Chemicals & Energy

Shortage of Ethically Sourced Cobalt Causes Trouble for GE, Apple, Tesla

June 7, 2017

Major manufacturers like Tesla and General Electric are facing a severe shortage of ethically sourced cobalt, and the metal is expected to increase in demand by 500 percent, says OilPrice.com. Amazon, too, needs the metal for its Kindle, and other consumer electronics are contributing to the demand and resulting shortage of supply.

Electric Cars Soon Will Cost Less Than Gasoline Autos, Research Shows

June 1, 2017

Industryweek

Battery powered cars will soon be cheaper to buy than conventional gasoline ones, offering immediate savings to drivers, new research shows.

Industrial Output Rises for Third Straight Month

May 30, 2017

CFO

U.S. industrial production grew at the highest rate in more than three years in April, with all three major industry groups showing gains.

How (and Why) Ikea, Apple Extend Control Across Their Supply Chains

May 25, 2017

Environmental Leader

Companies like Ikea and Apple have been investing in their supply chains in order to avoid unknown and potentially environmentally damaging activities from their suppliers by purchasing forest, building wind farms, and taking over plastics recycling plants. Ikea has purchased forest in Romania and the Baltics, while Apple has invested in forest in the US, writes The Guardian.

Waste Material Could Lead to U.S. Manufacturing Jobs

May 25, 2017

Industryweek

Waste material from the paper and pulp industry soon could be made into anything from tennis rackets to cars, according to Texas A&M AgriLife.

PINC Brings RFID, Optic Sensor Drones Indoors With Fuel Cells

May 24, 2017

RFID Journal

PINC, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology company, has begun powering its drones with air-cooled fuel-cell systems provided by Intelligent Energy as an alternative to batteries, in order to offer lower-weight, longer-flight-time solutions that have less impact on the environment. The fuel cells will help enable the use of drones indoors to track inventory and other details about products in the tight quarters of a warehouse.

Blockchain Used to Power Brooklyn Microgrid for Solar Energy Re-Sale

April 27, 2017

CIO

Residents of the Park Slope area of Brooklyn are now able to sell power generated from rooftop solar panels via a microgrid enabled by a blockchain ledger that records every transaction made with a local utility.

Wal-Mart Wants Suppliers to Eliminate a Gigaton of Greenhouse Gases by 2030

April 26, 2017

Bloomberg

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., long known for squeezing its suppliers on prices, is now pressuring companies including Unilever and Colgate-Palmolive Co. to help the world's biggest retailer remove a billion metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions from its supply chain by 2030.

Persistent, Positive Shift in Dry Bulk Market

April 24, 2017

Maritime Executive

Maritime Strategies International (MSI) has forecast a positive short term outlook for dry bulk freight rates, but has cautioned on second half prospects. MSI notes a persistent and positive shift in dry bulk market sentiment in recent weeks, with most Baltic indices at their highest point of the year.

For 3M, Technology Was the Key to a New Supply-Chain Mindset

April 24, 2017

Robert J. Bowman, SupplyChainBrain

It only makes sense that The 3M Company, with a business model resting almost entirely upon technology, would eventually get around to applying it to the supply chain.

Chemicals & Energy

The latest supply-chain news, analysis, trends and tools for executives in the chemicals and energy industries. Learn how chemical and energy companies and their suppliers around the world are managing the flow of products across all channels of the enterprise. Experts sound off on forecasting and demand planning, supply-chain visibility, logistics outsourcing, inventory optimization, transportation management, warehouse management, supply-chain security, corporate social responsibility and more.