Supply Chain
- US plans fresh China semiconductor tariffs for 2027The duty rate will be set at least 30 days before the implementation date and stack on top of existing levies, per a Federal Register filing.
- Duluth Trading’s efforts to rightsize inventory receipts pay offThe workwear retailer plans to have its stock reflect more of its core products and will cut SKUs throughout 2026.
- US nabs $1B in duty revenue after de minimis phaseoutThe exemption's end has also led to an 82% jump in seizures of low-cost goods considered unsafe or noncompliant, per Customs and Border Protection.
- Academy Sports and Outdoors touts cargo frontloading winsAlthough it was “sweaty knuckles” at first, moving goods ahead of tariff escalations enabled the retailer to sell items at last year’s prices, EVP and CFO Earl Ford said.
- Ford cancels $6.5B battery supply contract with LG Energy SolutionThe automaker also dissolved its BlueOval SK battery joint venture with SK On earlier this month as it shifts away from EVs.
Packaging
- Warehouse Labor: A Delicate Balancing ActFour years after COVID-19, labor disruption continues. To be fair, labor shortages and dislocation predate the pandemic and have more to do with the tectonic shift in supply chain operations from traditional business-to-business fulfilment to direct-to-consumer e-commerce.
- Driving Efficiency and Sustainability in PackagingAs supply chains continue to evolve, packaging will remain a critical and often overlooked component of supply chains.
- Linerless Labels: A Triple Win of Benefits in Warehousing and ManufacturingThe concept is simple: using self-adhesive shipping labels that don’t come with a liner backing.
- A Packsize Customer Story: Staples — Expertise Meets TechnologyStaples, a global leader in office supplies and solutions, sought to address the growing challenges of packaging inefficiency and sustainability across its distribution centers. As the volume and variety of customer orders increased, Staples recognized that traditional packaging methods resulted in excess waste, higher shipping costs, and operational bottlenecks.
- Six Mistakes That Could Haunt Your Operations This Peak SeasonThe retailers and logistics providers that dominate this peak season won't be the ones with the biggest budgets or the most warehouses.
Material Handling
- KION Group and Li-Cycle form battery recycling partnership focused on circular economyKION Group signs agreement with Li-Cycle, a leader in lithium-ion battery resource recovery. Recycling will initially be carried out beginning later this year in a new Li-Cycle plant in the Magdeburg, Germany area with expansion into other countries, including France.
- ProMat 2023 insights: Integrated robotics direction seems well-matched to the timesLabor availability issues remain a core driver for warehouse automation and robotics, but ProMat exhibitors were also talking up analytics, algorithms, and digital twin modeling as a means of containing costs in inflationary times.
- ProMat 2023 attendance sets new mark at nearly 51,000 registrantsProMat returns as biggest supply chain event in its history, with an overall registration count of 50,924 and 1,051 exhibitors.
- Gap Inc. expands its e-fulfillment networkA new 800,000-square-foot DC in Texas optimizes fulfillment processes and the network.
- MHI announces winners of 2023 MHI Innovation and StartUp awardsLast night, during Industry Night at ProMat 2023, MHI announced the winners of the 2023 MHI Innovation and Startup Awards.
Transportation & Distribution
- Starting your supply chain orchestration journeyMany companies are trapped in a constant firefighting mode, reacting to disruptions instead of proactively managing them. This creates inefficiencies, strains teams and hinders growth.
- Fueling the Future: Digital Tools Transforming Oil & Gas LogisticsEastern Propane and Oil serve more than 100,000 residential and commercial customers across five states, operating 165 delivery trucks from 14 district locations. As customer expectations grew and delivery complexity increased, Eastern faced the challenge of optimizing performance across its expanding network while maintaining the reliability and service quality that define its brand.
- How to Make Smarter Shipping Decisions for an Unpredictable Peak SeasonExpedited shipping isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. Retailers first need to examine what’s being shipped, how much it’s worth, and what customers expect.
- How Castellini Transformed Cold-Chain Operations With a Dynamic WMSThird-party logistics providers with their own warehouses must accommodate a wide range of very specific customer fulfillment needs.
- South Africa to Prosecute Maersk, CMA Units Over Price-Fixing AllegationsThe companies allegedly fixed the general rate increase charged to customers for shipping cargo between South Africa and Asia, and between South Africa and the western part of Africa.