Last Mile

Last Mile

Hyundai Glovis inks Chinese EV battery, KD parts deals

Hyundai Glovis has secured new logistics contracts with Chinese EV and battery manufacturers, including sea transport of batteries from South China to Hungary, Spain, and Italy; KD parts shipments from East China to Slovenia and Croatia; and vehicle disassembly and rail transport to Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Finished vehicle shipments via PCTC from China rose 93% — from 260,000 units in 2023 to 510,000 in 2025. The firm aims for 40 trillion won in revenue by 2030, prioritizing non-affiliate customer growth. It recently launched a dedicated high-and-heavy cargo unit to serve China’s industrial machinery export market.

2026-07-29

Last Mile

DHL breaks ground on $71M logistics campus in Hung Yen

DHL Supply Chain has broken ground on a $71.69 million logistics campus in Hung Yen, Vietnam — its largest Grade-A facility in Southeast Asia. Spanning over 82,500 square metres, Phase 1 opens in early 2027. The investment reflects Vietnam’s projected fourth-largest global merchandise trade growth (2026–2030), 6% annual trade expansion, and 87% export-dependent GDP. The campus links Hanoi’s Noi Bai Airport and Hai Phong Port via the Ha Noi–Hai Phong Expressway, serving tech, automotive, healthcare, and retail sectors. It aligns with Vietnam’s 2025–35 logistics strategy and supports Hung Yen’s 4,189 active investment projects worth $49.4 billion.

2026-07-27

Last Mile

Amazon’s Michael Shorrosh to detail $2.6B automation scaling at IntraLogisteX Dallas

Amazon’s Michael Shorrosh, site leader (L7), will speak at IntraLogisteX Dallas on 16–17 September 2026 about scaling warehouse automation across operations handling US$2.6 billion in annual throughput, 2,500+ employees, and 970 robotic assets. Drawing on 15+ years of logistics leadership, he emphasizes constraint-focused execution, AI-augmented decision support, and sequencing automation after process standardization — not as a substitute for operational discipline. The talk challenges the industry to measure success through throughput, quality, capacity, and resilience — not labor savings alone.

2026-07-25

Last Mile

Descartes acquires Drivin for $30M to boost Latin America last-mile AI

Descartes Systems Group acquired Santiago, Chile-based Drivin for $30 million on July 6, 2026, with up to $5 million in earnout. Drivin’s AI-powered last-mile platform—deployed across high-density Latin American cities—adds real-time routing, dispatching, and operational metadata to Descartes’ Global Logistics Network. The deal follows Descartes’ $28 million April 2026 acquisition of Idelic, whose platform draws on 400,000 accident reports and 40 billion miles of driving data. Shares of DSGX fell 1.1% on announcement day.

2026-07-23

Last Mile

Strauss, DHL launch Columbus customisation hub with 1.3M-unit capacity

Strauss and DHL Supply Chain have launched a co-located customisation hub in Westerville, Ohio, with go-live on 24 June 2026. The facility integrates embroidery and digital printing directly into DHL’s distribution center, compressing B2B workwear lead times from weeks to days. With current capacity of 1.3 million units annually and scalability built into its design, the hub supports Strauss’s North American expansion. The partnership exemplifies the evolution of 3PLs into co-manufacturers — embedding value-added services like branding directly into fulfilment workflows.

2026-07-17

Last Mile

Freight Distress Closes Facilities, Erases 245 Jobs

U.S. freight and logistics sector distress has eliminated 245 jobs across facilities in New Jersey, North Carolina, Illinois, and California. Nine transportation-related companies—including Fusion Transport LLC, Victory Freight Corp., and Talon Logistics Inc.—filed for bankruptcy between June 29 and July 14, 2026. Trailer manufacturers Freedom Trailers LLC and Stryker Dealership Group LLC cited severe asset-liability imbalances, while fuel supplier Fuel Group Trading LLC and freight forwarder Los Dorados Cargo Inc. also entered Chapter 11 proceedings. Layoffs at Frito-Lay’s Raleigh center and DHL Supply Chain’s Fullerton site reflect broader operational retrenchment.

2026-07-15

Last Mile

Amazon undercuts USPS on parcel prices, pressures UPS, FedEx

Morgan Stanley warns Amazon’s logistics expansion is pressuring UPS and FedEx, with Amazon now pricing parcels at or below both carriers — and possibly below the U.S. Postal Service. Analyst Ravi Shanker notes overnight delivery may be imminent. Amazon handled 3.2 billion packages globally in 2023, up 14% year-on-year, and serves over 12,000 third-party sellers. Its entry into healthcare logistics — approved by the FDA in Q3 2023 — raises concerns about encroachment into high-margin verticals. UPS reported a 7.2% domestic volume decline in Q1 2024; FedEx cut 2024 guidance after a 4.1% U.S. Express revenue drop.

2026-07-13

Last Mile

Only 12.1% of Firms Hit Logistics Tech Goals

A May 2026 survey of over 200 logistics professionals by JBF Consulting reveals only 12.1% of organizations achieved all three goals—on-time, on-budget, and outcome-delivery—for logistics technology implementations. Budget overruns (11–25%) affected 62% of respondents; 82% took over six months for full adoption; only 10% appointed a single empowered program lead; and just 8.2% offered role-specific training. JBF attributes the gap to conflating systems integration with business integration.

2026-07-11

Last Mile

Hillwood breaks ground on 334,800-sq-ft Rockford logistics park

Construction has commenced on Hillwood’s 334,800-sq-ft logistics facility one mile from Chicago Rockford International Airport — the first phase of Rockford Logistics Park 20. The airport’s cargo volume hit 3.4 billion pounds in 2025, up 9.25% year-on-year, marking its second-busiest year after 2022. DSV recently launched a new Luxembourg–Rockford freighter route. Executives from Hillwood and RFD cite Rockford’s cargo-dedicated infrastructure, cost advantages, and connectivity as key drivers. A parallel cargo facility is also underway at Harrisburg International Airport.

2026-07-09

Last Mile

India Launches ₹9,585 Crore Freight Modernisation Scheme

India has launched a ₹9,585 crore freight modernisation scheme targeting over two lakh ageing trucks and buses in Delhi-NCR. Unlike a simple scrappage programme, it combines fiscal incentives with financing and infrastructure enablers to accelerate BS-VI and electric truck adoption. With 75% of India’s freight market run by small owner-operators—and electric trucks costing 2–3x more upfront—the real bottleneck is bankability, not technology. Success hinges on integrated solutions, shared risk models, and financial innovation aligned with operational realities.

2026-07-07

Last Mile

CMA CGM nears $1.4bn FedEx Logistics acquisition

CMA CGM is nearing a $1.4 billion acquisition of FedEx’s third-party logistics business to strengthen its U.S. land-based supply chain presence. The deal follows its January 2026 $10 billion port-terminal joint venture with Stonepeak in New York and Los Angeles. It builds on prior integrations including CEVA Logistics and Bolloré Logistics. FedEx’s divestiture aligns with its June 2026 separation of FedEx Freight and broader cost-reduction efforts. Integration challenges include unifying technology systems and preserving service quality across warehousing, fulfilment, and distribution operations.

2026-07-05

Last Mile

FedEx inks $1.4B logistics deal naming CMA CGM preferred ocean carrier

FedEx has named CMA CGM its preferred ocean carrier under a $1.4 billion logistics agreement effective Q3 2024. The deal integrates ocean, air, and ground networks across North America, Europe, and Asia, with dedicated vessel capacity, shared digital tools, and sustainability targets — including routing 35% of ocean freight via LNG-powered ships by 2027. It follows CMA CGM’s 2023 acquisition of CEVA Logistics and represents the largest such integrator–carrier pact since UPS’s $980 million deal with Hapag-Lloyd in 2022.

2026-07-03