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Supply Chain by the Numbers

July 18, 2025

Supply Chain by the Numbers for July 18, 2025

GWalmart Rolling Out New Tech. Chinese Economy Stays Strong. New Cars Lost at Sea. AMR Forecast Down


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$55 Million
That’s how much Walmart says it has already saved from a solution it calls “Self-Healing Inventory” system in Mexico City, automatically rerouting supplies when overstocks appear. That according to a press release from the company this week. Walmart also said it’s reengineering its global supply chain with a focus on automation and real-time artificial intelligence (AI). “Proven US technologies are now rolling out globally, enabling faster, smarter operations at scale.” the retail giant said, adding that “With reusable platforms like self-healing inventory and agentic AI, teams can quickly adapt tools to local needs while staying connected through a unified tech stack.”

3000+

That is the number of new cars that we being transported on the Morning Midas, a cargo ship headed to Mexico and which sank in the North Pacific on Monday, nearly three weeks after a fiery blaze broke out on board. A combination of fire damage and rough weather caused the vessel to take on water, ultimately leading to its sinking. It remains unclear whether any vehicles were salvaged before the ship went down, despite efforts by Zodiac Maritime, the ship’s management company, which has dispatched a salvage crew. The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring the incident and has deployed several vessels to manage potential pollution. Zodiac Maritime will also send specialized pollution response vessels to assist.



5.1%
That was the minor drop in the American Trucking Associations’ Freight Tonnage Index – leaving it basically flat – in May versus April, according to the ATA this week. The Index was down 1.3% in May versus the same period in 2024, as the freight recession continues on. ATA Chief Economist Bob Costello commented that “Excluding the services economy — the largest part of economic activity— the goods market is all over the map, thus impacting freight levels. Construction is soft, manufacturing is up and down, and consumers are cautious.” Year-to-date, compared with the same period in 2024, tonnage was up a scant 0.1%.



21.1%
That is the downgraded average growth rate for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) over the next 5 years, according to a revised forecast this week from the researchers at Interact Analysis. That is down from 26% growth the firm had projected in April. What is going on? Not surprisingly, US tariffs cited, with the report from Interact saying they have caused economic uncertainty that weakens investment, and raises the price of robots even for AMRs built in the US, as they rely on imported parts in most cases.

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