Supply Chain Research

Supply Chain Edge: US booms, EU deals, smartphones slide

October 16, 2026

– US supply chains are in the midst of a peak season boom after seaborne containerized imports climbed 9.1% year over year in September, while seasonality for consumer goods has normalized. Growth is expected to slow in mid-2027 as activity returns to normal, while disruptions from the Middle ... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Polysilicon’s pricing, Thailand’s attractions, Ukraine’s robust consumers

August 14, 2026

Key findings

– August is supposed to be about vacations, but has become the month of trade policy changes. The US government’s Section 232 tariffs for polysilicon come with the new complication of price floors that, when combined with prior duties, set solar module tariffs at 105.5%. T... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Tariff smoke clearing, Tesla’s energy duties, front-loading for 2026

October 31, 2025

Key findings – The past week has brought more details on US International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs and related deals, setting the agenda for further trade policy developments in 2026. The US-mainland China agreement will cut tariff rates, but a review of mainland China’s p... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Inflection points, cyberattacks, fire disruptions

October 10, 2025

Key findings – US supply chain activity is at an inflection point, our latest outlook shows, with an early end to the peak shipping season, container shipping rates continuing to fall and lower imports expected for next year. It might be too early for holiday decorations, but imports are alrea... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Smarter glasses, pricier Xbox, looser cobalt

September 26, 2025

Key highlights – Summer may be gone, but sunglasses remain in the spotlight as EssilorLuxottica SA and Meta Platforms Inc. launch a new range of smart glasses with complex electronics supply chains. Well-established supply chains can still face regulatory scrutiny, with labor practices for bic... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Indonesian opportunities, tariff processors, climate challenges

September 4, 2025

– We continue our series on manufacturing reshoring this week with the outlook for Indonesia, which has a large domestic market, low labor costs and policy stability but has yet to break out of its resource-led export economy. Indonesia is not the only attractive in-market, for-market manufact... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Japan’s deal winners; the end of inventory management; sanctions stepped up again

July 25, 2025

– A new trade deal between the US and Japan includes an exception from Section 232 tariffs on autos, generating a competitive advantage for Japanese automakers and setting the scene for further deals. The framework deal with Indonesia shows transshipment/rules-of-origin rules have yet to be na... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Indonesia’s deal, copper’s inventory, drones’ take-off, beers’ fizz

July 18, 2025

– US tariff policies continue to set the agenda for supply chain decision-makers in the run-up to the Aug. 1 implementation of a wide range of duties. A framework trade deal with Indonesia sets the second-lowest rate in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets and is the first to... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Howling at tariffs, finding a framework, speeding GPUs

June 13, 2025

– The turbulence caused by US import duties can be seen in new US seaborne import data for May, which included a 5.7% year-over-year drop in total imports and an unseasonal month-over-month decrease in shipments of consumer electronics and leisure goods of 15.8%. Changes in de minimis shipping... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Doubling tariffs, fishing inventory, tracking drones

June 6, 2025

– The Trump administration’s increase in steel and aluminum duties reflects weak industry conditions and imports that have only fallen slightly — there is a risk of retaliatory action. The impacts of tariff-disrupted trade flows are being felt in the auto sector with plant shutdowns while Chin... Read more →

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