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Supply
Chain by the Numbers |
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- May 23, 2024
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Union Loses Big Vote at Mercedes Plant in Alabama; China Dominating Key Minerals Production; Truck Tonnage down in April, ATA Says; Walmart Sees Lower Delivery Costs |
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| That was the share of about 5000 total votes that went against unionization at a pair of nearby Mercedes-Benz factories near Tuscaloosa, AL, as announced last Friday by the National Labors Relations Board (NLRB) after several days of voting. That was a blow to the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) which was optimistic about its chances, after just one month ago winning on its third try a union vote at a VW plant in Chattanooga, TN. That was in fact the first of the dozen or so foreign-based automakers to see one of its factories – most in Southern States – vote to organize. Business leaders in Alabama also ran a campaign against the union that was based in part on linking unionization with the decline of the city of Detroit. |
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That was the decline in the American Trucking Associations’ monthly Truck Tonnage in April versus March, according to an ATA press release this week, as freight volumes continue to be weak. Compared with April 2023, the index fell 1.5%, which was the fourteenth straight year-over-year monthly decline. As a note, the ATA's Truck Tonnage Index is dominated by contract freight as opposed to spot market freight. "The truck freight market remained soft in April as seasonally adjusted volumes fell for the second straight month," said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. "With a rebound in freight remaining elusive, it is likely that additional capacity will leave the industry in the face of continued softness in the market." |
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40% |
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| That was the reduction in Walmart’s net delivery cost per on-line order in the US over the past 12 months. That according to CFO John David Rainey in the company’s quarterly earnings call late last week. The key? Rising volumes, which are creating higher, more efficient delivery densities. Walmart said it delivered 4.4 billion items with either same-day or next-day shipping speeds in the US over the past 12 months. The retailer also said it delivered about 20% of those goods in under three hours. Walmart joins Amazon in touting its same day/next day delivery numbers, which are also seeing strong growth. |
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That is current share lithium mining worldwide done either in China or in China-owned mines in other countries, up from 14% in 2018, according to according to Fastmarkets, a commodities information service. Over the same time, lithium processing done within China has risen from 63% in 2018 to 70%, as China continues to dominate production of minerals and so-called rare earth metals key to production of batteries, green technologies, many defense products and more. That despite supposedly aggressive moves by Western countries to close the gap. Meanwhile, China is driving new efficiencies to push Western miners and processors out of business. Consider nickel, needed for electric-vehicle batteries. Chinese processing plants that dot the Indonesian archipelago are pumping out vast quantities of the mineral from new and expanding facilities. Switzerland-based mining giant Glencore is suspending operations at its nickel plant in New Caledonia, a French territory, concluding it can’t survive despite offers of financial help from Paris. 
