Supply Chain Research

Avocados avoid logistical mush

March 1, 2022

Fans of guacamole, avocado toast, and cinco de mayo narrowly missed experiencing supply chain issues firsthand as the U.S. temporarily banned imports of avocadoes from Mexico. The restriction was spurred by death threats made to an on-site U.S. Agriculture inspector who among other things chec... Read more →

Yarn, wind power face new duties; olives poised to wrinkle US-EU relationship

November 30, 2021

The U.S. International Trade Commission has issued a variety of rulings in November, with polyester yarn, wind towers, and solar panels all receiving some form of additional tariff burden. The polyester yarn ruling targeted subject imports from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam that w... Read more →

Ford, GM see impact of chip shortage

November 9, 2021

Automakers reporting Q3 results over the past few weeks have had a common theme in talking about the chip shortage and the impact on business. Ford CFO John Lawler noted the challenges facing the industry saying they saw “lower-than-anticipated improvement in chip availability in the second ha... Read more →

Ford, Volkswagen could shift if EV credits charge up

October 26, 2021

Canada and Mexico have issued warnings that potential tax credits for electric vehicle (EV) assembly in the U.S. may run afoul of USMCA. The USMCA sets out rules-of-origin requirements for cars to receive tariff reductions, and Canada and Mexico feel that the credits would undermine the commit... Read more →

GM squeaks by pre-pandemic levels, Mexico disputes RoO requirements

August 24, 2021

Mexico has launched a formal dispute under USMCA for proposed rule of origin (RoO) requirements that were stricter than originally thought. This may be a more fundamental dispute than the labor issue that was recently resolved through the process. The root of the concerns may be Mexican export... Read more →

Thyssenkrupp, SSAB scale up steel shipments; long wait for tariff leniency ahead

August 8, 2021

The U.S. and EU are continuing their negotiations to resolve the future of U.S. Section 232 steel and aluminum duties, with a commitment to completing discussions by Nov. 1. Other Section 232 tariffs have recently been abandoned, while plans on both sides for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism... Read more →

USMCA Watch: General Motors labor issue resolved, signs supply chain normalizing

July 12, 2021

The governments of the U.S. and Mexico have settled a U.S. complaint under USMCA rules regarding restrictions on collective bargaining at a General Motors’ Silao factory in Guanajuato, Mexico. The use of the “Rapid Response Labor Mechanism” is less cumbersome than a full dispute and may be a m... Read more →

Q3’21 Outlook: The fallout from pandemic planning and trade policy rivalry

July 6, 2021

The impact of international trade policy on global supply chains in the second half of 2021 will depend on the implementation of vaccine provision regulations and the resolution, or otherwise, of long-standing trade rivalries. Global trade is recovering rapidly with growth in exports from 27 c... Read more →

Going fishing for deals – July 2021 supply chain calendar

June 30, 2021

The coming month will provide little respite from trade policy events and operational challenges for supply chains. A WTO ministerial meeting from July 15 is unlikely to make progress on reforming the global trade dispute framework while a fisheries agreement may be a test case as to whether t... Read more →

USMCA Watch: JinkoSolar may lose if Canada’s solar argument proves powerful

June 21, 2021

The Canadian government has launched a USMCA dispute against U.S. solar panel import duties. There may be a precedent for reducing the section 201 “safeguarding” duties in Canada’s exemption from section 232 “national security” duties on steel and aluminum imports to the U.S. Shipments from Ca... Read more →

Supply Chain Research

Showing research about USMCA