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Supply Chain by the Numbers
   
 

- Sept. 5, 2024

   
 

Supply Chain by the Numbers for September 5, 2024

   
 

China's Rare Earth Metals Strategy. US Manufacturing Contracts again in August. New Sail Powered Cargo Ship Takes Off. Dock Workers ready for Strike, Union Chief Says

 
 
 
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$25,000

 

That is about the cost per metric ton for a mineral called antimony, essential today for making batteries, solar panels, brake pads and nuclear weapons. That is up from more like $12,000 at the start of the year. What is going on? Last month, China, which dominates mining and production of antinomy and most other “rare earth” metals and minerals, announced the implementation of export licenses on antimony, with the new measures going into effect on September 15. Other restrictions on the export of the rare earth metals are being developed, as China believes it has found a counter weapon against the tariffs being assessed on imports on many Chinese goods entering the US and Europe. Alternatives to China for antimony are few. China controls about double the global mining share versus number 2 provider Tajikistan. The US has not mined any commercial antimony since 1997.
 
 
 
 
 
unt+

1000

 

That is the capacity in metric tons of a new cargo ship powered by wind and sails. The Anemos, developed by French carrier TOWT, left on its maiden voyage from France to New York two weeks ago.The cargo capacity is of course just a fraction of that of large container ships, but the ship delivers something traditional box ships don’t – very low CO2 emissions. Anemos (ancient Greek for "wind") will reduce CO2 emissions on the voyage by as much as 99% versus diesel powered ships. A more realistic reduction, reports say, is more that 90% reduction versus ships of comparable capacities. While wind will primarily provide the ship’s power, there are two back-up diesel engines that will be deployed when conditions dictate. “Now, thanks to satellite communication and routing technology, wind is also predictable, which makes it a reliable source of propulsion,” said Guillaume Le Grand, CEO of TOWT.

 
 
 

47.2


That was the level of the US Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) for August, as released Tuesday by the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). That score is again below the key 50 mark that separates US manufacturing expansion from contraction, but was up a bit from the July score. What’s more, the US PMI had previously been in contraction territory for 16 straight months until it poked its head into expansion in March with a score of 50.3, but that has now been followed by five more months of contraction. Meanwhile, the New Order Index, saw a score of a weak 44.6, 2.8 percentage points lower than the 47.4 level reached in July, in a negative sign for future US manufacturing activity.

 

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100%

That’s the percentage of East and Gulf Cost longshoremen that would back a strike if union demands are not met, International Longshoremen’s Association president Harold Daggett said in August, adding in a video released by the ILA Wednesday that “The ILA most definitely will hit the streets on Oct. 1 if we don’t get the kind of contract we deserve. ... Mark my words, we’ll shut them down.” The contract between the union, representing about 47,000 dock workers across multiple ports and terminals and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents port management, expires Sept. 30. Delegates representing chapters of the ILA were meeting on Wednesday and Thursday this week to discuss a proposed contract with the union’s wage scale committee. Speaking in the same video, executive vice president Dennis Daggett added, “We’re at an impasse ... we are very, very far apart” on a new contract. Wages and automation to no surprise are emerging as the key issues in the talks.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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