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Customs Friction Is Repricing Logistics Networks Temu’s localization strategy, Shein’s valuation reset, and InPost’s margin pressure show why network control matters—and why control still has to earn a return. August 31, 2026 The most important logistics development this week was not a single tariff or earnings result. It was the same pressure appearing across marketplaces, parcel networks, aircraft schedules, customs operations, and investor valuations. Europe’s low-value du

Localization Becomes the New Logistics Advantage The most important logistics development this week is not a single rate move or earnings beat. It is the growing evidence that customs policy, inventory location and network control are changing who can grow profitably. Shein’s Hong Kong prospectus quantified the damage from the post-de-minimis reset. PDD/Temu reported slower growth but still withheld the operating data needed to judge its localization strategy. At the same tim

Over the last few months, we regrouped to ask ourselves- how can we help both future clients understand what we do, while offering past and current clients market insights. And selfishly, how can we process the news that is even more efficient, internally at out firm. Like many of our customers, we are bombarded with emails, bombarded with apps, market data, push notifications, breaking news from a number of reputable publications. We get daily briefs, weekly briefs, and insi

When Amazon announced Amazon Supply Chain Services this week, most headlines framed it as a major expansion. The story being told is that Amazon is opening its logistics network to the world in the same way it once did with Amazon Web Services. That comparison is directionally right. But it risks missing the more nuanced and more important truth. Almost nothing in this announcement is actually new. Freight forwarding has been in place for years. Fulfillment has been the backb

In today's fast-paced global economy, air cargo plays a critical role in connecting markets and enabling trade. Airlines must develop effective air cargo planning strategies to stay competitive and meet growing demand. We have seen firsthand how a well-executed plan can transform an airline's cargo operations, boosting revenue and operational efficiency. This post explores practical approaches to mastering air cargo planning strategies, offering insights that can help airline

Here are four insights on the current CN-US de minimis situation: 1) The only destination in the US "growing" (albeit very small) with Asia freighter capacity since May 2nd is Miami. As Chinese e-commerce players have committed to capacity with ACMI operators, they are shifting their focus, including to Latin America. Chicago is down 9 freighters a day, JFK down 4, while Miami is up 0.2. 2) As expected, parcel volume has receded dramatically in the US. Our firm was estimati

In the Summer of 2024, our founder started spending more time in DC, trying to understand rule changes for US shipments of low value e-commerce goods, and one thing we found to be true... It wasn't if regulations would change, it was when. To understand this issue, there are four things that we knew about the issue and were advising clients: 1) US lost manufacturing jobs to Asia for a 30-year period, and was on the brink of losing many more warehousing, fulfillment and transp

Our firm has estimated a $22 Billion USD impact to the air cargo industry in the next three years, tied to a combination of high tariff rates and the cancellation of the de minimis customs process. In this post, we will take a quick look at where air cargo capacity stands after the rule took effect at 12:01am EST on May 2nd. We look at this a few different ways. First, we need to understand that there are two types of flights operating from Asia to the US. First, the Express

With talk of privatization of US Post Office, let’s look at what happened in the UK. Royal Mail was privatized in 2013. In 2024, the UK government approved the sale from International Distribution Services (IDS) to Czech Billionaire’s EP Group for $4.5B USD. In October 2015, the last remaining shares that were owned by the British Government (13%) were sold for roughly $600M pounds. That was the end of the governments ownership in the 500 year old Postal Group. The Royal Mail