Logistics

BETA Technologies, a maker of electric aircraft, announced on Thursday that it has partnered with Near Earth Autonomy in order to develop unmanned aircraft for the military. Flight testing is expected to start during the first half 2026. BETA CEO Kyle Clark said that the development and full demonstration should take up to one year, and could be implemented within 18-36 months. He said that the process of defense procurement could alter this. BETA, a company that designs and manufactures electric airplanes and propulsion systems said Near Earth brings expertise and experience in autonomous systems. Near Earth has developed these...

The National Transportation Safety Board announced on Thursday that it had found fatigue cracks on a critical part of the UPS MD-11 cargo plane that crashed in Louisville, Kentucky on November 4, killing 14 people. When the left engine separated from the wing, the bulk of the left pylon, which is a structural component that connects the engine to the fuselage or wing, was still attached. The NTSB found fatigue cracks on the left pylon's aft mounting lug. UPS and FedEx grounded their MD-11 fleets in this month, as a precautionary measure and on the recommendation of U.S. aircraft manufacturer...

The European Finance Ministers agreed to move forward the customs duty on low-value parcels until next year to combat cheap Chinese ecommerce imports through online platforms such as Shein and Temu. The European Union has taken action to address the concerns of Europe about cheap imports from e-commerce. What is the problem? For parcels of e-commerce arriving in the EU, there is a "de minimis exemption" from customs duties. Customs exemptions allow online platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress to deliver clothes, accessories, and gadgets directly from Chinese factories to consumers at a rock-bottom price. Last year, the number...

The U.S. The U.S. David Steiner, the new Postmaster General of USPS, said that USPS needs to be more efficient. It still has "a significant systemic annual cost and revenue imbalance." He said: "To correct financial imbalances we must explore revenue opportunities and make public policy changes in order to improve our business models." USPS has lost over $100 billion since 2007, despite major restructuring and legislative reforms. In 2022, the U.S. Congress provided financial relief to the Postal Service of about $50 billion over a ten-year period. USPS wants reforms, including changes in the rules for funding retiree pension...

Norbert Steuer is a logistics worker for Swiss precision machinery manufacturer K.R. Pfiffner has worked at the company for more than three decades. He is now one of the 80 employees out of 105 that will be laid off as it struggles with U.S. Tariffs and a failing auto industry. The company, which produces million-dollar machinery that is used by automakers such as Mercedes-Benz, and suppliers like Robert Bosch, finds itself at the forefront of a difficult European car market, which has been impacted by President Donald Trump's tariffs on trade and a slowdown within China, a key export market....

After a deadly crash of a UPS MD-11 freighter in Louisville, Kentucky, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued an order on Saturday prohibiting MD-11 aircraft from flying until further inspection. At least 14 people were killed. UPS and FedEx have grounded their combined fleets of more than fifty McDonnell Douglas MD-11 freighters following a Boeing recommendation. The FAA stated that its emergency airworthiness instruction was prompted after the Tuesday crash in which the left motor and pylon separated from the aircraft during takeoff. The cause of detachment will be investigated. The U.S. regulator stated that "this condition could result in...

UPS announced on Friday that it had grounded its fleet McDonnell Douglas MD-11s. This is the type of aircraft involved in the crash of Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky which resulted in at least 13 deaths. UPS spokesperson stated in an email that "out of an abundance caution and for the sake of safety, we've made the decision to ground temporarily our MD-11 fleet". The spokesperson said that MD-11s make up about 9% the fleet of the company. The grounding takes effect immediately. NBC News was the first to report on this news. On Tuesday evening, a UPS cargo flight bound...

The National Transportation Safety Board reported on Friday that three UPS pilots were trying to control the cargo plane when a bell went off in the cockpit. This week, a cargo plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky killing at least thirteen people. Todd Inman, NTSB member, told reporters that UPS flight 2976 began without incident. However, the flight's cockpit voice recorder recorded a bell that repeated 37 seconds after the crew had called for the takeoff thrust. Inman believes that the bell continued to ring until 25 seconds after the recording ended, signaling the crash of the aircraft. Inman stated that...

The National Transportation Safety Board reported on Friday that three UPS pilots were trying to control the cargo plane when a bell went off in the cockpit. This week, a cargo plane crashed in Louisville, Kentucky killing at least thirteen people. Todd Inman, NTSB member, told reporters that UPS flight 2976 began without incident. However, the flight's cockpit voice recorder recorded a bell ringing 37 seconds after the crew had called for the takeoff thrust. Inman believes that the bell continued to ring until 25 seconds after the recording ended, signaling the crash of the aircraft. Inman stated that the...

Safety investigators in the United States said Thursday that they are investigating the maintenance history for a UPS cargo aircraft which was in Texas weeks before it crashed in flames on Tuesday in Louisville, Kentucky. At least 13 people were killed. National Transportation Safety Board said that as the MD-11's left wing rolled down the runway at Louisville Airport, a large plume of smoke erupted and one of three engines detach from this wing. Flight tracking data shows that the plane was parked in San Antonio, Texas from September 3 until October 18. Todd Inman, a member of the NTSB,...

Temporary closure of United Parcel Service's sprawling air cargo hub, located in Louisville, Kentucky following a fatal plane crash, will cause delays throughout the global delivery network. The Worldport hub is a hub and spoke model that UPS uses to manage air cargo. It processes millions of packages each day for approximately 360 aircraft, both incoming and departing. On Tuesday night, the company ceased operations at Louisville International Airport after a UPS cargo aircraft crashed, killing nine people including three members of the flight crew. UPS on Wednesday cancelled the Worldport shift from mid-morning until mid-afternoon that deals with Second...

United Parcel Service has halted its cargo sorting operations at Louisville International Airport following the wide-body freighter. burst into flames On Tuesday evening, nine people were killed, including three crewmembers, shortly after the takeoff. The airport has reopened for air traffic and is now home to UPS's biggest package-handling operation. It also serves as a hub for UPS's global air-cargo operations. UPS also expects to resume its cargo operations by Wednesday morning. However, the company has not yet issued an official update. A prolonged closure at the facility known as Worldport could have cascading effects on the U.S. logistic network,...

Politicians said that Italy was working on a tax to be imposed on low value postal packages coming from non-European nations. This is part of a plan to protect the fashion industry against low cost foreign imports, mainly from China. The move is aimed at avoiding unjustified competition on the market of one of Italy's most important industries. It targets online platforms like Shein and Temu, among others. The politicians in Italy said that the ruling parties intend to apply a tax on consignments less than $150. This is similar to a proposal currently being discussed at European Union levels....

The global stock market reversed its course on Wednesday and was on track to end a four session streak of gains, while the U.S. Dollar extended gains following the Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell's dampening of expectations for a further U.S. central bank interest rate cut in December. The Fed reduced rates by 25 basis point, citing the limited data visibility caused by the U.S. shutdown. It also announced that it would stop the quantitative tightening of its $6.6 trillion (also known as QT) balance sheet due to evidence that liquidity in the money markets has tightened and bank reserves...

FedEx shares rose 5% on Friday in premarket trade as investors cheered its quarterly profit and revenue beating against the backdrop of uncertainty related to tariffs and the ending of the "de minimis exemption" on low-value shipping. FedEx's aggressive measures to cut costs, such as parking planes, shutting down facilities, and merging certain units, have helped protect profits. It has a plan to save $1 billion in this fiscal year, which ends May 2026. The performance of the company was also boosted by a 5% increase in average daily domestic volumes. Its operating margin, an important metric, rose to 6%,...

GLP, a logistics company, announced on Tuesday that it has secured an investment from Zhejiang-based investors of 2,5 billion Chinese Yuan ($349.51 millions) for its China data center platform. The investment will support GLP's China data center platform in expanding its nationwide operations, the Singapore-incorporated firm said in a statement. According to its website , a global business with offices in Singapore Hong Kong and China, describes itself. reported In late November, the company announced that it aimed to list in Hong Kong this year after being taken private for more than eight years. In 2017, a Chinese consortium of...

Saudi Arabia's nearly $1 trillion sovereign wealth funds sold their stakes in several U.S. listed companies, including Meta, Shopify, and PayPal, in the second quarter. Securities filings published on Thursday confirm this. The 13F filings also show that the Public Investment Fund sold its stakes at Nu Holdings, FedEx and Alibaba Group during a period when U.S. stocks recovered from a drop in April tied to U.S. Tariff policies. The filings revealed that PIF had no shares remaining in Meta, Shopify PayPal, Alibaba Nu Holdings, FedEx, or Nu Holdings. The fund's last filing revealed that at the end March it...

White House announced on Wednesday that the United States has suspended a "de minimis exemption" which allowed low-value commercial goods to be sent to the United States free of tariffs. The White House announced that, under an executive order signed on Wednesday by President Donald Trump, packages sent to the U.S. valued at less than $800 outside the international postal system will be subject to "all applicable duty" as of August 29. Trump had earlier targeted packages coming from China and Hong Kong. The White House has said that the tax and spending bill recently signed by the President repeals...

Sometimes the pain of China limiting exports is so severe that it can be crippling. This can cause a huge outcry to occur almost instantly. Sometimes the pain is felt immediately, while other times it can take longer. China's late-last-year restrictions on the critical mineral antimony have caused major headaches for lead-acid battery makers around the world. Their customers are also affected by these high costs, as they have to pay more. Steve Christensen is the executive director of the Responsible Battery Coalition in America, which includes battery manufacturer Clarios, Honda, and FedEx. He mentioned the importance of batteries in...

The Japanese stock market rose for the third day in a row on Tuesday, boosted by the gains of technology stocks and the optimism of investors about the government's attempts to stabilize the debt markets. The Nikkei Index rose 0.9%, while the Topix index grew 0.5%. The Nikkei Index saw 171 advancing issues against 52 declining ones. Stocks and Japanese government bonds have advanced in tandem, as concerns about the fiscal health of Japan's economy and its borrowing costs continue to grow. Katsunobu Kato, the Japanese Finance Minister, said that the government would work to maintain confidence in the JGB...

On Friday, the Chinese president Xi Jinping met with some of the biggest business leaders in the world. The Chinese leader has met with chairmen, CEOs, and company presidents from major international firms that operate in China for the second consecutive year after the China Development Forum (an annual business conference) held over the weekend. The meeting last year was focused on the executives of U.S. businesses doing business in China. This year, there were more than 40 participants from around the world. RAY DALIO BRIDGEWATER ASSOC. Billionaire Dalio is the head of one of the largest hedge funds in...

The following are the leading stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has actually not validated these stories and does not attest their accuracy. - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump is thinking about dropping his candidate to lead the Pentagon, Pete Hegseth, and nominating Florida Guv Ron DeSantis in his place. - South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stated on Wednesday he would lift a surprise martial law statement he had actually imposed simply hours previously, pulling back in a standoff with parliament which roundly rejected his effort to prohibit political activity and censor the media. - U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's...

Brazilian cargo business Modern Logistics expects to get in the U.S. and Mexican markets in the next few months as it puts in location an expansion technique that will include looking at merger and acquisition opportunities in the brief to midterm. WHY IT is necessary Modern is a big player in the fast-growing cargo market in Latin America's largest economy, which has actually been increased in recent years by e-commerce and facilities financial investments. RESTRUCTURING Established in the 2010s by former Azul executives, Modern underwent a restructuring last year that saw previous FedEx executive Cristiano Koga selected as CEO. The...

Asiana Airlines' cargo unit will be sold to South Korean freight provider Air Incheon for 470 billion won ($ 342 million), Korean Air Lines stated on Wednesday. The EU competitors regulator in June authorized Air Incheon as the preferred bidder to purchase Asiana's freight business, as a. condition of approval for Asiana to combine with Korean Air. The purchase will likely make Air Incheon, a small. cargo-only airline company, South Korea's second-biggest freight. provider. A sale contract was signed on Wednesday, according to a. Korean Air filing. The purchase would move Asiana's fleet, personnel, clients. and traffic rights to Air...