Supply Chain Weekly Wrap-Up 04/21/2023-04/27/2023

Supply Chain Weekly Wrap-Up 04/21/2023-04/27/2023

Time Stamp: April 28, 2023 12:40 PM
Source Node: 2615368

Germany quell reports on banning chip chemicals to China

A report from Bloomberg on Thursday suggested that the German government was considering restrictions on the chemicals in order to reduce Germany’s exposure to China. The report suggested the move was in early stages of discussion but officials taking part in the talks were aware that such a step could damage business ties with Beijing. Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s office said, “it is not currently pursuing any plans for an export ban on chip chemicals to China”.

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning, in response to a question on Friday about the potential German curb, said it was “not constructive for some countries to impose export controls on China in the name of reducing dependence”. Mao said it would only hurt others and destabilize the global industrial supply chain, urging countries planning curbs to respect the regulations of the market economy, and “work with China to safeguard the international economic and trade order”.

Over the recent months western powers have looked to domesticize their microchip industry and supply chain, this is to combat China’s growing chip industry that looks to threaten the U.S. and the wests status quo. In addition to tensions with China and Taiwan, whom for decades held a monopoly on the microchip market.

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Tesla says lack of lithium refining will cause supply chain issues

Tesla saw commodity prices for minerals, mainly lithium a key component in electric vehicles (EVs), begin to drop in Q1, the company said on its Q1 earnings call last week. Tesla is spending big on its lithium refining capacity. Its upcoming refinery in Texas is slated to have 50 GWH of capacity per year. The company also strategically placed its manufacturing hub in Nevada near the country’s only active lithium producer. In addition, Tesla is spending another $3.6 billion to expand its own manufacturing plants in Nevada, including for lithium-ion battery production.

Lithium prices have fallen significantly in the last several months, particularly in China, which holds the bulk of the world’s lithium reserves. Chinese prices for the mineral have fallen 52.4% since peaks in November 2022, according to an April market analysis from S&P Global.

The problem for Tesla is that at current their facilities cannot take advantage of the current price of lithium as they don’t hold the capacity for further EV production. However, the price of lithium is expected to return to normality as the demand for EVs remains high.

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DHL green logistics summit to promote Net Zero innovation

DHL today opened its Era of Sustainable Logistics Global Summit 2023, an event for cross-industry logistics and sustainability experts to collaborate, develop innovative solutions, and work towards greener logistics. DHL says it is providing more than 1,000 decision makers, stakeholders and experts “an opportunity to exchange ideas and insights and co-create the future of global supply chains together”.

The event also provides a means for Deutsche Post DHL Group to update stakeholders on the progress of its sustainability roadmap, with updates on the key topics of electrification, sustainable aviation fuel, carbon-neutral buildings, and alternative green services.

DHL is also empowering customers to reduce their carbon footprint by introducing a new system, DHL GoGreen Dashboard. An emissions-reporting solution for its cross-divisional customers that provides transparency according to recognized industry standards, such as the GLEC Framework, the global method for calculating and reporting logistics emissions. The solution allows customers to view carbon emissions for all the Group’s business units through a single customizable platform.

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