Supply Chain Research

Supply Chain Edge: The US$431B answer, Europe’s tough choices, H20 order flood

April 4, 2025

– The US Trump administration’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs and revised de minimis shipping rules reduce the tariff uncertainties facing supply chain decision-makers, but could significantly increase costs for consumer goods sectors including apparel, toys and smartphones.
– Tar... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Dealing with forced labor, going back to school, restricting computers and tin

August 18, 2023

• In three new research reports this week, we dig into US retail supply chains in the back-to-school shopping season, India’s new restrictions on imports of personal computers and the potential effects of Myanmar’s mining restrictions in the tin sector.
• Reports of forced labor issues h... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Apple’s season, cooling aircon, tin canned

August 10, 2023

• Supply chain data shows that the US consumer goods industry is still in decline, shown by shipping volumes that fell for the 12th straight month in July. The slide has been led by a downturn in toys and leisure goods, while the electrical goods shipments linked to infrastructure investments ... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Slower, steadier and smoother

April 14, 2023

Evidence from US seaborne imports shows that supply chain activity continues to slow, further reducing pressure on supply chains. US containerized imports fell by nearly a quarter in March versus a year earlier, led by consumer durable goods. The S&P Global PMI for manufacturing supplier deliv... Read more →

Rapid apparel reshoring: Alternatives to sourcing from Myanmar

April 3, 2023

Uniqlo-owner Fast Retailing’s exit from manufacturing in Myanmar is reportedly due to elevated political risks. Myanmar’s share of apparel imports to the EU, Japan and the US has stalled at 2.1% following the 2021 coup d’etat. Alternative supplier locations, which include: similar or larger ap... Read more →

Adidas, Primark sourcing from Myanmar still rising, may soon slow

April 8, 2021

The coup in Myanmar, combined with earlier challenges from the pandemic, are leading to a swathe of factory closures in the Burmese apparel industry. U.S. seaborne imports of apparel from Myanmar were unchanged year over year in March despite a 5.7% drop in February. That would suggest order c... Read more →

Adidas runs past pandemic challenges after tariff training

March 12, 2021

Adidas reported Q4’20 revenues which dipped 5.0% lower year over year, driven by the pandemic and leading the firm to implement operational improvements as an offset. U.S. seaborne imports linked to the firm inched 3.0% higher in January and February 2021 after a 9.9% rise in Q4’20. The pandem... Read more →

H&M slashes shipments from Myanmar after coup

March 10, 2021

Hennes & Mauritz has “paused placing new orders with our suppliers” in Myanmar after violence following the military coup led to “challenges related to manufacturing and infrastructure, raw material imports and transport of finished goods”. Myanmar only accounted for 5.7% of U.S. seaborne impo... Read more →

Back to the drawing board – Risk must beat reward in post-pandemic supply chains

March 1, 2021

Supply chain decision-makers, ranging from buyers to investors, have under-estimated inherent risks versus potential rewards over the past decade. The pandemic and trade policy volatility provide an opportunity to review the balance in seven broad areas. First, corporate supply chains have bec... Read more →

ASEAN challenges may be next for Myanmar-connected supply chains

February 8, 2021

President Joko Widodo of Indonesia and Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin of Malaysia have called for a meeting of the ASEAN group to discuss the military coup in Myanmar, calling on the government there to “respect the principles of the ASEAN Charter”. While a long way from being firm sanctions,... Read more →

Showing research about Myanmar