Afternoon Coffee: Medius buying Wax Digital; U.S.-China tariff war could structurally alter supply chains; Ferrero USA selects new supply chain visibility tech platform

astrosystem/Adobe Stock

The ongoing trade dispute between the U.S. and China could reconfigure global supply chains in the long-term, according to Randall Chafetz, managing executive officer and deputy head of Global Corporate and Investment Banking at Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Inc. (MUFG), according to a recent release. He said this during an interview with Soumaya Keynes, trade and globalization editor of The Economist, at the 2019 World Trade Symposium this month in New York.

MUFG is the world’s fifth-largest financial institution, according to the release.

Breaking news: Medius to buy Wax Digital

Check out our breaking news coverage and initial deep-dive Nexus analysis of the deal, which will give AP automation expert Medius ‘full source-to-pay prowess’ by nabbing Wax Digital.

Steep decline in October imports from West Coast ports

According to a new report by Freightos, West Coast ports registered a steep decline in import numbers in October, compared to the same month in 2018, according to Supply Chain Dive.

The Ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach and Oakland saw 19 percent, 7 percent and nearly 5 percent year-over-year declines in October import volume, respectively. While all three ports saw a decline compared to last year, import levels at the Ports of Los Angeles and Oakland were still higher than in October 2017.

Everlane eliminates 75% of virgin plastics from supply chain

In just about a year after announcing its intention, clothing company Everlane has said it was three-quarters of the way toward achieving that goal, reports Vogue.

According to Everlane, 75 percent of the plastics the company uses — which primarily come from polyester, nylon and elastane used in its outerwear, underwear and some sweaters — is now recycled, a process that has required “time, energy and relationship building,” according to chief executive Michael Preysman.

Ferrero USA selects FourKites for supply chain visibility

A key player in predictive supply chain visibility, FourKites has been selected by confectioner Ferrero USA for implementing the practitioner’s predictive supply chain visibility solution throughout its North American supply chain. Using FourKites’ ‘best-in-class’ machine learning-based platform, according to the release, Ferrero will be tracking both inbound and outbound loads across truckload, ocean, and LTL.