Supply Chain Research

Supply Chain Edge: Revealing rates, costing conflict, building artificial intelligence

November 28, 2025

– The resumption of US trade data after the government shutdown reveals new details about the rates of tariffs being paid — the headline average tariff rate of 10.4% is flattered by exemptions and United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) compliance, with underlying rates at 17.0% and set ... 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: Focus on Thailand, list updates tweak tariffs, August seaborne imports mixed

September 12, 2025

– Thailand is strategically positioned for reshoring in Southeast Asia, with a favorable Strategic Opportunity Index score and strong trade ties through 14 bilateral agreements, including with the US and mainland China. The export-oriented economy, where electricals and electronics make up 34.... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Labor vs. tariffs, throttled performance and a new record

August 15, 2025

– The devil is always in the details with supply chain regulations, and the latest round of US import duties is not different. We look at the potential for International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)-based rules of origin to unpick the labor-cost underpinnings of corporate reshoring de... 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: Summer of tariffs, summits and Labubus

July 11, 2025

– The past week has set out the stall for US-tariff linked supply chain decisions over the rest of the summer. Current US tariff rates have been extended to Aug. 1, with high-rate tariffs promised for copper and pharmaceuticals. A trade deal with Vietnam is lacking details around the vitally i... 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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