The need to know
The need to know for the week ending 9th July 2021
The need to know from Reuters’ global network of journalists
Ever Given container ship leaves Suez Canal 106 days after getting stuck
The Ever Given, one of the world's largest container ships, resumed its journey and left the Suez Canal on Wednesday, 106 days after becoming wedged across a southern section of the waterway for nearly a week and disrupting global trade.
UK relaxes trucking rules to ease shortage of drivers
Britain's government said on Wednesday it would relax rules this month for how long truck drivers can work, as a temporary fix for a severe shortage of qualified heavy goods vehicle (HGV) operators as the economy reopens from its coronavirus lockdowns.
France probes fashion retailers for concealing 'crimes against humanity' in Xinjiang
French prosecutors have opened an investigation into four fashion retailers suspected of concealing "crimes against humanity" in China's Xinjiang region, a judicial source said on Thursday.
German car production forecast slashed as supply-chain woes persist
Germany's car industry on Monday slashed its forecast for production growth this year, indicating that the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will be bumpy as manufacturers battle supply-chain disruptions.
Home workers questioning jobs, supply-chain havoc weigh on French recovery
A shortage of qualified workers, doubts raised by working from home and supply-chain havoc are proving problematic for some companies as they try to ride France's recovery from the pandemic but struggle to fill vacancies, business leaders said.
Chip supply situation 'still difficult' - Infineon CEO
Strains in the semiconductor supply chain have worsened in some areas as trends such as remote working combine with an industrial recovery from last year’s pandemic slump to drive chip demand, the head of Germany’s Infineon said.
Bring in the army: Food group's call to relieve UK lorry driver crisis
Premier Foods, one of Britain's biggest food companies, has called on the government to consider using the army to distribute goods to help relieve a severe shortage of truck drivers.
Toyota benefits from doubly weird auto market
Toyota Motor’s lean supply chain is a business school staple. Its first half 2021 performance shows that sometimes a little strategically deployed fat can be helpful too.
U.S. factory orders rebound strongly in May
New orders for U.S.-made goods rebounded sharply in May, while business spending on equipment remained solid, despite bottlenecks in the supply chain.
UK factories ride demand boom, price pressures hit record
Britain's factories extended their post-lockdown recovery in June and ramped up hiring, but they also faced record inflation pressures due to supply chain problems caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a survey showed on Thursday.
China proposes rules to punish illegal e-commerce pricing
China's market regulator issued draft rules on Friday to punish illegal pricing activities, including heavy subsidies and the practice by online platforms of charging different prices based on customers' purchasing behaviour.
Deutsche Post up outlook as ecommerce boom continues
German logistics group Deutsche Post raised its outlook for 2021 operating profit on Wednesday, prompted by continued strong business in the second quarter as the coronavirus pandemic drives a boom in ecommerce.
Dubai's DP World to acquire South African logistics firm Imperial for $880 million
Dubai’s DP World said on Thursday it had made a cash offer of 12.73 billion rand ($887 million) to acquire all shares of South African firm Imperial Logistics.
UK food delivery company Deliveroo orders up 400 new tech jobs
Deliveroo, the food delivery company that listed in London in March, said on Wednesday it would hire 400 software engineers, data scientists and designers in the next 12 months to drive innovation on its platform.
Omani transport group Asyad weighs strategic stake sale in shipping unit
Oman's state-owned transport group Asyad is weighing the sale of a strategic stake in its subsidiary Oman Shipping Company (OSC), three sources familiar with the matter said.
From elsewhere around the web:
What Amazon's Latest Scandal Shows for the Warehousing Sector [SDC Exec]
'Real pressure on supply chains': How major players are balancing costs, speed and a new retail world [Supply Chain Dive]
DHL Express invests $360M in Americas to keep up with e-commerce [Freight Waves]
As box rates leave some shippers 'very badly hurt', others see an opportunity [The Loadstar]
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