Europe

ESG & Regulation

DHL, Vinted expand German circular fashion logistics

DHL and Vinted are expanding their partnership in Germany to support the booming second-hand fashion market. The global second-hand market is valued at US$210-220bn, growing 3x faster than firsthand sales. DHL plans to grow its locker network from 18,500 to more than 30,000 locations by 2030, with 67% of German online shoppers already selling items via marketplaces. The partnership combines Vinted's 17 million UK users with DHL's 41,000 parcel points to make circular fashion logistics more accessible.

2026-08-10

Manufacturing

TSMC revenue up 33.7%, ASML ships 86 lithography machines

TSMC reported $40.2 billion in Q2 2026 revenue — up 33.7% year-on-year — with 2-nm process contributing 3% of sales. ASML shipped 86 new lithography machines in the same quarter, boosting revenue to €9.32 billion ($10.69 billion). TSMC holds 73% of the global foundry market, while ASML’s EUV tools remain essential for sub-3-nm chip production. Both companies’ five-year net income grew over 90% (ASML) and 251% (TSMC). TSMC’s $100 billion Arizona expansion will support 2-nm manufacturing and advanced packaging.

2026-08-10

Europe Supply Chain

Supply Chain Hiring Shrinks 12%, AI Drives Restructuring Not Replacement

Supply chain hiring has contracted by 12% amid AI adoption, but companies are restructuring organizations and retraining staff—not replacing them. Ryder System and BJC HealthCare completed AI-integrated workforce transformation in Q3 2025, while Robust.AI allocated $4.2M of its $7.8M Series A funding to human-AI collaboration training. Mars and CVS Health launched an 18-month upskilling initiative in 2025, and the NextGen Supply Chain Conference convenes in May 2026 with keynotes from Eli Lilly, Tractor Supply, and Wayfair. Practitioners emphasize solving complex, judgment-intensive problems—like port congestion prediction and ESG validation—rather than automating routine tasks.

2026-08-09

ESG & Regulation

European Berries Lead with 90% Quality Trust, 87% Sustainability Rating

A Berry Swing survey of 300+ consumers in Livigno found 90% associate European berries with quality and reliability, 87% rate them more sustainable than non-EU alternatives, and 88% deem them healthier. Global berry cultivation grew 117.5% between 2015–2024, reaching 282,000 hectares; production hit 2.15 million tonnes in 2024 and is forecast to reach 3.2 million tonnes by 2028. The EU-backed, three-year Berry Swing project promotes traceability, safety, and regenerative practices across Italian and German supply chains.

2026-08-09

Procurement

BMW cuts 8,000 jobs by 2027 amid EU supply chain retooling

BMW plans to cut ~8,000 global positions by 2027 — primarily in administration and development — as shrinking margins (down to 2.3% in automotive) and collapsing China deliveries (−30.2% Q2) force structural change. Simultaneously, EU industrial policy pushes for regionalized, policy-aligned auto sourcing. New CEO Milan Nedeljkovic is revisiting 'untouchable' processes across procurement, production, and development — highlighting how lean operations now collide with geopolitical supply chain constraints.

2026-08-09

Europe Supply Chain

UK DBT pledges £600M for aerospace freight innovation

The UK Department for Business and Trade has pledged £600 million to advance aerospace innovation, including more than £500 million for green air travel R&D and a £100 million supply chain fund. Announced by Secretary Jonathan Reynolds at the Farnborough Airshow, the plan supports freight modernisation, aims to double the sector’s market value by 2035, and responds to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s 10-year reindustrialisation agenda. The initiative directly impacts air freight reliability, emissions reduction, and UK-wide skilled job creation.

2026-07-31

ESG & Regulation

5U AI raises $3.2M to scale freight-agentic AI platform

Munich-based 5U AI has raised $3.2 million in pre-seed funding to scale its freight-agentic AI platform across Europe. Co-founded in 2025 by Technical University of Munich graduates Yagiz Abik and Fehmi Şener, the startup deploys multi-agent AI workers that execute operational tasks — from quotations and bookings to invoice reconciliation — while capturing decision logic to build institutional knowledge. Backed by ex-leaders from DHL, Maersk, DSV, GEODIS, and CEVA Logistics, 5U AI is already live with TCI International Logistics across air and ocean freight. The round, led by London’s Emerge Capital, supports product development and European go-to-market expansion.

2026-07-31

Europe Supply Chain

Verdion completes €310M European Logistics Fund with Leipzig warehouse fully leased

Verdion has fully leased its 11,872m² Leipzig warehouse—completing the speculative development phase of its €310 million Verdion European Logistics Fund 1 (VELF 1), launched in September 2020. The asset, certified to DGNB Gold, was acquired on a 40,000m² site in 2021 and now hosts a major textile service provider. An adjacent 8,500m² building is occupied by overnight express provider nox. Located between the A9 and A38 motorways near Leipzig/Halle Airport, the site exemplifies demand for sustainable, well-connected urban logistics infrastructure across Northern Europe.

2026-07-30

Manufacturing

Maersk raises intra-North Europe capacity by 28%, market share to 16.2%

Maersk increased its intra-North Europe container capacity by 28% year-on-year — from 39,800 TEU to 50,800 TEU — lifting its market share to 16.2%. The trade lane overall grew 6.8% to 243 vessels averaging 1,294 TEU. CLdN’s acquisition of Samskip’s UK–Europe services halved Samskip’s capacity (9,600 TEU → 5,800 TEU) and dropped its ranking from 7th to 14th. MSC’s share dipped slightly to 21.2%, while CMA CGM fell to fourth place with 9.6% share. Maersk added 14,300 TEU via two new Baltic feeders, including the methanol-fueled Laura Maersk (2,100 TEU).

2026-07-30

AI & Automation

EU-LatAm trade growth remains one-way: 10.6% drop in Jan

EU-South America container volumes fell in three of the first five months of 2026, including a 10.6% year-on-year drop in January, despite the EU-Mercosur trade deal entering force. In contrast, LatAm-to-EU trade grew 9.2%, 4.8%, 12.7%, 0.1%, and 10.8% across those same months, building on 2025’s 8.7% annual growth. Forwarders report rising quotation requests from European shippers targeting Latin America, especially in automotive, machinery, and pharma sectors. Meanwhile, South American exporters cite strong demand in Europe for coffee, fruit, refrigerated cargo, foodstuffs, pulp, and leather — though capacity constraints and the EU’s May 2026 beef export ban pose near-term headwinds.

2026-07-29

Europe Supply Chain

Ukraine strikes Iranian cargo ship in Caspian Sea on July 25

Ukraine struck an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea on July 25, 2026, prompting Iranian threats of retaliation and raising alarms across global shipping networks. Ukraine claimed the vessel carried military equipment to Russia; Iran called it a commercial ship and accused Ukraine of killing a sailor. Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi labeled the strike a 'blatant U.N. Charter violation', while Ukraine’s Andrii Sybiha countered that Iran has no standing to claim victimhood. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and Red Sea routes threatened, the Black Sea and Caspian Sea are now designated high-risk zones. Caspian freight volumes dropped 12% YoY in Q2 2026, and insurance premiums rose 27% post-attack.

2026-07-29

Manufacturing

EU €3 tariff cuts Asia-Europe air cargo 24% in 5 weeks

Freighter capacity into Europe dropped 14% month-on-month in July 2026, equaling 18 fewer widebody flights daily, following the EU’s €3 customs duty on parcels under €150 introduced 1 July. Hong Kong–Europe air cargo volumes plunged 24% year-on-year by mid-July, with five straight weekly declines. Tonnages from mainland China fell 10% YoY; combined China–Hong Kong volumes to Europe dropped 11% YoY across weeks 26–29. Vietnam and Thailand saw 9% and 11% YoY declines respectively. A €2 handling fee takes effect 1 November 2026, ahead of the EU Customs Data Hub launch in 2028.

2026-07-29