Coronavirus
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ACT Research: Spot rates up 30% as shippers fight for trucking space
Customers have approached carriers such as Knight-Swift and U.S. Xpress offering higher rates to secure space in the tight market.
By S.L. Fuller • Sept. 17, 2020 -
Courtesy of Novavax, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Novavax boosts coronavirus vaccine manufacturing capacity as key trial nears
The Serum Institute of India, a go-to partner for coronavirus vaccine makers, will help Novavax boost capacity to levels matching its larger rivals.
By Jonathan Gardner • Sept. 15, 2020 -
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Transpacific rates more than double, capacity constraints create 'nightmare' for shippers
"The supply chain is just jammed," said one shipping association executive, adding that the current environment has made procuring freight the hardest its been in his 40 years in the business.
By Matt Leonard • UPDATED: Sept. 11, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. -
Courtesy of Werner
Deep DiveThe driver shortage: A big piece of the tight capacity puzzle
Retirements, hesitant drivers and career changes shrunk the workforce, contributing to market imbalances in the supply chain.
By Jim Stinson • Sept. 11, 2020 -
UPS to hire 100K seasonal workers to handle parcels for peak
UPS' holiday hiring targets match the number from the last two years amid very different circumstances and a much lower degree of certainty.
By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 09, 2020 -
Kendall Davis / Supply Chain Dive
Intermodal leads rail volume recovery as retailers restock
Despite what may turn out to be a dramatic recovery for certain segments of the railroads' businesses, pricing is unlikely to shift until 2021, one CSX executive said.
By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 09, 2020 -
Sam Silverstein/Supply Chain Dive
5 charts show CPG inventory challenges
Stockouts plagued retailers and manufacturers in the early days of the pandemic. Recovery has not been the same across product categories.
By Matt Leonard • Sept. 08, 2020 -
3 ways to fight stockouts in the pandemic
Historical data isn't worthless, but it won't work alone in times of unpredictable demand.
By Jen A. Miller • Sept. 08, 2020 -
Courtesy of Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods to offer pickup from nearly all its stores before October
As e-commerce demand soars during the pandemic, some grocers are automating pickup, adding off-premise lockers and carving out more dedicated space in stores and parking lots.
By Jeff Wells • Sept. 08, 2020 -
Flickr
Campbell expects supply constraints through November after pandemic pantry-loading
Campbell's supply chain has ramped up productivity at existing facilities during the pandemic — particularly in soup, which the CEO said would be largely caught up in time for "soup season." But other products are still behind.
By Emma Cosgrove • Sept. 04, 2020 -
Permission granted by Tyson Foods
Tyson to pilot 7 medical clinics near meat plants
The program comes as the coronavirus has continued to spread in plants, despite mitigation efforts such as placing barriers between employees, providing protective gear and giving temperature checks.
By Lillianna Byington • Sept. 04, 2020 -
ISM: Pricing power is in suppliers' hands
Increasing demand and issues with supply across manufacturing industries have driven up raw material and freight pricing.
By Shefali Kapadia • Sept. 03, 2020 -
Ball plans new aluminum plant to counter can shortage
Traditionally lean supply chains industry-wide have made ramping up U.S. production challenging for canmakers, some of which are importing cans to keep up.
By Matt Leonard • Sept. 03, 2020 -
Trucking capacity tightens, signs of loosening loom
Truckstop.com had 98 times the number of loads per truck, but a DAT analyst said consumers might be ready to slow their spending.
By Jim Stinson • Sept. 03, 2020 -
Courtesy of South Carolina Ports Authority
Q3 ocean volume on par with 2019, but Transpacific rates jump nearly 50%
Consumers have buoyed ocean volume by moving spending from services to goods during lockdowns.
By Matt Leonard • Aug. 31, 2020 -
Permission granted by BioNTech SE
Less stringent cold chain requirements could give Moderna's coronavirus vaccine an edge
A rival shot from Pfizer and BioNTech needs to be stored at colder temperatures and doesn't last as long in a refrigerator, which may limit its use.
By Jonathan Gardner • Aug. 26, 2020 -
AstraZeneca taps contract manufacturer to scale vaccine production
The agreement is part of AstraZeneca's efforts to aggressively pursue manufacturing and supply partnerships across the globe ahead of the vaccine's potential launch.
By Kristin Jensen • Aug. 26, 2020 -
Hormel Foods
Hormel struggles to rebuild inventory after pandemic production pauses
A vertically integrated supply chain, usually a cost-savings driver, meant disruption to production of certain brands within the company was more keenly felt in the supply chain.
By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 26, 2020 -
Warehousing, manufacturing employment below pre-pandemic levels as peak nears
Employment in manufacturing dipped 10% year over year in April and 5% in warehousing during the same period.
By Matt Leonard • Aug. 25, 2020 -
How Sephora flexed its warehouse network to prep for an e-commerce onslaught
The beauty retailer's annual spring promotion led SVP for Supply Chain Mike Racer to elevate throughput as a measure of readiness years before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 25, 2020 -
UPS to raise China-US parcel surcharges 30% starting Aug. 30
China/Hong Kong airfreight rates are nowhere near their peak in May, but they have been slowly gaining altitude since early July with some hint of moderation in August.
By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 21, 2020 -
Stocked out: Why cleaning product supply chains struggle to meet demand
The disinfectant and cleaning product supply chain relies on a just-in-time approach, making it difficult to radically move the output meter in a short timeframe.
By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Aug. 20, 2020 -
Maersk bullish on remainder of 2020 after increasing rates 4.5% in Q2
The carrier reinstated guidance but with a familiar caveat: The market is still more unpredictable than it was pre-pandemic.
By Matt Leonard • Aug. 20, 2020 -
Split shipments hit Kohl's profitability in Q2
Store closures locked inventory in locations optimized for pre-pandemic store demand and not e-commerce, which grew 60% year over year in the quarter.
By Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 20, 2020 -
adeline kon/Supply Chain Dive
Deep DivePeak season in a pandemic: What happens to freight rates and capacity?
Metrics and economic factors can help shippers gauge capacity and rates for air, ocean, trucking and rail heading into freight's busy season.
By Matt Leonard • Aug. 20, 2020
