[#312] Supply Chain in Numbers - Nov 17, 2025
Deep Dives
Explore related topics with these Wikipedia articles, rewritten for enjoyable reading:
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Vulcanization
8 min read
The article mentions vulcanizing agents as critical rubber additives where the US lacks domestic capacity. Understanding the chemistry of vulcanization—how Charles Goodyear's discovery transformed rubber from a novelty into an industrial material—provides essential context for why these additives are so strategically important.
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Cold chain
12 min read
The article highlights that 50% of new medicines will require cold storage by 2027, up from 37%. The cold chain's history, from early ice-based transport to modern pharmaceutical logistics, explains why this shift represents such a massive infrastructure challenge.
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Methanol fuel
11 min read
COSCO's new vessels are designed to run on alternative fuels including methanol. Understanding methanol as a marine fuel—its production methods, energy density, emissions profile, and the infrastructure required—illuminates why shipping companies are investing billions in dual-fuel vessels.
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.
$1.75 billion for 29 new vessels
COSCO Shipping unveiled a sweeping $1.75 billion shipbuilding initiative — one of the company’s most ambitious fleet renewal programs in recent years. The plan covers the construction of 29 new vessels, with deliveries beginning in April 2027 and extending through late 2028. The ships will feature advanced designs to reduce energy use and emissions, with several vessels equipped to run on alternative fuels such as methanol and ammonia. COSCO’s leadership has long emphasized dual-fuel readiness as a cornerstone of its sustainability roadmap, and this latest move reinforces that message. [Break Bulk]
Seafarer Happiness Index drops to 7.05
The Mission to Seafarers released its latest edition of the Seafarers Happiness Index, which shows that, after a period of encouraging improvement earlier this year, perceptions of working and living conditions at sea have taken a turn for the worse. With most indicators that define seafarers’ lives in decline, the index shows that the average happiness level has plunged to 7.05 out of 10 in the third quarter of 2025. This is a sharp decline from 7.54 in the previous quarter. Seafarers are also expressing frustration with wages, which they say remain stagnant despite increased responsibilities, inflation, and the demanding nature of seagoing life. On health and exercise, they contend that operational pressures are increasingly compromising their ability to maintain their physical fitness and overall health. [Maritime Executive]
37% of new products require cold storage
Pharmaceutical distributor Cencora will invest $1 billion in its U.S. supply chain amid soaring demand. This plan is to open two new distribution centers and expand an existing warehouse that handles specialty drugs over the next five years. Half of the new medicines hitting the global market from 2023 to 2027 are expected to require cold storage, up from 37% of products launched between 2013 and 2017. Cencora today a national distribution center in Lockbourne, Ohio. Drug manufacturers ship truckloads of their products to that warehouse, where shipments are broken down into smaller quantities and sent to other facilities throughout the U.S. that handle final-mile delivery. The company plans to open a second national distribution center about 120 miles southwest in Harrison, Ohio, by ...
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