The need to know

The need to know for the week ending 28th January 2022

The need to know from Reuters’ global network of journalists

German firms fear supply chain pain from China's battle with Omicron

German companies doing business in China are worried the Omicron coronavirus variant will trigger more strict lockdown measures from Beijing that could exacerbate supply chain problems, the DIHK Chamber of Commerce said on Tuesday.

DP World says global supply chain needs 1-2 years to recover from pandemic

The chairman of ports giant DP World said on Thursday the COVID-19 pandemic had exposed the vulnerabilities of the global supply chain, and that it would take one to two years for it to recover if the outbreak ended now.

DHL expects freight rates to stay high in 2022

German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL does not expect freight costs to ease this year and is advising customers to agree longer-term contracts as a hedge, the head of the DHL freight business said in an interview.

GE's shares fall as supply-chain woes hit Q4 revenue

General Electric Co on Tuesday reported a decline in quarterly revenue amid persistent global supply chain disruptions, sending its shares lower.

Tesla forecasts 2022 growth above 50%, despite supply chain challenges

Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) on Wednesday forecast vehicle deliveries would comfortably grow by more than 50% year-over-year in 2022 despite persistent supply chain issues that it expects to be alleviated only next year.

Philips expects summer recovery from supply chain woes

Dutch health technology company Philips (PHG.AS) said on Monday it expects sales to recover strongly in the second half of the year, while a steep decline due to global shortage of parts is likely to persist in the coming months.

Implementing ESG plans through supply chain contracts

With a new year underway, the climate emergency continues to impact, and draw the attention of, political, corporate, and civil society actors around the world, particularly following the mixed success of the COP 26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in November 2021.

Supply-chain fragility sends tin soaring to new highs

New Year and a new record high for the tin price. London Metal Exchange (LME) three-month tin hit its latest milestone of $44,200 per tonne on Jan. 21 before suffering a bout of vertigo at the start of this week.

Britain's Boohoo begins production at first manufacturing site

British online fashion retailer Boohoo (BOOH.L), seeking to improve its image after negative publicity over its supply chain failings, has begun production at its first ever manufacturing site.

Walmart's chief e-commerce officer Casey Carl exits company after two years

Walmart's (WMT.N) top e-commerce executive Casey Carl is leaving the company at the end of February after nearly two years, the company said in an internal memo.

Shopify says changes to fulfilment network will not hit capacity

Canadian e-commerce giant Shopify Inc (SHOP.TO) said on Monday proposed changes to its fulfilment network would not reduce capacity to meet the needs of its customers, helping shares reverse course to trade up 7%.

Airbus to create own airline to rent out whale plane

Airbus (AIR.PA) plans to charter out its whale-shaped Beluga transport planes -whose main job until now has been to ferry aircraft parts between its plants in Europe - to help other industries haul urgently-needed outsized machinery by air.

Russia starts navy drills to rehearse protecting Arctic shipping lane

Russian warships entered the Barents Sea on Wednesday to rehearse protecting a major shipping lane in the Arctic, its Northern Fleet said on Wednesday, as Moscow stages sweeping military exercises involving all of its fleets.

Shipping group MSC, Lufthansa offer to buy Alitalia successor

Swiss-based shipping group MSC and German carrier Lufthansa (LHAG.DE) want to buy the majority of Alitalia successor ITA Airways and have asked for an exclusivity period of 90 days to study the deal, MSC and ITA said on Monday.

Maersk to tackle air pollution at ports with ship-charging buoys

Shipping group Maersk (MAERSKb.CO) plans to install hundreds of offshore charging stations around the world to allow vessels to power themselves with electricity instead of fossil fuels while waiting outside ports, it said on Tuesday.

Truckers fighting government vaccine mandate march to Canadian capital

A convoy of truckers started their march from Vancouver on Sunday to the Canadian capital city of Ottawa protesting the government's COVID-19 vaccine mandate for truckers, which the industry says would create driver shortages and fuel inflation.

From elsewhere around the web:

US customers moved fewer goods by truck last year – but paid more. [The Loadstar]

DHL Supply Chain buying fleet of mobile warehouse robots. [Freight Waves]

Nike says a 'sole train' helped mitigate supply chain disruptions. [Supply Chain Dive]

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