[#313] Supply Chain in Numbers - Nov 24, 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.

$110,000 per chassis

Harbinger Motors raised $160 million and secured an order from FedEx as the company ramps up production of its medium-duty electric vehicles. FedEx placed an initial order for 53 trucks as part of its investment. This California company designs and makes stripped chassis, which retail for about $110,000 each. These are delivered to companies that incorporate them into customized vehicles, such as delivery-truck makers Morgan Olson and Utilimaster and RV-maker Thor. Harbinger has made about 400 vehicles since it started manufacturing in January and expects to produce about 3,000 next year. [WSJ]

95% on-time guarantee on intermodal

Schneider launched “Fast Track,” a premium intermodal service with a 95% on-time guarantee aimed at converting truckload shippers who demand speed and predictability; it’s pricier than standard intermodal but still undercuts truckload on >1,200-mile lanes. Built “backward” from delivery windows, Fast Track leverages priority handling with CPKC (notably Mexico Midwest Express), CSX, and UP, plus Schneider’s insourced chassis/drayage and 10k tractors to rescue moves and control first/last mile — positioned directly against J.B. Hunt’s Quantum. [JoC]

600 eActros

Amazon is rolling out its largest-ever UK electric HGV order, putting Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 trucks into hub-to-hub service and building out fast-charging at its depots, bringing its UK e-truck fleet to roughly 160, alongside a significant expansion of electric vans, cargo bikes, and on-foot deliveries. The company says charging infrastructure is the main bottleneck and is pushing for industry–government collaboration even as it funds its own sites. For operators and investors, this is a signal that zero-emission heavy freight is moving from pilots to scale — expect pressure on rivals to electrify, rising demand for depot charging and grid upgrades, and a reshaping of total-cost-of-ownership economics. [Electrive]

60% of Sb is mined in China

Antimony, an obscure element widely used in the defense industry, is emerging as a critical test case of whether the U.S. can restore supply chains that have been dominated for decades by China. About 60% of the world’s antimony is mined in China, and prices for the element have quadrupled from two years ago. This has prompted companies to dust off sites in Alaska and Idaho that last ...