#supply chain

MISUMI has launched MISUMI Americas as part of a $1 billion investment plan, pairing its precision parts business with Fictiv’s AI-powered digital manufacturing platform.

U.S. dealerships are facing a synthetic motor oil shortage that could persist until mid-2027, driven by Middle East supply disruptions and refinery economics.

A $19.3 million federal backing for a rare earth separation project signals renewed U.S. effort to reduce dependence on China in a strategically critical part of the materials supply chain.

Sortera says its new Lebanon, Tennessee operation has entered full service, doubling the company’s processing capacity and extending the use of AI-driven sorting in domestic metals recovery.

Mach Industries has acquired solid rocket motor startup Exquadrum in a $50 million cash-and-equity deal, aiming to control a supply bottleneck that has become more acute across the defense sector.

Flash Metals Texas, Inc., operating as Metallium, has received a Phase II SBIR contract tied to recovering critical minerals from electronic waste, signaling continued U.S. defense interest in domestic materials supply.

Rising military use of fiber-guided drones and surging demand from AI-linked data center construction are driving sharp increases in fiber-optic cable prices.

Failed labor talks at Samsung ahead of a planned May 21 strike are raising concerns across the AI industry, where high-bandwidth memory supply is already tight and difficult to replace.

Federal prosecutors have indicted three men in connection with the armed hijacking of a delivery truck carrying more than $1 million in Apple products.

Apple reported its best March quarter ever, but the company warned that rising memory chip costs could weigh on iPhone production and broader hardware economics in coming quarters.

Toyota suppliers including Denso are starting to face material shortages and higher costs as conflict-linked logistics disruptions spread through industrial supply chains.

Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford said the Trump administration’s effort to renew US manufacturing should strengthen the supplier base, even as he acknowledged controversy around the methods being used.

A group of Microsoft suppliers helped a small solar farm in North Carolina move forward, offering a case study in how corporate buyers can support renewable projects that might otherwise stall.

Grocery software startup Afresh says its AI tools can reduce shrink by 20% to 25% in fresh departments, and it has raised $34 million to expand that approach across more stores.

Vercel says attackers used a compromised OAuth connection tied to a Context AI app to access internal systems and unencrypted credentials, raising the prospect of wider downstream fallout.

Ford is still dealing with the effects of a fire-related disruption tied to a critical F-150 component, leaving dealers short on inventory and dragging first-quarter sales lower.

A first-quarter industry survey points to a sharper turn in executive sentiment, with pessimism overtaking optimism as automakers weigh weaker demand signals, pricing pressure, tariff risk and supply-chain uncertainty.

A warning from consultant Stephan Keese highlights how a conflict-driven helium shortage could ripple into semiconductor production and put pressure on ADAS adoption in the auto industry.

Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo has reportedly sold out for April, suggesting demand for a lower-priced Mac notebook is running ahead of expectations.

A 9to5Mac roundup points to an early supply squeeze for Apple’s $599 MacBook Neo, with April availability already exhausted as demand runs ahead of shipments.