All the Supply Chain News You Need to Know 4.8 - 4.12
Wait times at southern boarder up 500%- Wait times at the US-Mexico border have skyrocketed to wait times in excess of five hours this week. The depression in processing is largely due to a federal decision to reassign 750 Port of Entry employees to help process migrants. Companies on the border have already begun to feel the pressure, and many expect to see ripples in the national economy.
Aldi pushes to use only sustainable packaging by 2025 – The German grocer joins other grocer powerhouses including Walmart, Trader Joes, Kroger, Wegmans, and Target in the war against plastic packaging. While Aldi is far from the first grocer to make strides toward sustainability, it’s largely privatized model may help it reach sustainability sooner.
Winter overstaying it’s welcome in the heartland – States across the Midwest are preparing for yet another blizzard to remember. The storm is predicted to dump another 10-15 inches through 50 mph winds this week. No major carriers have called off shipments in the region, but trucks with deadhead across the Dakotas should remain cautious.
Boeing lowers production rate for 737 Max – Following two fatal crashes and the PR hurricane that ensued, Boeing has officially announced that it will be reducing the line’s expected output from 52 planes per month to 42. While Boeing finishes software updates, suppliers will mitigate impact by maintaining production plans as they stood on the initial schedule.
Carriers cut jobs in response to expanded capacity – The March jobs report revealed carriers eliminated 1,200 jobs from their payroll. This comes as no surprise, as capacity has finally loosened from the highs of late 2018. Warehousing and courier jobs, on the other hand, added 1,700 and 1,800 jobs, respectively.
US threatens EU with $11B in tariffs – Markets closed down yesterday after President Trump threatened to levy tariffs as a response to their unfair subsidy of Airbus jets. While the subsidy has stood in the EU for 11 years, now is a critical time for Boeing as they recover from multiple crashes. The tariff would also include wines, cheeses, olives, and more signature European products.
And we hope you brought your cookies for this week's, "Where's my freight?!"



