Supply Chain Research

Supply Chain Edge: More deals, fewer tariffs; a decade of automotive change; winter chills begin

November 21, 2025

– A renewed round of trade deal frameworks announced by the US government has brought the total to 13 with a wide mix of concessions on tariffs — including reduced rates for Switzerland and reduced apparel tariffs in Latin America — in return for investment and purchasing commitments. At the s... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Tariffs expand for metals, autos; ready for the Red Sea

February 21, 2025

– The US Trump administration continues to roll out its tariff program, with new and expanded duties on imports of steel and aluminum as well as the near-term prospect of more duties on the autos sector. We also find that executives’ concerns about tariffs are less negative than in 2018.

<... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Fixing supply networks, ASML vs. Nvidia, Trump’s tariff plans

October 18, 2024

– In new research this week, we outline ways to combine datasets to create superior supply network analyses, including electronics teardown data from iFixit. There is more evidence of the multispeed development of the technology sector, with ASML Holding NV warning of slower sales of its chipm... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: India’s future, pork’s tariffs and Sonos Inc.’s headphones

June 21, 2024

• In new research this week, we dig into the impact of the Indian elections on the country’s attractions as a reshoring location and find that an attractive domestic market, production incentives and active trade policy are likely to continue, albeit with some adaptations.
• Tensions bet... Read more →

Nestle’s Mexican exports sour as COVID-19 coffee contraction continues

July 8, 2020

The government of Guatemala is withdrawing from the International Coffee Organization, citing dissatisfaction with the progress of global coffee prices which have fallen by 20.4% year to date. That’s largely been driven by COVID-19 related closures in the food service sector. Guatemala only re... Read more →

Wolverine Claws Its Way Down The Labor Cost Ladder

July 26, 2019

Shoemaker Wolverine Worldwide is in the midst of a long-term retooling of its supply chain. Mike Jeppesen, President of Global Operations, stated the firm has cut its sourcing from China 25% to 30% of the total by the end of 2018 from 90% in 2011 while increasing the share from Vietnam to 45%.... Read more →

Seaboard Faces Stiff Competition from Maersk, Crowley on New Routes

May 29, 2019

Seaboard Marine is extending its U.S.-Central America container-line services include a New York to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua routing. The move may be an attempt to shore up growth. Seaboard’s U.S.-inbound shipping volumes fell 5.1% year over year in the three months to Ap... Read more →

CAFTA-DR Likely Faces NAFTA’s Fate, Fruit and Clothes Pay the Price

January 14, 2019

The administration of President Donald Trump may be set to renegotiate the CAFTA-DR free trade deal with six Central American countries. It would be principally looking to remove the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua for failing to deliver on political reforms. The administration h... Read more →

Starbucks Goes Guatemalan as Global Coffee Prices Slide

April 5, 2018

Global coffee prices fell 15% in March vs. a year earlier on concerns about oversupply. That’s come as global coffee exports rose 1% in February despite a 9% slump from Brazil. The Brazilian shortfall has been replaced on the global stage by supplies from Indonesia. U.S. buyers including Starb... Read more →

CAFTA-DR Labor Appeal Loss for U.S. Shouldn’t Mean Renegotiation

June 28, 2017

The U.S. has lost an appeal against Guatemala’s labor laws as part of the CAFTA-DR trade deal’s arbitration process. It had alleged Guatemala hadn’t implemented rules on the right-to-organize among others, resulting in an unfair trade advantage. The ruling, which took six years to complete, co... Read more →

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