Market Trends & Consumer Behaviour
SupplyTech Breakthrough 2025 Award Winners Announced Summary The fourth annual SupplyTech Breakthrough Awards have revealed winners across more than 60 categories, recognising innovation in logistics and supply chain technology. Thousands of nominations from over 15 countries competed. Major winners include Voxel (Overall SupplyTech Innovation of the Year) and EPG ONE, EPG (Overall SupplyTech Solution of […]
Millions of Manufacturing Jobs Are Going Unfilled—Here’s Why Summary Dave Evans, CEO of Fictiv, explains why a projected manufacturing rebound in the U.S. is colliding with a growing labour shortage. Deloitte forecasts roughly 1.9 million unfilled manufacturing roles by 2033. The causes are multi-fold: a retiring workforce taking decades of tacit knowledge with them; cultural […]
NextGen Supply Chain Conference names 2025 Solution Provider Award Winners Summary The NextGen Supply Chain Conference has announced the winners of its 2025 Solution Provider Awards. Three technology vendors were singled out for their measurable impact on logistics, warehousing and global trade: Quickcode.ai for Artificial Intelligence, Easy Metrics for Digital Transformation, and Corvus Robotics for […]
STB Board member Primus is dismissed by President Trump Summary President Trump has terminated Robert Primus from his seat on the Surface Transportation Board (STB), according to reports. Primus, originally nominated to the STB in 2020 and confirmed for a second term in December 2022, had been serving a term due to expire at the […]
U.S.-bound container imports hit second-highest month on record amid tariff and seasonal pressures Summary Descartes’ August Global Shipping Report shows U.S.-bound container volumes reached 2,519,722 TEU — the second-highest monthly total in 2025. Volumes fell 3.9% month-on-month but were up 1.6% year-on-year and 17.6% above pre-pandemic 2019 levels. The report highlights that two consecutive months […]
U.S. rail carload and intermodal volumes are mixed, for week ending August 23, reports AAR Summary United States rail volumes for the week ending 23 August showed a mixed picture, according to the Association of American Railroads (AAR). Total carloads nudged up year‑on‑year, while intermodal containers and trailers slipped slightly. Several commodity groups posted gains, […]
FTR Shippers Conditions Index heads down again Summary FTR’s Shippers Conditions Index (SCI) declined to -3.6 for June, signalling a less favourable environment for shippers. The reading worsened from May’s -0.9 and follows a multi-month downward trend after modestly positive readings earlier in the year. Fuel-price volatility—linked to recent tensions with Iran—and rising costs are […]
U.S. ends $800 de minimis exemption, imposing duties on all low-value imports, effective August 29 Summary Effective 29 August 2025 the White House removed the longstanding $800 de minimis exemption that allowed low-value shipments into the United States to enter duty-free. The executive order applies to all commercial low-value shipments, regardless of origin or entry […]
Manufacturing contracts in August, for sixth consecutive month, reports ISM Summary The Institute for Supply Management’s August Manufacturing Report on Business shows manufacturing output contracted for the sixth month running. The PMI registered 48.7 (below the 50 growth threshold), up 0.7 points from July, signalling slower contraction. Meanwhile the overall economy continued to expand for […]
UPS rolls out peak season rates for air and ground shipments Summary UPS has announced its 2025 peak demand surcharges covering the busy holiday shipping window. The surcharges run from 28 September 2025 through 17 January 2026, with fees ranging from $0.40 up to $8.75 per package depending on service level and shipment volume. The […]
