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Trade shifts, new investment activity and rising geopolitical tension continue to shape global supply chains. In November, organizations continued adjusting import strategies in response to tariff changes, watched demand soften in some areas and prepared for new disruptions tied to international policy debates. From the supply chain perspective, logistics providers, transportation companies and manufacturers all kept a close eye on how these developments impact production schedules, transportation flows and demand for their products.
One of the biggest pieces of news to come out of the supply chain sector last month was the double-digit trade deficit drop from a few months earlier. As reported by AP, the national trade deficit fell by nearly 24% in August. The report had been delayed nearly seven weeks due to the government shutdown. “The gap between what the United States buys from other countries and what it sells them fell to $59.6 billion in August, from $78.2 billion in July,” AP reports.
Imports of goods and services dropped 5% to $340.4 billion in August, the publication adds, noting that the U.S. trade deficit is up so far in 2025. It came in at $713.6 billion through August, up 25% from $571.1 billion in January-August 2024. “A drop in imports and the trade deficit is good for economic growth because foreign products are subtracted from the nation’s gross domestic product,” AP says. “GDP is the output of a nation’s goods and services.”
DHL Makes Headlines in November
As one of the world’s largest logistics providers, DHL made headlines for a couple of different moves in November. According to Transport Topics, the company announced a $150 million investment in a new logistics hub in Riyadh as Saudi Arabia works to position itself as a regional trade gateway.
The new 78,000-square-meter (840,000 square feet) hub will serve DHL’s customers in technology, e-commerce, automotive and other fast-growing sectors. “This is just the first step of our group’s €500 million [roughly $577 million USD] investment in the Middle East,” a DHL spokesperson told Transport Topics. “Most of our global and regional customers are already in Saudi Arabia.”
DHL expects construction to begin next year with the facility slated to open in 2027 and serve fast-growing sectors like technology, e-commerce and automotive.
Also last month, DHL announced that it was testing artificial intelligence (AI) agents from HappyRobot to handle routine communication tasks across several of its sites. The agents manage appointment scheduling, driver follow-up calls and high-priority warehouse coordination. They can respond to phone and email messages, as well as support teams that handle heavy daily communication workloads.
HappyRobot's platform enables fully autonomous AI agents to interact via phone, email and messaging while integrating with DHL's internal systems. This move is part of a broader effort to streamline operations and automate daily tasks. "As part of our structured and strategic approach to AI,” CIO Sally Miller said in a press release, “[we’ve] been systematically identifying and validating operational use cases for generative and agentic AI technologies for over 18 months.”
Tesla Wants to Go All-American
Tesla is requiring its suppliers to exclude China-made components in the manufacturing of its cars in the U.S., WSJ reports. Tesla and its suppliers have already replaced some China-made components with parts made elsewhere, it adds, and the auto manufacturer is now “aiming to switch all other components to those made outside of China in the next year or two.”
The EV maker has been working to reduce its dependence on China-made components for its U.S. cars ever since the global pandemic disrupted the flow of goods from China. “Tesla’s strategy is the latest example of how trade and geopolitical tensions are driving a decoupling of the world’s two largest economies and increasingly redrawing global supply chains,” WSJ says.
This is also part of a broader push by American companies wanting to exclude China-made components from products sold in the U.S. “In turn,” the publication adds, “Chinese technology companies are erasing American components and technology from their supply chains.”
