The Planning Desk: Supply Chain Planning & Design News

The Planning Desk
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Supply chain planning and design news with a focus on the Nordics and the DACH region: a quick briefing every weekday morning, a book worth your time every Saturday and a fifteen-minute week in review every Sunday. Disruptions, trade and macro signals, planning technology and AI, real company use cases, the events worth your time and the books behind good planning. The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

Episodes

  1. 11h ago

    Supply Chain News, Week 44: AI Agents, Suez Freight Rates, Rhine Low Water

    AI agents in supply chain planning: BVL finds 93% of German logistics firms use AI, and a KLU study automates 84% of orders. Suez reopens while container rates wobble and Hormuz worsens, the Rhine sinks back to 32 cm, and Audi answers US tariffs with a $4bn Georgia plant. Plus Epiroc, UPM and Oerlikon on working capital, Stena, Color Line and Boluda, Samskip in Nordic sea freight, and the week ahead. Sources: Drewry: World Container IndexIntelligent Audit: IA Insights, October 26, 2026Dagens Logistik: Containerpriserna vänder uppåt trots att Röda havet öppnasSea-Intelligence: Unprecedented capacity levels in Oct-NovSupplyChainBrain: US tells ships to avoid unnecessary transits through HormuzSplash247: Tanker targeted with hull-mounted explosives in Hormuzwetter.net: Rhein steigt nach Sturmregen, Engpass Kaub bleibt zu flacht-online Köln: Rheinpegel in Köln knackt die Ein-Meter-MarkeSupply Chain Dive: Audi investing $4B to build its first US plant in GeorgiaSupply Chain Dive: Trump opts for trade talks over tariffs for robotics, industrial machinerySCMR First Shift: Robotics tariffs, maritime risk and port congestionAtlas Copco: Group celebrates expansion week in the United StatesVerkehrsRundschau: BVL Supply Chain CX 2026, Logistik sucht Ausweg aus Kriseeurotransport: KI-Automatisierung, Studie zu Fachwissen und menschlichen EntscheidungenSUFE academic newsletter: KLU paper detailsThe National: Oracle launches new agentic AI for complex tasks such as supply chainsSAP News: SAP TechEd, developers can build the autonomous enterpriseSAP News: SAP lakehouse and data fabric innovations in SAP BDCVerkehrsRundschau: KI in der Logistik wird wichtiger, Cyberrisiken nehmen zuretail-news.de: Kaspersky findet Sicherheitslücke in BarcodescannernEpiroc: Interim report Q3 2026UPM: Interim report Q3 2026OC Oerlikon: Trading update Q3 2026VerkehrsRundschau: Volkswagen 5,82 Milliarden Euro Verlust im dritten QuartalSupplyChainBrain: VW makes a loss in China, sparking urgent call for cost cutsVerkehrsRundschau: Unternehmensinsolvenzen bleiben 2027 auf hohem NiveauTextilWirtschaft: Galeria, jetzt ist auch das Joint Venture für Logistik insolventVerkehrsRundschau: Galeria-Insolvenz bringt Logistiker Fiege in NotASSA ABLOY: Quarterly report Q3 2026gCaptain: Stena agrees to acquire Norwegian ferry operator Color LineThe Loadstar: Boluda to acquire SamskipMT Logistikk: Nor Lines får spansk eierThe Loadstar: Scan Global Logistics to acquire US forwarder OIA GlobalDagens Infrastruktur: Bring inför julhandeln, kapacitetsförstärkningarDagens Logistik: Dahl etablerar nytt lager i EnköpingBeBeez: Valmet to acquire MES business from TietoFreightos: Red Sea container traffic set for full return in Q1 (EU parcel fee)Gartner: Supply Chain Planning Summit 2026 in DenverNet Zero Compare: Logistik & Transport 2026TT: Pressinbjudan, ny konjunkturrapport från Teknikföretagen och IndustriarbetsgivarnaMERICS: EU-China economic relations enter a new phaseFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-11-01.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  2. 1d ago

    Book of the week: The Goal, Goldratt and Cox

    This week's book is The Goal by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox, the 1984 business novel that introduced the Theory of Constraints. Its main idea: find the bottleneck, protect it and pace everything else to it, because an hour lost there is lost for the whole system. For planners, plant managers and network designers. Sources: Wikipedia: The Goal (novel)TIME: The 25 most influential business management books, The GoalWikipedia: Eliyahu M. GoldrattManagement And Accounting Web: summary of The GoalTOC Institute: The five focusing stepsAll About Lean: A critical look at Goldratt's drum-buffer-rope methodPorchlight Books: The Goal, revised 30th anniversary editionLehmanns: The Goal, a business graphic novelIT Revolution: Beyond The Phoenix ProjectContinuous Delivery: Book review, The Phoenix ProjectStockholm School of Economics: This is LeanCopenhagen Business School: This is Lean, Danish launchWikipedia: Critical Chain (novel)Full transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-31.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  3. 2d ago

    Fri 30 Oct: Robot Tariffs on Hold

    The US picks trade talks over tariffs for robotics and industrial machinery, for now. Also: Boluda agrees to buy Samskip and Nor Lines, Scan Global buys OIA Global, Oerlikon customers lock in tungsten and yttrium, Volkswagen's third-quarter loss, record container capacity, the exception backlog and paperless freight in Germany. Listener desk: Colin Reed on who signs off on agent decisions. Sources: Supply Chain Dive: Trump opts for trade talks over tariffs for robotics, industrial machinerySCMR: First Shift, robotics tariffs, maritime risk and port congestionThe Loadstar: Boluda to acquire SamskipMT Logistikk: Nor Lines får spansk eierThe Loadstar: Scan Global Logistics to acquire US forwarder OIA GlobalOC Oerlikon: Q3 2026 trading updateEdison: Oerlikon, materials strength drives FY26 guidance upgradeVerkehrsRundschau: Volkswagen 5,82 Milliarden Euro Verlust im dritten QuartalSupplyChainBrain: VW makes a loss in China, sparking urgent call for cost cutsSea-Intelligence: Unprecedented capacity levels in Oct-NovLogistics Viewpoints: The exception backlog, supply chain's overlooked operational constraintVerkehrsRundschau: Digitaler Frachtbrief, nur 7 Prozent arbeiten papierlosFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-30.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  4. 3d ago

    Thu 29 Oct: Lunar New Year Comes Early

    Lunar New Year 2027 arrives 11 days early and squeezes China bookings into early January. Also: Asia to North Europe container rates rise despite the Red Sea return, a new US warning on Hormuz transits, the future of the TMS, and German rail freight waiting on 2027 track charges. Sources: The Loadstar: Early lunar new year means shippers need to plan ahead, says SekoDagens Logistik: Containerpriserna vänder uppåt trots att Röda havet öppnasSupplyChainBrain: US tells ships to avoid unnecessary transits through HormuzLogistics Viewpoints: The future of TMS, from transportation planning to intelligent executionVerkehrsRundschau: Hängepartie bei Trassenpreisen belastet den SchienengüterverkehrFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-29.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  5. 4d ago

    Wed 28 Oct: Audi Builds Past the Tariff

    Audi commits four billion dollars to its first US plant in Georgia, citing the 15% EU car tariff. Also: a Horváth study on slow AI adoption in logistics, Kroger's shelf data and RFID, Dahl's new Enköping warehouse, and Allianz Trade's German insolvency forecast. Sources: Supply Chain Dive: Audi investing $4B to build its first US plant in GeorgiaVerkehrsRundschau: KI in der Logistik wird wichtiger, Cyberrisiken nehmen zuSupply Chain Dive: Kroger taps RFID, computer vision data to boost inventory managementDagens Logistik: Dahl etablerar nytt lager i EnköpingVerkehrsRundschau (dpa): Unternehmensinsolvenzen bleiben 2027 auf hohem NiveauFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-28.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  6. 5d ago

    Tue 27 Oct: Who Signs Off on AI

    AI is mainstream in German logistics, according to a BVL study shared at Supply Chain CX in Berlin, and the company stays liable when an agent errs. Plus Oracle's new replanning agents, ocean spot rates rising as Suez reopens, Bring's Swedish peak-season capacity and a security flaw in warehouse barcode scanners. Sources: VerkehrsRundschau: BVL Supply Chain CX 2026, Logistik sucht Ausweg aus der KriseThe National: Oracle launches new agentic AI to take on complex tasks such as supply chainsIntelligent Audit: IA Insights, October 26, 2026Dagens Infrastruktur: Bring inför julhandeln, kapacitetsförstärkningar i hela sitt svenska logistiknätverkretail-news.de: Kaspersky findet Sicherheitslücke in BarcodescannernFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-27.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  7. 6d ago

    Mon 26 Oct: Bring's New Border Hub

    A quiet weekend in planning news. Bring opens Logistikcenter Moss, its largest parcel terminal by sorting capacity, as Swedish e-commerce flows into Norway keep growing. Plus the dates to watch: the EU small-parcel fee, Gartner's planning summit and Logistik & Transport in Gothenburg. Sources: Dagens Infrastruktur: Svenska paketvolymer växer, Bring öppnar ny importterminal i NorgeFull transcript: https://theplanningdesk.github.io/podcast/e/2026-10-26.html The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  8. Oct 25

    Week 43: Low Water, Hot Chips, Working Agents

    Record-low water on the Rhine and rail works squeeze freight into Germany and Switzerland, while carriers return to Suez and Hormuz stays almost shut. Cisco puts a number on its demand-planning agent, AI data centres compete for chips and air cargo, and DSV, Kuehne+Nagel and Meds report on network changes. Plus SAP and Pigment, EU trade defences against China, and the events ahead. Sources: SupplyChainBrain: German rail struggles with Rhine diversionsVerkehrsRundschau: Schienenausbau, deutlich weniger Güterzüge als geplantFreightos: Red Sea container traffic set for full return in Q1Drewry: World Container IndexTalking Logistics: Above the Fold, October 16, 2026Supply Chain Management Review: Cisco's supply chain AI gains start with the work behind the workflowSupply Chain Now: The Visibility IllusionVerkehrsRundschau: BVL Supply Chain CX in Berlin eröffnetSupply Chain Dive: US semiconductor supply chain relies on vulnerable hidden inputsSupply Chain Management Review: A supplier is flagged. Is your product exposed?Supply Chain Dive: Medtech execs share secrets to building resilient supply chainsLogistics Management: US container imports jump 9.1% in SeptemberSupply Chain 24/7: More than 80% of supply chain leaders say their workers aren't ready for AIGartner: Top strategic technology trends for 2027SupplyChainBrain: The productivity story everyone is missingSupply Chain Shaman: Reflection and celebration for the Supply Chains to Admire methodologyContainer News: DSV reports higher Q3 earnings as Schenker integration weighs on road divisionAJOT: Kuehne+Nagel chief upbeat on market outlook after strong Q3Dagens Logistik: Nya logistikcentret tynger Meds resultatDagens Logistik: 80 får gå när Onemed flyttar lagretVerkehrsRundschau: Lieferkettenkrisen, vielen Unternehmen fehlen klare ProzesseReuters via WSAU: Germany's SAP tops cloud demand forecastsSupply Chain Digital: Pigment raises $250mMERICS: EU-China economic relations enter a new phaseGartner: Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit 2026 in DenverNet Zero Compare: Logistik & Transport 2026VerkehrsRundschau: HHLA erwartet weniger ContainerumschlagVerkehrsRundschau: Takko Fashion übernimmt Logistikzentrum in SalzgitterDagens Logistik: Amazon intensifierar satsningen på EuropaSupply Chain Dive: Levi's distribution network transition saga continues to dragSupply Chain Digital: Audi and NVIDIA use Agile Robots for parts sequencing trialSupply Chain Dive: Nestlé to close Ohio factory by end of 2027VerkehrsRundschau: Dachser verlängert Zusammenarbeit mit der Fraunhofer-GesellschaftSupply Chain Dive: Hydro Flask maker aims tariff refunds at inventory, packagingThe Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise the week's news from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

  • 8 Episodes

About

Supply chain planning and design news with a focus on the Nordics and the DACH region: a quick briefing every weekday morning, a book worth your time every Saturday and a fifteen-minute week in review every Sunday. Disruptions, trade and macro signals, planning technology and AI, real company use cases, the events worth your time and the books behind good planning. The Planning Desk is produced with AI. AI agents gather and summarise news and books from public sources, and the hosts' voices are synthetic.

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