyota Motor Corp. (04/22)

Airports

Real estate firm Hunt Midwest to develop 3,300 acres as Missouri's largest logistics park to support air cargo at Kansas City International Airport, such as FedEx, USPS hubs; users will be able to reach 90% of US in two days via truck, overnight via air
Air Cargo Update (04/22)

Third-Party Logistics (3PL)

New Jersey’s ban on plastic bags and ban on paper bags in grocery stores to begin May 4; major grocery stores and third-party delivery services to handle online ordering processes in various ways, including bag fees, reusable bags
Star-Ledger (04/25)

Logistics/Transportation Management

GXO to install fleet of autonomous mobile robots in UK, the Netherlands over next few months for grocery, large-item customers; AMRs can boost productivity up to 60%, improve accuracy and improve end-customer experience by reducing order processing time
Robotics and Automation News (04/25)

Manufacturing/Production

Executive Perspective: Yellow CEO says 2022 will see strong LTL demand as consumers are positioned well, US manufacturing is rising, inventories are low; company's LTL tonnage falling 3.3% in 2021 was offset by revenue/hundredweight rising 16.4% over 2020
Logistics Management (04/22)

Supplier Management

National Grocers Assn. urges FTC, DOJ to scrutinize harm to competition from enhancement of buyer-side market power; NGA says dominant food retail 'power buyers' have amassed 'immense' economic power amid increasing consolidation in retail grocery sector
Contify Retail News (04/25)

Order Fulfillment & Delivery

SpartanNash announces partnership with Specialty Food Partners to launch SpartanNash SpecialtyDirect, an online platform that aims to offer innovative food solutions such as seamless ordering, delivery and invoicing for independent grocery customers
Business Wire (04/25)

Amazon debuts Buy with Prime service, allowing third-party merchants to use Amazon's logistics network to fulfill orders on their own sites; merchants will be able to put a Prime badge next to items that are eligible for free two-day or next-day delivery
Baystreet Tech Insider (04/22)

Mail/Parcel/Courier Services

USPS First-Class Mail delivers 93.6% on-time for April 1 - April 15 period, up 5.7 percentage points from Q2, Marketing Mail delivers 95.4% on-time, up 2.8 percentage points and Periodicals deliver 87.7%, up 5.8; average time for delivery is 2.4 days
Targeted News Service (Press Releases) (04/25)

On-Demand Local Delivery

Toyota Tsusho's subsidiary Sora-iina and instant logistics company Zipline launch on-demand drone deliveries of medical supplies across Japan’s Goto Islands; compared to car or van deliveries, Zipline’s autonomous aircraft emits 98% less CO2
GlobeNewswire (04/25)

Latest: Apr, 26 2022