supply chain

Report warns super El Niño threatens Latin American trade

Latin America faces mounting risks of supply chain disruption, lost commodity output and damaged infrastructure as a "super-strength" El Niño grows stronger into 2027. That is the warning in a report released Sept. 30 by risk data firm Verisk Maplecroft.…

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China seized diverted F-35 stealth parts, Bloomberg reports

The Chinese government has taken possession of sensitive F-35 stealth fighter jet components that were diverted to Hong Kong while being shipped from Australia to the United States, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday, escalating what had been a murky logistics mishap…

Tesla audits Chinese suppliers ahead of Optimus robot mass production

Tesla's robotics team has been conducting a new round of supply chain audits across China's Yangtze River Delta region, inspecting suppliers of core components for its Optimus humanoid robot as the company prepares to begin production at its converted Fremont…

China Rare Earth Group in talks to acquire Shenghe, an MP Materials shareholder

State-owned China Rare Earth Group is in talks to acquire Shenghe Resources, a deal that would consolidate Beijing's grip on the rare earth sector and hand a Chinese state enterprise an indirect stake in MP Materials, the only rare earth…

Sulfur shortage idles plants as Hormuz closure chokes fertilizer supply

More than six months after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, fertilizer shipments from the Persian Gulf remain largely halted, and a cascading series of supply disruptions is now threatening agricultural production worldwide. A new analysis from the International…

European carmakers urge delay to EU-UK EV tariffs due in January

Europe's leading carmakers have issued a stark warning to EU leaders, calling for a delay to post-Brexit rule changes that would subject most electric vehicles traded between the UK and the EU to 10% import tariffs starting January 2027. The…

Tesla begins Optimus robot production audit in China

Tesla dispatched its robotics team to Ningbo, China, on September 16, kicking off a new round of production audits for the Optimus humanoid robot on September 17. The audit is focused on verifying exclusivity and consistency standards for mass production,…

Nexperia partners with Tata to make chips in India amid split from Chinese parent

Dutch chipmaker Nexperia and Tata Electronics on Thursday announced a sweeping strategic partnership to manufacture and package semiconductors in India, a deal that deepens Nexperia's pivot away from its Chinese parent company Wingtech following a bitter corporate dispute.

Smaller device makers redesign products as memory shortage deepens

A global memory chip shortage driven by surging AI demand is dragging smartphone shipments toward their steepest annual decline on record, forcing smaller device makers to redesign products and test incoming chips for counterfeits as they brace for a crisis…

Intel CEO warns memory shortage will worsen amid surging AI demand

Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan warned on Tuesday that the global memory shortage will grow more severe, telling attendees at the AI Infrastructure Summit 2026 in Santa Clara, California, that memory prices have already surged five to seven times and that…

US pushes Mexico to cap Chinese parts in AI hardware

The Trump administration is pushing Mexico to accept new rules that would cap how much of an AI chip or server can be built from components sourced outside North America, according to a Wall Street Journal News Corp report citing…

Thailand’s PTT pursues US Gulf LNG deals amid Hormuz crisis

Liquefied natural gas buyers across Asia are stepping up efforts to secure more fuel from the United States as months of disruption to the Strait of Hormuz continue to reshape global energy procurement strategies.

Middle East war squeezes both polyester and cotton, threatening apparel price hikes

The war in the Middle East is rippling through the global apparel industry, pushing up the cost of raw materials, shipping, and energy in a combination that manufacturers say is unlike previous disruptions. With both polyester and cotton prices climbing…

DP World grows truck fleet 40% to bypass Strait of Hormuz

DP World, the Dubai-based ports and logistics giant, is expanding its overland freight network with a 40% increase in its truck fleet and new land routes, betting that shipping through the Strait of Hormuz will not return to pre-conflict levels,…

Companies bring manufacturing back to China as offshoring proves harder than expected

A year after President Donald Trump's tariffs triggered a global rush to diversify supply chains away from China, some companies are finding that the country's factory ecosystem is too difficult to replicate — and are bringing production back, according to…

Industries brace as China’s rare earth controls near Nov. 10 return

With two months until a November 10 deadline, companies across the electronics, automotive, defense, and energy sectors are bracing for the possible return of sweeping Chinese rare earth export controls that were suspended nearly a year ago. The measures, if…

Panama Canal cuts put up to $10B in CARICOM imports at risk

New transit caps at the Panama Canal could expose between US$8 billion and US$10 billion in annual Caribbean Community imports to higher costs, supply delays and reduced shipping frequency, the CARICOM Private Sector Organisation warned this week.

Hormuz disruption drives global sulphur, fertilizer prices to crisis levels

The ongoing disruption at the Strait of Hormuz is sending shockwaves through global agricultural supply chains, with sulphur prices surging above $1,000 per tonne and fertilizer costs climbing across Asia, compounding food security concerns from Tokyo to New Delhi to…

Apple delays base iPhone 18 to spring in major strategy shift

Apple held its "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, marking new CEO John Ternus' first product showcase and the company's most sweeping hardware announcement in years. The lineup included Apple's first foldable phone, the iPhone Duo, alongside the…

Maersk warns of shipping strains as Canada tariffs take effect

Maersk A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S issued its September 2026 North America market update on Wednesday, warning shippers that a new round of U.S.-Canada tariffs, tightening domestic freight conditions, and lingering disruptions from typhoons and European port strikes are converging…

UN warns fuel crisis could push small businesses out of global trade

Americans faced the most expensive Labor Day weekend ever at the pump as the U.S.-Iran conflict continued to choke oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz, sending diesel to an all-time high and deepening a global shortage of refined fuels…

Tesla’s rare-earth-free Cybercab motor sparks China trade debate

Elon Musk's claim that Tesla's new Cybercab robotaxi runs on a motor containing no rare earth metals has reignited debate over whether the technology could weaken one of China's most potent leverage points in its trade conflict with the United…

Panama Canal warns daily transits could fall to 27

The Panama Canal could see daily ship crossings fall to as few as 27 vessels in the coming months, canal administrator Ilya Espino de Marotta warned, as a worsening El Niño-driven drought threatens water levels at one of the world's…

Apple’s foldable iPhone output stuck at hundreds a day before Wednesday unveiling

Apple is struggling to ramp up mass production of its first foldable iPhone just days before the device is expected to be unveiled at a launch event on Wednesday, September 9. Daily output stood at only a few hundred units…

Apple signs long-term NAND deal ahead of iPhone launch

Apple has signed a multiyear NAND flash memory supply agreement as the company confronts a sharp escalation in component costs ahead of its product launch event later this week. The deal, first reported by South Korea's Economy Tribune and detailed…

Copper climbs toward all-time high on 10-week rally

Copper prices on the London Metal Exchange climbed toward their all-time high last week, with benchmark three-month copper reaching $14,441.50 per metric tonne and rising for a tenth consecutive week, according to Shanghai Metals Market. The rally, driven by falling…

Thailand’s sugar output to drop at least 17%, deepening global supply crunch

Thailand's sugar production is set to fall at least 17% in the upcoming season, the latest blow to a global market already reeling from drought, shrinking plantings, and policy shifts across major producing regions. The decline adds to what analysts…

Apple’s foldable iPhone output at just hundreds a day ahead of Sept. 9 launch

Apple is days away from unveiling its first foldable iPhone at the company's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, but mass production of the device remains far behind the pace needed to meet commercial targets. As of late…

China-ASEAN trade topped $1 trillion for first time in 2025, officials say

China and ASEAN are pushing to bring an upgraded free trade agreement into force as bilateral trade continues to break records, officials said at a press briefing in Beijing on Tuesday ahead of the 23rd China-ASEAN Expo later this month.

Honda tells suppliers to slash costs by 30% to fight Chinese EV rivals

Honda is embarking on one of the most aggressive cost-reduction campaigns in Japanese automotive history, targeting ¥1.5 trillion ($9.4 billion) in savings by 2030 as it struggles to compete with fast-growing Chinese electric vehicle makers, according to a Reuters report…