It’s one of those Fridays, where I’m short on time — and if I’m being honest, short on imagination and motivation too.
So, let’s just move on to the supply chain and logistics news that caught my attention this week:
- Global Trade Flows Show Surprising Strength Despite Strain Of Higher U.S. Tariffs (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- IMF urges China to address economic imbalances as trade surplus hits $1 trillion (AP)
- Trump’s point man on trade floats separate deals with Canada and Mexico (CBC)
- Trump threatens to raise tariffs on Mexico over Rio Grande water deliveries (Politico)
- US to impose phased-in tariffs on Nicaragua after finding labor abuses (Reuters)
- Mexico approves up to 50% tariffs on China and other countries (BBC)
- Tariff Threat Forces U.S. Ports to Rethink Upgrade Plans (WSJ – sub. req’d)
- Spare Capacity Persists Globally, While North America Reports a Steeper Pullback in Manufacturing Demand, Signaling Weak Conditions Heading Into 2026 (GEP)
- IBM to Acquire Confluent to Create Smart Data Platform for Enterprise Generative AI
- Introducing the first agentic shipping platform: Shippo MCP
- Mercado Libre and Agility Robotics Announce Commercial Agreement to Deploy Humanoid Robots
- Detmar Selects Aurora to Deploy Expanded Fleet of Autonomous Trucks for Major Energy Producer
- DHL Supply Chain Accelerates Sustainability With First Tesla Semi Delivery
- Kenworth, Peterbilt Add to Battery-Electric Lineups (Transport Topics)
- Class 8 Orders Plummet 47% in Seasonally Unusual November (Transport Topics)
- One Man’s Mission to Get Back $4 Million of Stolen Skincare Products (WSJ – sub. req’d)
The Tariff Circus Rolls On
As we near the end of 2025, tariffs and global trade continue to dominate the headlines. You can read all the stories linked above for all the details, but here’s the quick rundown:
- China remains a manufacturing and exporting powerhouse.
- We might be going from NAFTA to USMCA to separate trade agreements with Mexico and Canada.
- Trump is threatening Mexico with tariffs over Rio Grande water deliveries.
- Mexico is imposing tariffs of up to 50% on over 1,400 goods — such as metals, cars, clothing and appliances — from China, Thailand, India, Indonesia, and other countries.
- As a result, China is not happy with Mexico.
- And the green grass grew all around all around, and the green grass grew all around.
This circus (or sh*t show, if you prefer) continues, with an extended run promised for 2026.
Human, but with an -oid
Earlier this year, we asked members of our Indago supply chain research community for their perspectives on humanoid robots and whether these technologies will find a place in their operations.
As I shared in “Humanoid Robots In Logistics: Early Curiosity, Lingering Skepticism,” adoption is almost nonexistent, at least among our Indago members. Only one respondent reported actively using humanoid robots in their logistics operations at the time — specifically for picking and packing tasks.
This week, however, Mercado Libre, “the leading commerce and fintech ecosystem in Latin America, announced a commercial agreement with Agility Robotics, creator of the leading humanoid robot Digit.” Here’s an excerpt from the press release:
This partnership will integrate Agility Robotics’ revolutionary Digit humanoid robot into Mercado Libre’s facility in San Antonio, Texas. Digit will initially focus on tasks that support commerce fulfillment, with the companies planning to explore additional use cases where AI-powered humanoids can augment logistics operations across Mercado Libre’s warehouses in Latin America.
Additionally, the collaboration aims to explore how automating tasks that are difficult to recruit for, especially those that are highly repetitive and physically taxing, could increase ergonomic safety for Mercado Libre team members, reduce labor gaps, and increase productivity – ultimately freeing employees to perform more value-added work.
No doubt, the business case for using robots in warehouses — driven by labor constraints and safety considerations — is a strong one. I’m just skeptical that humanoids are the best form factor for this application. As one Indago supply chain executive put it: “I don’t feel humanoid robots are the way logistics will go moving forward, at least not in a distribution center or manufacturing site. There is no need for the added expense of a humanoid robot when a regular robot will do just fine.”
I’m just glad Henry Ford was more creative and didn’t design a horse-shaped car with mechanical legs.
Maybe I’m wrong — or you might say I’m too short-sighted because I’m basing my opinion on “what is today” versus “what will be tomorrow.” Fair enough. But if I’m going to have a robot, I don’t want it to look like me. I want one that hovers without legs — and with octopus arms, each one with a thousand little suction cups, and when it brings me my morning paper and coffee, the pop-pop-pop sound it makes when I pull them off will crack me up every time.
And with that, have a meaningful weekend!
Song of the Week: “A Long December” by Counting Crows
