Chemicals & Energy

Ford Bet on Aluminum Trucks, but Is Still Looking for Payoff

March 5, 2018

Three years ago, Ford Motor made a daring gamble when it started selling a new version of its F-150 pickup truck made mainly of aluminum rather than steel.

After the 'Sunrush': What Comes Next for Solar Power?

March 5, 2018

The Guardian

Some people call it the "sunrush": a 25-year period in which solar power has grown exponentially, transforming the technology from rarefied oddity to the world’s fastest-growing energy source.

Renewable Energy Surges to 18 Percent of U.S. Power Mix

February 28, 2018

Fortune

Eighteen percent of all electricity in the United States was produced by renewable sources in 2017, including solar, wind, and hydroelectric dams. That’s up from 15 percent in 2016, with the shift driven by new solar and wind projects, the end of droughts in the West, and a dip in the share of natural gas generation.

'Made in the U.S.A.' Turbines Cloud U.S. Offshore Wind

February 20, 2018

Industryweek

With state officials eyeing $56bn of wind farm projects off the American coastline, developers are worried the turbines will need to be stamped with a big "Made in the U.S.A."

Trump Tells Lawmakers He’s Mulling Limits on Imported Steel

February 16, 2018

The New York Times

President Trump suggested this week that the United States was likely to impose restrictions on imported metals, reviving the prospects for a continuing investigation whose future has been called into question amid months of pushback and delays.

After Years of Falling Prices, 2017 Marked an Explosion for Natural Gas

February 13, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

Because of the increasing emphasis on cheaper and cleaner energy sources, natural gas has become one of the most important commodities for the U.S. economy. The incredible boom in production has led natural gas prices to decline dramatically during the past three years. However, 2017 was a pivotal year, as prices finally recovered in response to strengthening global demand. -Connor DiGregorio, Research Analyst, IBISWorld Inc.

Tea, Haircuts and Fish Bones: Letting the Light Into Pakistan

February 13, 2018

Reuters

Reclining comfortably on a bed outside his mud home, 75-year-old farmer Mohammad Khoso watches life go by. His family is now the center of everyone’s envy in the southern Pakistani village of Murid Khoso — they have electricity.

Q&A: What We Have Here Is a Failure to Collaborate

February 6, 2018

SupplyChainBrain

A survey by 3M Company finds a large number of suppliers holding back from engaging in true collaboration with buyers, due to a lack of openness and customer incentives.

Blockchain: So Much Bigger Than Bitcoin

January 31, 2018

The Guardian

From voting to healthcare, music to energy production, blockchain may just change the way we run our lives.

Trump’s Solar Tariffs Are Clouding the Industry’s Future

January 29, 2018

The New York Times

At this century-old farm just outside Durham, symmetrical rows of shining blue solar panels have replaced the soybeans and tobacco that Tommy Vinson and his family used to grow here.

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.