On this date, August 27, in 1883, Krakatoa erupted. I learned in grade school that this was the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history. The explosions were so powerful they could be heard as far as 3,000 miles away. This is a statistic that I found almost unbelievable as a grade school student, and still today. The other effect that I found interesting is that the dust from the explosion acted as a solar radiation filter, lowering temperatures across the northern hemisphere that year. Geographically, two-thirds of the island were gone after the eruption, with only a 10 square meter rock in the north named Bootsmansrots, and the southern third remaining. And now on to this week’s logistics news.
- American Eagle Acquires Logistics Startup
- Point Pickup Acquires GrocerKey
- UK car production plummets in July
- Ford to cut F-150 pickup truck production due to chip shortage
- Energy companies race to complete Gulf of Mexico evacuations
Business Insider reported that American Eagle acquired a Walmart alum’s logistics startup. Since the posting was shared on the AirTerra Linkedin website, I think it is reasonable to assume that AirTerra is in-fact, that startup. The Home – AirTerra website states that the company levels the e-commerce playing field by offering small and mid-size shippers the advantages enjoyed by larger shippers. AirTerra aggregates parcel volume from many shippers in an area, provides point-to-point service and a complete end-to-end shipping solution by bringing together many regional parcel carriers and the USPS.
Point Pickup Technologies, headquartered in Connecticut, a last-mile provider to retailers, announced that it has acquired GroceryKey, a Madison, WI based e-commerce platform provider. Point Pickup customers include Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons, Giant Eagle and more. GroceryKey’s products include a retailer branded e-commerce platform; a command center for managing store level operations such as marketing, merchandising, and site content; and a retail connected media offering to drive incremental revenue for grocery retailers.
UK car manufacturing output fell -37.6% in July, the first fall since February, with just 53,438 units made, according to the latest figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). It represented the worst July performance since 1956 as manufacturers grappled with the global shortage of semiconductors and staff absence resulting from the ‘pingdemic’, with some altering summer shutdown timings to help manage the situation.
Ford Motor is once again cutting production of its highly profitable F-150 pickup truck and two other vehicles next week due to the ongoing global shortage of semiconductor chips. The automaker on Thursday confirmed its Oakville Assembly Plant in Canada and Kansas City Assembly Plant in Missouri will be down the week of Aug. 30. Oakville builds the Ford Edge and Lincoln Nautilus crossovers. Kansas City assembles the F-150. Ford also will cut two of three shifts next week at its Dearborn Truck Plant in Michigan, which produces the F-150.
U.S. oil and gas companies are conducting evacuations from offshore Gulf of Mexico platforms as tropical storm Ida moves toward the offshore oil fields in the region. The storm is expected to be at hurricane strength when it is forecast to hit the US Gulf Coast this weekend. Royal Dutch Shell, BP, BHP, Chevron, and Equinor are all reported to have pulled workers from the platforms.
That’s all for this week. Have a great weekend and enjoy my favorite live music video, Led Zeppelin, For Your Life.
