[#308] Supply Chain in Numbers - Oct 20, 2025

Welcome to “Supply Chain in Numbers.” This newsletter tracks significant numbers from the supply chain world. Five prominent numbers are published every Monday. If you have any feedback, please send it to me.

7.1% of vacancy rates

The amount of vacant warehouse space in the U.S. held steady around an 11-year high in the third quarter, but it didn’t expand for the first time in three years as demand rose and the amount of newly built space continued to fall. The average warehouse vacancy rate across the U.S. was 7.1% in the three months ended Sept. 30, unchanged from the second quarter. The net increase in occupied space from the second quarter was 45.1 million square feet, up 30.4% from the so-called absorption figure seen in the April-to-June period. Demand for warehouse space surged earlier this year as retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers built up stockpiles of inventory ahead of President Trump’s anticipated tariffs, then pared back overseas orders and paused leasing decisions as the duties were announced. [WSJ]

680 customs clearance staff

DHL is bulking up its customs muscle. Express just added 680 clearance and support staff to stay agile as trade shifts away from China/Hong Kong toward markets like Mexico, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia, and to steady peak-season performance. In parallel, DHL Global Forwarding is lifting US customs processing capacity by 40% with more specialists, echoing an industry pivot as peers like FedEx also invest. Thus, customs capability is turning into a competitive moat and cost center — those who build it in-house will move faster, stay compliant, and win share as sourcing patterns realign. [Supply Chain Dive]

$12 million seed for “AI Employees”

An Israeli startup is betting that supply chain complexity will accelerate the shift from automation to fully autonomous workforces. Gain, a Tel Aviv–based company, emerged from stealth with $12 million in Seed funding to deploy what it calls “AI Employees”, software agents designed to take over procurement and operational workflows from end to end. While early AI tools in procurement have acted as copilots to human staff, automating repetitive negotiations or contract processing, Gain is positioning itself a step further: as a system that can operate independently. Its “AI Employees”, currently branded as “Natalie” and “Bob”, are designed to devise category strategies, run supplier negotiations, execute contracts, and handle day-to-day transactions. [CTech]

700 U.S medicines

Nearly 700 U.S. ...