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Supply Chain by the Numbers

Aug. 6, 2026

Supply Chain by the Numbers for Aug. 6, 2026

Amazon Sees Big Profits in Q2. US Q2 GDP is Weak. Breakthrough in Paper-Making at KCC? CSCOs often not Seeing AI Results, Gartner Says


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20%
That was the incredible growth in Amazon’s Q2 revenue, as it simply refuses to succumb to the “law of large numbers,” according to the company’s earnings report released last Friday. That growth took the total number to $200.6 billion, up from $167.7 billion the prior year. But as usual its AWS web services unit led the way, rising 37.3% year-over-year to $42.2 billion. North America segment sales increased 16.1% year-over-year to $116.1 billion.

55%

That is the share of chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) that are unclear on the return on investment (ROI) of their AI investments, even as 67% of supply chain digital investments are now allocated to AI, according to a survey by Gartner released this week. To achieve clear and positive returns from their AI investments, Gartner says, CSCOs must deploy a “rightsized” change management strategy that explicitly links change execution to AI strategy, supply chain strategy and broader enterprise priorities, so that change resources are directed toward outcomes and not individual activities.



30
That is how many patents consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark has relative processes and technology related to a paper-product not made out of wood fibers. Instead, the Wall Street Journal reported this week, fibers from hesperaloe, a low-water-use plant with pointy leaves that thrives in the southwest region of the country, are used as material for paper towels and other products. The discovery of an alternative option to wood fiber could reshape how the company, and the industry at large, manufactures products, providing Kimberly-Clark an advantage compared to competitors still cutting trees to use for wood fibers.

1.5%
That was the growth rate in Q2 of US real GDP, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis late last week. That weak number was below consensus estimates of 1.8% and the 2.1% growth seen in Q1. While the GDP number was below expectations, the miss appeared to come from a decline in federal government spending and inventories. Other parts of the economy appeared strong. Key areas of the economy continued to show improvement: Personal spending, for example, rose 2.1% after eking out a 0.4% gain in the first quarter.

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