Supply Chain Research

Supply Chain Edge: More deals, fewer tariffs; a decade of automotive change; winter chills begin

November 21, 2025

– A renewed round of trade deal frameworks announced by the US government has brought the total to 13 with a wide mix of concessions on tariffs — including reduced rates for Switzerland and reduced apparel tariffs in Latin America — in return for investment and purchasing commitments. At the s... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Reshoring’s future, chocolate’s choices and Türkiye’s wildfires

August 22, 2025

• In a new research series, we consider the future for reshoring in the wake of US tariffs and ahead of forthcoming free trade deals, starting this week with Malaysia, which was an early winner from reshoring but faces challenges both from other reshoring centers and its client markets in the ... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Labor vs. tariffs, throttled performance and a new record

August 15, 2025

– The devil is always in the details with supply chain regulations, and the latest round of US import duties is not different. We look at the potential for International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA)-based rules of origin to unpick the labor-cost underpinnings of corporate reshoring de... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Japan’s deal winners; the end of inventory management; sanctions stepped up again

July 25, 2025

– A new trade deal between the US and Japan includes an exception from Section 232 tariffs on autos, generating a competitive advantage for Japanese automakers and setting the scene for further deals. The framework deal with Indonesia shows transshipment/rules-of-origin rules have yet to be na... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Summer of tariffs, summits and Labubus

July 11, 2025

– The past week has set out the stall for US-tariff linked supply chain decisions over the rest of the summer. Current US tariff rates have been extended to Aug. 1, with high-rate tariffs promised for copper and pharmaceuticals. A trade deal with Vietnam is lacking details around the vitally i... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Howling at tariffs, finding a framework, speeding GPUs

June 13, 2025

– The turbulence caused by US import duties can be seen in new US seaborne import data for May, which included a 5.7% year-over-year drop in total imports and an unseasonal month-over-month decrease in shipments of consumer electronics and leisure goods of 15.8%. Changes in de minimis shipping... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Doubling tariffs, fishing inventory, tracking drones

June 6, 2025

– The Trump administration’s increase in steel and aluminum duties reflects weak industry conditions and imports that have only fallen slightly — there is a risk of retaliatory action. The impacts of tariff-disrupted trade flows are being felt in the auto sector with plant shutdowns while Chin... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: Tariff inflection point, Europe’s congested ports, pricier strollers

May 16, 2025

– A point of inflection may have arrived for the tariff challenges faced by supply chain decision-makers, with the US having reached deals with the UK and mainland China. The action is moving onto product-level tariffs, with 10 Section 232 reviews in place, most recently including the aerospac... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: And then there were nine; rerouting tariffs; unseasonal chills

April 25, 2025

– In new research this week, we examine three major tariff actions by the Trump administration. The launch of a Section 232 review of critical minerals has yet to be fully defined but will likely target mainland China and may not lead to tariffs. The Section 232 review of medium and heavy truc... Read more →

Supply Chain Edge: The US$431B answer, Europe’s tough choices, H20 order flood

April 4, 2025

– The US Trump administration’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs and revised de minimis shipping rules reduce the tariff uncertainties facing supply chain decision-makers, but could significantly increase costs for consumer goods sectors including apparel, toys and smartphones.
– Tar... Read more →

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