The need to know
The need to know for the week ending 19th November 2021
The need to know from Reuters’ global network of journalists
Trucker pay may need to rise to resolve supply chain woes, U.S. regulator says
Wages for truckers and warehouse workers may need to rise to resolve shipping backups, the chairman of the U.S. Federal Maritime Commission, which oversees ocean transportation, said on Tuesday.
Hapag-Lloyd nine-month net profit soars 10-fold on record freight rates
German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd reported a more than 10-fold surge in nine-month net profit on Friday, citing record freight rates amid scarce transport capacity and rising transport volumes.
Britain's supply disruption hits Greggs' vegan sausage rolls
British baker and fast-food chain Greggs' has warned its vegan sausage roll was the latest product to succumb to supply chain disruption.
Supply chain crisis threatens Christmas for Spanish wines
The bottles that Francisco Ibaibarriaga ordered from France to fill at his small Betolaza winery in La Rioja are just not going to arrive in time for Christmas.
Mr. Kipling maker ramps up supply chain spend ahead of Christmas
Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Cadbury cakes, plans to spend most of its earnings from the first half of the year on its supply chain, with the UK battling a shortage of food items as it comes out of the pandemic.
Walmart stock tumbles as supply chain snarls hit margins ahead of holidays
Walmart Inc shares on Tuesday suffered their biggest intraday drop since May after high labour and supply chain costs ate into quarterly margins, even as the world's biggest retailer raised its annual sales and profit forecast.
Biden at war with himself on supply-chain battles
Joe Biden can look in the mirror for answers to supply-chain dilemmas. The U.S. president wants to ease bottlenecks but some of his own policies stand in the way.
As energy prices soar, supply chain snags threaten U.S. oil output gains
U.S. oil producers are struggling to find enough crews, vehicles and equipment to take advantage of rising global demand and a seven-year high in crude prices, say executives at oilfield service firms.
Siemens expects supply chain problems to ease after posting strong sales
Siemens expects supply chain problems that have hindered the industrial revival in the wake of the pandemic to ease next year, the engineering and technology company said on Thursday, as its fourth quarter sales and orders beat forecasts.
Polish locker group fails to deliver
E-commerce bulls have been shown a red flag in Poland. InPost, which operates lockers used by people receiving parcels ordered online, on Wednesday lowered its sales forecast because e-commerce isn’t expanding as much as it anticipated.
Airbus wins Air Lease launch order for A350 freighters
European plane-maker Airbus secured a provisional debut order for seven A350 freighter jets from U.S. leasing company Air Lease Corp on Monday, stepping up efforts to challenge Boeing for a bigger slice of the booming cargo market.
Santa Claus is coming to town – but at what cost to Walmart and Target?
Pent-up demand is expected to have boosted early holiday sales this year, but big discounters Walmart and Target may still see margins fall as surging costs for labour, warehousing and ocean and land freight threaten to play Grinch.
China corn prices rise as bad weather delays crop shipments
Corn prices in China have pushed to multi-month highs despite the advancing harvest after wet weather slowed crop collection just as record energy prices pushed up grain drying and logistics costs, analysts and traders said.
Off the grid: Chinese data law adds to global shipping disruption
Ships in Chinese waters are disappearing from tracking systems following the introduction of a new data law in China, frustrating efforts to ease bottlenecks that are snarling the global economy, according to three shipping sources directly impacted.
Waymo, UPS expand autonomous freight truck tie-up ahead of holidays
Alphabet Inc’s Waymo said on Wednesday it is expanding its partnership with United Parcel Service Inc to move freight using autonomous trucks between two of the parcel delivery company’s Texas facilities during the holiday season.
Spain ready to negotiate with truckers to avoid Christmas strike
Spain’s government is prepared to negotiate with truck drivers and believes a three-day strike called by an industry association in the run-up to Christmas can be averted, two ministers said on Thursday.
From elsewhere around the web:
Empty containers become a focal point in push to ease Los Angeles port congestion. [Supply Chain Dive]
Profits See Severe Discrepancies in Supply Chain During Disruptions. [SDC Exec]
How to make a billion when your ships are stuck at anchor. [Freight Waves]
GB Railfreight operating intermodal services from the Port of Tyne. [Port Technology]
Port congestion cascades into intra-Asia services, disrupting container traffic. [The Loadstar]
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