The need to know
The need to know for the week ending 19th February 2021
The need to know from Reuters’ global network of journalists
Volkswagen points finger at suppliers over car chip shortage
Volkswagen said bad planning on the part of its suppliers has compounded a computer chip shortage blighting the global auto industry, claiming it gave ample notice that the coronavirus’ hit to car production would be limited.
White House working to address semiconductor shortage hitting auto production
The White House said Thursday administration officials are working to address a growing shortage of semiconductor chips that has slowed auto production around the world.
French auto and electronics firms to work on improving supply chain glitches
French companies from the automobile and electronics sectors will be working together in the near-term to improve and fix supply chain glitches that have hit the country’s car industry, said the French finance ministry on Thursday.
German government reaches agreement on Supply Chain Act – sources
Germany’s government has reached agreement on legislation that obliges German companies to carry out due diligence regarding human rights and environmental issues in supply chains globally, government sources told Reuters on Friday.
Brexit causing supply problems for small UK manufacturers: survey
New post-Brexit trade restrictions have pushed up the cost of parts and raw materials for two thirds of small British manufacturers surveyed last month, and a majority reported some level of disruption.
Czech PM asks EU's Michel to help ease German border controls for trucks
Central European countries asked European Council President Charles Michel to help ease controls imposed by Germany on the Czech and Austrian borders to free up the flow of goods and industrial components, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday.
Some cargo ships sent north as Port of Los Angeles hits capacity
The Port of Los Angeles and cargo shipping lines are diverting some ships to other West Coast ports as a six-month import surge strains capacity at the busiest gateway for ocean trade in the United States.
Maersk aims for carbon-neutral container shipping in 2023
Shipping group Maersk said on Wednesday it would accelerate plans to decarbonise sea-borne container shipping by putting the world’s first vessel powered by carbon-neutral fuel into operation in 2023, seven years ahead of its original plan.
Nairobi airport seen ready to switch from fruit to vaccines
Kenya’s main airport in Nairobi will find it easy to switch from handling fruit to importing vaccines because it already has extensive cold storage, a leading logistics executive says.
Daimler's Torc Robotics picks Amazon as cloud provider for self-driving trucks
Daimler AG unit Torc Robotics said on Wednesday it has selected Amazon’s cloud computing division to handle huge amounts of data in real time as it prepares to test self-driving test trucks in New Mexico and Virginia.
Russia's Yandex to spend $400-500 million on e-commerce in 2021 after profit rise
Russia’s Yandex, which on Tuesday reported a 2% rise in 2020 net profit, plans to spend $400 million-$500 million on an e-commerce push this year to help annual revenue reach 305-320 billion roubles ($4.1-4.3 billion), its finance chief said.
Shopify tempers 2021 expectations after record year for online demand
Shopify Inc hinted revenue growth would slow this year, as vaccine rollouts encourage people to return to stores, after the Canadian e-commerce firm trounced profit and revenue expectations for the holiday quarter on soaring online demand.
Exclusive: Amazon deployed secret strategy to dodge India's regulators, documents show
Amazon has for years given preferential treatment to a small group of sellers on its India platform, publicly misrepresented its ties with the sellers and used them to circumvent increasingly tough foreign investment rules that affect e-commerce, internal company documents reviewed by Reuters show.
Japan must toughen regulation if 'joint approach' e-commerce law falls short: lawmaker
Japanese policymakers must keep open the option of toughening regulations on technology giants if an e-commerce law introduced this month does not work as expected, said a lawmaker overseeing the ruling party’s deliberations on competition policy.
S.Africa's Renergen to start production of ultra-cold COVID-19 vaccine storage
South African natural gas and helium producer Renergen will start production of its helium powered ultra-cold mobile freezer in the next few days and has started discussions to sell the units to logistics companies, it said on Monday.
From elsewhere around the web
Warehouse operators seek nimble forklifts in the e-commerce era.[Supply Chain Dive]
Paperless documentation needed to keep Russian trade moving.[Port Technology]
The Rise of Cryptocurrency in the Supply Chain.[SDC Exec]
Chinese factories won’t build enough containers to save US shippers.[FreightWaves]
No slack season, no easing of spot rates, as cargo pours out of Asia.[The Loadstar]
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