🚗 Cadillac EV Catchup

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Good morning! Welcome to the December 15th edition of "The Workday Dash," your go-to source for the latest updates in the world of supply chain and logistics. Today, as we celebrate National Underdog Day, we acknowledge the unsung heroes and rising stars within our industry, whose resilience and innovation continue to drive the engine of global commerce.

So, fasten your seatbelts, because in the world of supply chain and logistics, every day is a dash to success! ❤️🚛

The Latest Addition to Cadillac's Electric SUV Lineup

Cadillac is getting electrified with its new three-row electric SUV, the Vistiq. Say goodbye to the old gas-powered XT6! They've dropped some cool images of this ride, and it's going to be their fifth electric vehicle, landing right between the Lyriq and the upcoming Escalade IQ.

Now, we don't know the details yet on pricing and when it will hit the streets, but word on the street is it's rolling into the U.S. market around 2025. Cadillac has big plans, aiming to ditch those gas engines for good and go all-electric with their SUV lineup by 2030.

Check out today’s featured article from CNBC to learn more about the latest Cadillac EV SUV lineup they are releasing. Will Cadillac get more business as they step up their EV game?

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Featured Article

Cadillac reveals three-row Vistiq to round out electric SUV lineup | CNBC

“Cadillac plans to round out its upcoming lineup of all-electric SUVs with a three-row vehicle called the Vistiq, a replacement for its current gas-powered XT6.”

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DHL & EV

DHL Supply Chain Introduces Class 8 Electric Trucks in North America

DHL Supply Chain is going electric with its trucks! The company completed a cool pilot program for six months and has concluded that these Class 8 electric trucks are the way to go. Now they've got two of the units rolling in California, and guess what? They're obtaining 11 more from Freightliner and Volvo soon. These bad boys are going to be hitting the roads in Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and California.

DHL has big plans to make 30% of their North American fleet clean and green by 2030. These electric trucks can cover plenty of routes, going up to 250 miles on a single charge and packing more power than diesel-powered units. Not to mention, possibly making the drivers happier with less noise and shaking.

Read more at DCVelocity >

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GM & Robotaxi

GM's Cruise Robotaxi Unit Ousts Nine 'Key Leaders' Amid Safety Probe

GM's Cruise is shaking things up after the October fender-bender in San Francisco. Nine of their top dogs are out the door, including folks from the legal, government, operations, and safety teams. GM and Cruise dropped the word that they need some fresh leadership to get back on track and keep safety, integrity, and accountability at the forefront.

All this comes as the autonomous vehicle company faces more scrutiny and rules from the regulators - especially after the accident and the California DMV telling Cruise to put a stop to further testing for the time being.

Read more at NPR >

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Let’s Get Global 🌎

Checking out the scoop outside of the United States…

📦 6 Factors Driving Global Supply Chain Shifts. Costs are creeping up everywhere – tariffs, shipping rates, and even worker wages. This has companies looking for greener (or cheaper) pastures. Plus, tariffs and subsidies are playing a role too, with government moves to make some supply chain switches a no-brainer. Then there's all the global drama – trade tensions, conflicts, you name it. This has companies worried and rethinking their game plans. Some places, like Mexico and Vietnam, are looking pretty good right now because they can handle more production. But it's not just about money – speed matters too. Getting stuff faster and being nimble is on everyone's minds.

📈 Global Trade Tensions and Material Shortages Set to Persist in 2024. With all the drama in the world – trade tensions, supply chain hiccups from the pandemic, climate concerns, and political clashes – Deloitte's got some predictions for 2024 in tech, media, and telecom. One thing they're watching is a shortage of raw materials, like gallium and maybe germanium. This will likely hit chipmakers and electric vehicle battery production by 2024. To deal with this mess, industries are looking into recycling e-waste and stockpiling materials, all to make sure they've got the important minerals they need.

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iLevel With You 🏡

More topics for the average American household to consider…

🛍 Retailers Weigh the Pros and Cons of Charging Return Fees. As more shoppers switch from physical stores to online shopping, retailers are dealing with a plethora of returned stuff, and it's causing some supply chain headaches. Now, some stores are thinking about slapping return fees on items to save costs. But here's the deal – it could scare customers away. So, before stores go all-in on return fees, they need to figure out why people are sending stuff back. Are they planning it or doing it on a whim? If it's the planning type, that's when fees might make sense.

💰 Federal Reserve Keeps Rates Unchanged, Anticipates Future Cuts in the Coming Year. On December 13th, the Federal Reserve had a little chat and decided to keep the key interest rate right where it's been for a while now – no change. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said they're hitting the pause button on raising interest rates because inflation is chilling out a bit. They're even thinking about giving the rate a trim three times next year, but don't expect that until the second half of 2024. The Fed believes we still need high borrowing rates to keep inflation in check. Investors on Wall Street liked this news a lot – stocks went up, and bond yields went down. Right now, that benchmark rate is around 5.4%, the highest it's been in a while… which means more expensive mortgages, car loans, and credit.

🚗 Ford Pro and Xcel Energy Unveil Ambitious Fleet Electrification Plan. Ford Pro and Xcel Energy are teaming up for a project called the '30x30 initiative.' The companies want to set up around 30,000 private EV charging spots for fleets by 2030. They're kicking things off in Colorado and Wisconsin, with a focus on making it super easy for fleets to charge up. Fleet operators like having their own charging stations, but it can be pricey to set them up. So, under this plan, Xcel Energy will handle getting the charging stuff in place at fleet locations, and Ford Pro will provide the gear and help out. They're starting in a few states but plan to spread the love if the rules allow it.

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Get Smart 🧠

Ramp up that brain power for these advanced topics…

🛳 Port of Long Beach Experiences Cargo Returns, Prompting Trade Up. Things are looking up at the Port of Long Beach! In November, they had their third straight month of growth as cargo kept flowing back to the U.S. West Coast. The dockworkers and terminal folks handled a total of 731,033 TEUs - a pretty impressive 24.2% jump compared to November 2022. Imports were the real champs with a whopping 37% rise, hitting 355,339 TEUs. On the flip side, exports were down by 13% to 108,798 TEUs. Even the empty containers got in on the action, surging by 30.6% to 266,896 TEUs.

✨ Unlocking the Future of Supply Chain Planning with GenAI. AI and machine learning can be pretty mysterious, right? But check out this GenAI tech – it's a bit different. Instead of staying all secretive, it learns from us regular folks and acts like us. It's almost like having a clone! However, GenAI isn't just about copying people; it's got some real-world uses too. Like in supply chain planning, where things can get crazy complicated. GenAI can help sort out the mess, making decisions and predictions, which is super handy. It's like having a crystal ball for supply chain complications, helping us dodge potential disasters and keeping things running smoothly.

🧪 Why Ending Production of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Must Start with Illuminating Supply Chains. The EPA has a rule, and it's a big deal. It's all about making companies admit how much of those 'forever chemicals' known as PFAS they're letting loose into the environment. Stopping the production of these PFAS things isn't a walk in the park. But step one, it’s critical to figure out which supply chains are using these chemicals and who's taking risks with suppliers. Then, regulators need to get tough on the companies that keep making PFAS, even with all the legal heat. China is in the spotlight too, because they're big PFAS players.