Geopolitics set the tone again this morning. The Strait of Hormuz closure is now showing up hard in U.S. trade data, while operators on three continents kept pushing on automation, electrification and consolidation. Here is what moved overnight.
Operations & 3PL
RBW Logistics has bought World Group’s warehousing business, folding in World Distribution Services and Pacific Cascade Distribution. Terms were not disclosed. CEO Frank Anderson framed the carve-out as a way to widen RBW’s national footprint and build “a stronger foundation for the future.” Source: FreightWaves / American Shipper.
GXO Logistics joined Distretto Aerospaziale Piemonte (DAP), an Italian aerospace cluster, as it builds out mission-critical logistics for Europe’s aerospace and defense sector. The move deepens its footprint in a niche that rewards specialization. Source: Container News.
Cold storage tells a stranger story. Vacancy rates have hit a 20-year high, yet the pipeline for new builds is at a record low. That squeeze points to firmer fundamentals once current overhang clears. This week Vertical Cold Storage picked up a refrigerated warehouse in Dothan, Alabama, its second temperature-controlled buy. Source: The Loadstar.
Technology & Automation
Berkshire Grey is opening a customer innovation center in Haarlem, near Amsterdam Schiphol. The site will handle solution validation, technical training and regional support across EMEA, with Benelux retailers and integrators close at hand. Source: DC Velocity.
UPS rolled out a fresh set of AI tools spanning customer service, shipment visibility and international shipping, part of a wider push to modernize its global network. Tracking, returns and customs are the first areas to see it. Source: Supply Chain 24/7.
Accenture agreed to acquire Industries eXcellence Group (IndX), a division of Italy’s Engineering Group, with offices in Rome and Chicago. The deal hands Accenture more software, data and AI tooling to help manufacturers digitalize product development and production. Source: DC Velocity.
And in China, Unitree Robotics is steering toward a Shanghai listing. Its pitch travels well beyond home: humanoid robots built cheaply enough, at enough scale, to take on narrow labor tasks. A test of whether the economics actually hold. Source: DIGITIMES.
Sustainability & Energy
Kuehne+Nagel and Google Cloud widened their sustainable aviation fuel deal. The agreement covers up to 5.2 million litres of SAF and is expected to cut as much as 12,600 tonnes of CO2e from Google Cloud’s air freight in 2026, a pilot for further work between the two. Source: Container News.
At the Port of Los Angeles, APM Terminals ordered 40 more Orange EV HUSK-e XP battery-electric tractors for Pier 400, taking its fleet to 60 and completing electrification of its on-dock rail drayage. Pier 400 becomes the port’s first container terminal to fully electrify that fleet. Source: Container News.
Business is outrunning policy in Southeast Asia. A climate-coalition survey found 83% of Indonesian executives want government to invest more in grid capacity, and 89% of Filipino executives say policy lags corporate electrification, even with both countries expanding clean energy. Source: Eco-Business.
International Markets
Gartner published its annual supply chain ranking. Schneider Electric held the top spot for a fourth straight year on the strength of autonomous workforce capabilities and end-to-end orchestration. NVIDIA came second; Walmart jumped 10 places to third. Source: DC Velocity.
The Hormuz closure has hit U.S. commodity flows. Descartes reports imports departing Hormuz-affected ports fell 93.2% year over year in May, from 1.5 million metric tons to just 100,591. Fuel and fertilizer led the drop. Source: Supply Chain 24/7.
Dry bulk is consolidating. Diana Shipping raised its offer for Genco Shipping & Trading to $27.34 per share, $24.80 in cash plus one Diana share, targeting the stock it does not already own as Genco’s largest holder. Source: Hellenic Shipping News.
BNSF cleared a hurdle on the West Coast. The Barstow City Council approved its $4 billion Barstow International Gateway, a 4,500-acre intermodal hub with capacity for 60 trains, pitched as a linchpin for freight moving through the nation’s busiest container complex. Source: FreightWaves / American Shipper.
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