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Supply Chain by the Numbers

September 25, 2025

Supply Chain by the Numbers for September 25, 2025

China Export Machine Rolls On. AMR Battery Breakthrough. Freight Volumes Up for a Change, ATA Says. No Peak Oil any Time Soon


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$1.4 Trillion
That was China’s trade surplus in August, as Chinese factories ramp up sales to the rest of the world as US sales droop in the face of high tariffs. The August number set a new record for a month. With access to the US curtailed, Chinese manufacturers have shown they aren't backing down: Indian purchases hit an all-time high in August, shipments to Africa are on track for an annual record and sales to Southeast Asia have exceeded their pandemic-era peak. So far only Mexico has hit back publicly this year — floating tariffs as high as 50% on Chinese products including cars, auto parts and steel – but other countries are coming under increasing pressure to act.

That is the projected increase in battery power available from a new battery from Autonomous Mobile Robot maker Symbotic, based on an announcement from the company this week. The battery, which Symbotic is sourcing from a company called Nyobolt, is also said to be 40% lighter, compared to the ultracapacitors used in SymBot mobile robots today. The company also claims the new technology significantly reduces the overall weight of the power supply and enhances the reliability of the system by increasing the bots’ window of operability. The technology is also said to delivers a longer cycle life of at least 10 times that of traditional Lithium-ion technology.



0.9%
That was the month-over-month rise in the American Trucking Associations’ advanced seasonally adjusted For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index for August, according to the ATA this week. That pushed the level up to the highest point since December 2023. In August, the ATA For-Hire Truck Tonnage Index equaled 115.3, up from 114.3 in July. The index is based on 2015 (Index = 100), meaning that freight volumes are up 15.3% in the 10 years since 2015. It’s the second straight up month, with the Index rising 1.1% in July. Said ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello. “While I’d like to predict a strong rebound in freight levels through the upcoming holidays, I can’t. I believe traditional seasonal patterns are off this year as shippers adjust to tariffs.”



103.4 Million
That is the updated forecast from BP on the number of barrels of oil that will be consumed globally each day in 2030. BP said in its once-a-year Energy Outlook that oil demand is going to keep growing for the rest of this decade, pulling back on its prior projection that the high point could come as soon as this year. Rising consumption in emerging markets, sluggish energy efficiency gains, geopolitical tensions and the persisting use of petrochemicals all point to peak demand in 2030 at the earliest, the oil giant said in its. Consumption is now projected to reach 103.4 million barrels a day in five years, up from 102.2 million this year. The company’s core expectation is that demand will start to return toward current levels around 2035.

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