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March 22, 2021 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Automotive

From iPads to e-Cars Apple is moving forward with self-driving car technology and plans to produce a passenger vehicle equipped with its own battery technology by 2024, Reuters reports. Central to the company’s strategy is a new “monocell” battery design that could radically reduce costs and increase the vehicle’s range, the report says. However, making […]

March 16, 2021 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Personal Care Products & Cosmetics

What’s In Store? In-store shopping accounted for up to 85% of beauty product sales in most major markets before the pandemic, finds a McKinsey report—even millennials and Gen Zers made almost 60% of their cosmetics purchases in stores (see chart). What will happen to physical beauty product stores in the future? About 30% of premium […]

December 31, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Food & Agriculture

Reimagining the Future of Food The agriculture industry should consider these changes to prepare for inevitable future disruptions, a CropLife report says: Redesign. An ultra-responsive supply chain is needed to keep up with changing trade policies and supply dynamics. One example: Nutella’s hazelnuts come from Turkey, its cocoa from Nigeria, and its sugar from Brazil. […]

November 18, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus | Healthcare

The global clinical trial supply and logistics for the pharmaceutical industry is expected to grow from $16.6 billion in 2019 to $25.9 billion by the end of 2025.

October 14, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus Retail-Oct

Weaving Blockchain into Data Sharing Blockchain can solve the errors and inefficiencies that exist in data exchange between suppliers, retailers, and other stakeholders in the retail supply chain, according to results from the Chain Integration Project proof of concept. If retailers want to incorporate blockchain into their supply chain, the study recommends these steps: 1. […]

September 28, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Aerospace

Boeing Fights for Flights A single Boeing aircraft is composed of more than 3 million parts, making its supply chain a massive global undertaking. Successfully managing such a complex operation requires rigorous planning years in advance to accurately predict changes in demand and adapt accordingly. How does the company do it? Partnerships: Before 2007, Boeing […]

August 14, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Home Goods

Furniture Polish During March 2020, online browsing for furniture increased by more than 200% as illustrated by a 242% increase in online browsing for desks, a 260% increase for outdoor furniture, and a 205% increase for home decor, finds a new V12 survey on how consumer shopping behavior is changing in response to the COVID-19 […]

July 17, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Renewable Energy

Lighting Up Renewable Hydrogen A coalition of major European electricity groups has urged the European Commission to prioritize renewable hydrogen in its COVID-19 pandemic recovery plan. Hydrogen powered by 100% renewable electricity has zero greenhouse gas emissions and should be Europe’s top priority when supporting a clean hydrogen supply chain, the coalition says. Wind and […]

June 5, 2020 | Vertical Focus

Vertical Focus: Pet Industry

“Nearly 85 million U.S. households today have at least one pet, up from 73 million in 2010.”

May 19, 2020 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Electronics

India Inks Plan to Attract Electronics Makers India has launched two new programs designed to attract electronics manufacturers. The first—the Production Incentive Scheme for Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing—offers a 4% to 6% incentive on incremental sales for goods manufactured in India. This plan is designed to benefit the major global players in mobile manufacturing and specified […]

March 30, 2020 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Automotive

On the Road to Sustainable Mobility Mercedes-Benz, working with Circulor, a startup specializing in blockchain technology, is conducting a pilot project dubbed Ambition 2039 that aims for a carbon-neutral new passenger car fleet in less than 20 years. This transformation will require detailed knowledge of all climate-relevant processes associated with the entire vehicle value chain. […]

March 10, 2020 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

4 Things FMCG Retailers Need to Know FMCG retailers need to be aware of four key areas as they build their future omnichannel supply chains, finds RSR Research’s Supply Chain Management 2018 report. 1. Change signals. Retailers are increasingly aware that new digitally enabled consumer behaviors are challenging a key operational assumption—that consumers will start […]

November 7, 2019 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Furniture

Sofa So Good What is the outlook for the U.S. furniture market moving forward? Here’s what to expect, according to Coresight Research’s U.S. Furniture Report, May 2019: A steady growth curve for the U.S. furniture industry is being driven by a strong economy. Consumer spending on furniture reached $114.2 billion in 2018, up 6.7% from […]

October 18, 2019 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Metals

Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: What’s Happened So Far To help make sense of the confusion around current steel and aluminum tariffs, IHS Markit offers this timeline. March 23, 2018: President Donald Trump imposes import tariffs on steel and aluminum. June 1: Significant–and supposedly final– changes are imposed. June 15: President Trump approves tariffs on Chinese […]

September 20, 2019 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Apparel

Quick-Changing Supply Chains As trends in the fashion industry constantly change to keep up with evolving consumer needs and expectations, supply chain and logistics professionals need to be just as nimble and flexible to keep up. The apparel industry used to be divided into two seasons: spring/summer and fall/winter. Today, however, with the desire to […]

September 6, 2019 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Jewelry

Blockchain clasps the supply chain Best known for its use in cryptocurrencies, blockchain is now making its way into the jewelry supply chain. In an industry where transparency is in high demand, the technology has a lot to offer. Aside from cost savings, which many other industries have realized by implementing blockchain to trace products […]

August 7, 2019 | Vertical Focus

VERTICAL FOCUS | Utilities

The Gas supply chain now extends to your car Recently fueled with more than $15 million in funding and an operating space that has grown from three to 18 cities in less than one year, California-based startup Yoshi offers a monthly subscription service that delivers gas for your car directly to your residence. In addition […]