All posts tagged: Supply chain

Do City Delivery Drones Make Sense? No One Knows, but They’re Flying Over NYC

Do City Delivery Drones Make Sense? No One Knows, but They’re Flying Over NYC

Published by skeptic

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a six-propeller flying vehicle with a nearly eight-foot wingspan. For the next year, delivery drones operated by the British company Skyports are taking daily weekday trips across New York City’s East River, between the tip of Manhattan and a pier in Brooklyn. Since early May—a bit behind schedule—the drones have carried light cargo for a New York City health care system. Right now, those loads are basically a few pounds of paper; once the healthcare system is confident the setup works, it should include nonhazardous, non-biological packages, such as light pharmaceuticals. The drones are part of an experiment run by two New York-New Jersey agencies to discover how a relatively new and sometimes controversial sky-bound delivery tech might fit into a hectic urban environment—and the airspace above it. The pilot program will also try to answer a question that hangs over the entire drone delivery industry: Where does it make sense? “Will there be enough regular flights (1 to 2 per hour) that the client health care system …

Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plug-ins used in thousands of websites

Someone planted backdoors in dozens of WordPress plug-ins used in thousands of websites

Published by skeptic

Dozens of plug-ins for the widely used open source web blogging software WordPress are now offline after a backdoor was discovered in them, used to push malicious code to any website that relied on the plug-ins. The backdoor was discovered after a new corporate owner bought these plug-ins. Anchor Hosting founder Austin Ginder sounded the alarm in a blog post last week describing a supply chain attack on a WordPress plug-in maker called Essential Plugin. Ginder said someone last year bought Essential Plugin and the backdoor was soon added to the plug-ins’ source code. The backdoor sat dormant until earlier this month when it activated and began distributing malicious code to any website with the plug-ins installed. Essential Plugin says on its website that it has over 400,000 plug-in installs and more than 15,000 customers. WordPress’ plug-in install page says the affected plug-ins are in over 20,000 active WordPress installations. Plug-ins allow owners of WordPress-based websites to extend the site’s functionality, but in doing so grant the plug-ins access to their installations, which can open …

The Broken System That Keeps Shipping Crews Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

The Broken System That Keeps Shipping Crews Stranded in the Strait of Hormuz

Published by skeptic

If that cooperation disappears, so does any clear path home. Labor organizations such as the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) say intervention is possible, but often depends on coordination across jurisdictions and cooperation from ship owners. “When the war broke out, we put a Warlike Operations Area Committee in place to address the protection of seafarers in the region,” says John Canias, maritime operations coordinator at the ITF. The organization has identified certain maritime routes in the region, including the Arabian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and some parts of the Gulf of Oman as high-risk areas, encouraging ship owners to allow seafarers to terminate contracts if they choose not to operate in those zones, says Canias. But such measures rely on cooperation from ship owners—something that becomes difficult in cases involving abandoned vessels. The Rise of Abandoned Ships Vijay’s vessel, Mahakal, has a documented history of labor issue allegations. Maritime advocacy groups say that it is owned by a private individual and is not officially registered with the IMO. This is not an isolated …

How the Iran War Could Jack Up Prices on Store Shelves

How the Iran War Could Jack Up Prices on Store Shelves

Published by skeptic

On a typical day, the Strait of Hormuz off the Persian Gulf is one of the busiest shipping choke points on Planet Earth. Some hundred vessels pass through the waterway, located between Iran, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. Half are oil tankers carrying every fifth barrel in the world, the other half container ships with manufactured goods, bulk carriers hauling raw materials like grain and metals, and specialized vessels carrying other products like gas. But not right now. The Iran war, instigated by the US and Israel, has dragged in nearly every Middle Eastern nation, bringing the Strait of Hormuz to a trading standstill. A small handful of ships have traveled through in the past few days, as Iranian attacks on cargo ships and American strikes on Iran’s minelayer vessels escalate. The repercussions extend well beyond the thin waterway, especially if the conflict drags on for several more weeks, logistics and shipping experts say. In the long run, the conflict could lead not only to higher prices at the gas pump—something Californians and truck …

The War on Iran Puts Global Chip Supplies and AI Expansion at Risk

The War on Iran Puts Global Chip Supplies and AI Expansion at Risk

Published by skeptic

South Korean officials have warned that the US-Israel war with Iran could hit the global semiconductor supply chain if it disrupts the flow of critical industrial materials from the Middle East. South Korea’s semiconductor sector, led by giants like Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, produces about two-thirds of the world’s memory chips. If the Middle East’s supply of chipmaking materials is disrupted, semiconductor production could slow unless alternative sources are found quickly. The Helium Problem One material at risk is helium, which is essential in chip manufacturing for managing heat, detecting leaks, and maintaining stable temperatures in fabrication equipment. For many of these uses, there is no real substitute. About 38 percent of the world’s helium is produced by Qatar, where large extraction facilities are tied to the natural gas industry. This concentration means that disruptions can quickly ripple through the global supply chain. National oil company QatarEnergy declared force majeure on March 4, after stopping its gas production and downstream operations due to ongoing attacks. Downstream facilities turn gas into other products, including urea, …

Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers

Trump’s War on Iran Could Screw Over US Farmers

Published by skeptic

Global oil and gas prices have skyrocketed following the US attack on Iran last weekend. But another key global supply chain is also at risk, one that may directly impact American farmers who have already been squeezed for months by tariff wars. The conflict in the Middle East is choking global supplies of fertilizer right before the crucial spring planting season. “This literally could not be happening at a worse time,” says Josh Linville, the vice president of fertilizer at financial services company StoneX. The global fertilizer market focuses on three main macronutrients: phosphates, nitrogen, and potash. All of them are produced in different ways, with different countries leading in exports. Farmers consider a variety of factors, including crop type and soil conditions, when deciding which of these types of fertilizer to apply to their fields. Potash and phosphates are both mined from different kinds of natural deposits; nitrogen fertilizers, by contrast, are produced with natural gas. QatarLNG, a subsidiary of Qatar Energy, a state-run oil and gas company, said on Monday that it would …

Attacks on GPS Spike Amid US and Israeli War on Iran

Attacks on GPS Spike Amid US and Israeli War on Iran

Published by skeptic

Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz—the narrow but vital oil trade route in the Middle East—has almost ground to a halt since the start of the United States and Israel’s war against Iran. Tankers in the region have faced military strikes and a spike in GPS jamming attacks, a new analysis says. Since the first US-Israeli strikes against Iran on February 28, more than 1,100 ships operating across the Gulf region have had their GPS or automatic identification system (AIS) communications technology disrupted, says Ami Daniel, the CEO of maritime intelligence firm Windward. Ships have been made to appear as if they were inland on maps, including at a nuclear power plant, the firm says. The analysis comes as maritime officials have warned of a “critical” risk to ships operating in the region and as the initial conflict has quickly expanded to involve countries across the Middle East. At least three tankers in the region have been damaged in the conflict. “We’re seeing a lot of GPS jamming,” Daniel says of shipping in the Strait …

What Happens if Iran Shuts Down the Strait of Hormuz?

What Happens if Iran Shuts Down the Strait of Hormuz?

Published by skeptic

The analysis company’s Commodities at Sea monitoring also recorded outbound oil and product flows averaging about 20.4 million barrels per day in February to date, slightly below January levels—evidence that geopolitical tension alone can slow shipments before any physical disruption occurs. “Hormuz risk is not only about closure but also fleet productivity. If Iran escalates by seizing tankers or using drones to threaten commercial traffic, voyage times and possibly costs for Middle East oil exports would further increase,” S&P Global CERA analysts said. Multiple shipping companies have already reported that they are avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and expect delays and rescheduling of shipments. What Would Closing the Strait Mean? There is no alternative export system at comparable scale. Saudi Arabia and the UAE operate bypass pipelines, but these cover only a portion of Gulf flows, while Iraq, Kuwait, and Qatar lack meaningful alternatives. If the strait formally closed, most oil exports from the Gulf would be cut off from the world almost immediately. Even if Saudi Arabia and the UAE pushed their alternative pipelines …

People Are Protesting Data Centers—but Embracing the Factories That Supply Them

People Are Protesting Data Centers—but Embracing the Factories That Supply Them

Published by skeptic

Last month, Pamela Griffin and two other residents of Taylor, Texas, took to the lectern at a city council meeting to object to a data center project. But later, they sat back as council members discussed a proposed tech factory. Griffin didn’t speak up against that development. No one did. A similar contrast is repeating in communities across the US. Data centers are meeting unprecedented public resistance, with environmental costs a leading concern. More of them have been needed to power a growing appetite for AI, and they’ve become obvious flash points for communities worried about what automation could mean for them. However, many of the factories getting built to supply servers, electrical gear, and other parts to data centers are facing virtually no opposition. Factories tend to create more jobs and drain fewer natural resources than data centers do, so with the exception of a few controversial chipmaking fabs in several states, they have been sailing through local hearings to get permits and tax breaks. But experts who follow supply chains say the minimal …

Asda ‘to announce more redundancies’ – ‘1,200 jobs at risk’ | UK | News

Asda ‘to announce more redundancies’ – ‘1,200 jobs at risk’ | UK | News

Published by Sam Flores

Asda is reportedly cutting more jobs. (Image: Getty) Asda has put up to 1,200 warehouse roles at risk of redundancy, a union has claimed. The job cuts come after a decision to outsource the delivery of its George fashion range to US parcel service giant DHL. The changes will affect staff working at clothing depots in Lymedale, North East clothing and Brackmills. Speaking to the Telegraph, Nadine Houghton, a GMB trade union national officer, said: “In the Lymedale depot alone, there are 14 couples with children whose entire household income relies on working there. “GMB is clear; the private equity  buyout of Asda has been a disaster for workers, customers, the supply chain and communities. “The recent job cuts announcement and now the outsourcing of clothing distribution pave the way for a full carve-up of the company.” In a fervent response to the GMB claims, Asda Chair Allan Leighton said “The suggestion that we are looking to break up the business is categorically untrue and, frankly, insulting to all our colleagues. There is only one …