Amazon throws open its freight network, Beijing puts humanoid robots on an industrial fast track, and hydrogen trucking gets a real-world test in Germany. Here is what moved across global supply chains over the past 24 hours.
Operations & 3PL
Amazon has opened its less-than-truckload freight service to all businesses, ending years of restriction to sellers on its own marketplace. Shippers can now book LTL capacity directly through Amazon Freight. Analysts remain measured for now, seeing a serious new entrant rather than an immediate threat to incumbent carriers. Source: Supply Chain Dive
ID Logistics has opened its 50th site in Poland. The country is now one of the group’s densest contract-logistics markets, anchoring e-commerce and retail flows for Central Europe. Source: Container News
DHL is expanding its data center logistics network across Asia Pacific. The group describes the segment as a strategic growth area and is building dedicated capabilities for moving sensitive, high-value IT equipment into new server hubs. Source: Post & Parcel
PostNord is strengthening its operations in northern Sweden. The carrier wants delivery capacity to keep pace with the industrial investment wave, and the parcel volumes that come with it, in the region. Source: Post & Parcel
Technology & Automation
China is fast-tracking humanoid robots and embodied AI into industry under a nationwide programme covering funding, standards and pilot deployments. A clear signal of where Beijing wants its automation sector within five years. Source: SCMP
Standard Bots raised $200 million in venture capital to scale up robot production in New York. The funding round lands as US manufacturers look for domestically built automation. Source: DC Velocity
Volvo Trucks will launch unattended over-the-air software updates later this year. Trucks will update overnight, no driver present, which trims workshop visits and downtime for fleets. Source: FreightWaves
Infineon and VinRobotics signed a partnership to advance humanoid robot development, pairing the German chipmaker’s power and sensing portfolio with the Vietnamese group’s robotics platforms. Source: DIGITIMES
Sustainability & Energy
Dachser will deploy Daimler Truck’s first NextGenH2 hydrogen trucks, taking fuel-cell long-haul transport from pilot promise to scheduled operations on European routes. Source: Container News
ABS, KSOE and HHI are advancing battery integration for a 16,000 TEU container ship design. Large-scale battery power on a vessel of that size would mark a step change for boxship decarbonization. Source: Hellenic Shipping News
US authorities approved a floating LNG production ship for the first time. The decision is contested, but it opens a new path for offshore gas export capacity. Source: FreightWaves
International Markets
Global container ports are under strain again. The latest port performance index shows vessel turnaround times rising and supply chain pressure intensifying across major gateways. Source: Lloyd’s List
FedEx pilots ratified a new labor agreement, closing a long negotiation and removing a source of uncertainty hanging over the carrier’s air network. Source: Container News
US manufacturers are sounding the alarm on rising input prices. A new survey points to cost pressure feeding through industrial supply chains, with procurement teams bracing for a tense second half. Source: DC Velocity
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