Boston-based robotic fulfillment solutions provider Berkshire Grey has launched a subscription model aimed at helping companies access advanced automation technologies with no upfront capital expenditures, the company said this week.
The company’s Robots-as-a-Service (RaaS) model is designed to help retailers implement robotic fulfillment solutions to address short- and long-term business needs. The program covers the hardware and software needed to operate Berkshire Grey’s solutions and also includes maintenance and periodic upgrades, including regular software enhancements, according to Peter Blair, Berkshire Grey’s vice president of marketing.
Company officials say the program is especially helpful as retailers deal with changing demand levels during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Customers across the retail ecosystem are facing a range of challenges from demand that is double or triple normal peak volumes to significant short-term sales downturns,” Peter Van Alstine, senior vice president and general manager for retail at Berkshire Grey, said in a statement announcing the program. “In this extraordinary business climate, RaaS makes it possible to address labor availability challenges, avoid costly new warehouse build outs, and secure the fiscal benefits of complete robotic automation solutions without the traditional capital requirements.”
Berkshire Grey’s robotic solutions help retailers and logistics services providers automate e-commerce and omnichannel fulfillment.
As the Israel-Iran conflict continues to simmer through a fragile ceasefire agreement, chief supply chain officers (CSCOs) can implement three critical priorities to secure their operations, according to an analysis by Gartner.
In response to the ongoing impacts from the conflict, Gartner advises that CSCOs should:
Assess and mitigate their exposure to new global transportation bottlenecks
Prepare CFOs for continued supply chain cost volatility
Review supply chain resilience strategies
“As the conflict between Israel and Iran oscillates, CSCOs must leverage the resilience they have built in recent years, recognizing that the global significance of this region makes it nearly impossible to avoid adverse impacts, even if only indirect,” David Gonzalez VP analyst in Gartner’s Supply Chain practice said in a release.
Red Sea and Suez Canal: Container traffic remains well below pre-crisis levels, with major shipping lines avoiding the Suez Canal. Organizations must monitor transit times and adjust expectations for longer lead times and higher costs.
Strait of Hormuz: Heightened risk of disruption is causing delays and congestion as companies seek alternative routes. Supply chain leaders should engage partners to identify and manage new shipping options.
Regional Ports: High-volume ports such as Jebel Ali, Khalifa Port, Dammam and Haifa face increased pressure, with some having already faced service interruptions. Contingency planning for alternative ports is essential.
Eurasian Rail Freight: Demand for rail freight between Asia and Europe has surged, leading to congestion and longer booking times. Organizations should trial rail options where feasible, weighing higher costs against faster transit.
At the same time, ongoing disruptions in the Middle East are driving up supply chain costs across energy, transportation, insurance, inventory, and technology. CSCOs must proactively engage CFOs to assess budget impacts and prepare for increased spending.
As a result, the conflict is putting previous supply chain resilience strategies to the test. CSCOs must identify risks to critical raw materials, ensure the continued flow of finished goods, and conduct cost-benefit analyses of mitigation actions in partnership with finance leaders. This includes evaluating potential impacts on margins and reviewing the product portfolio for vulnerabilities.
“Regardless of the status of the conflict, CSCOs should continue engaging with their ecosystem of partners to identify alternative routes, assess the viability of shifting volume to less impacted regional ports, and consider multimodal transportation options for some goods after conducting a cost-benefit analysis,” said Gonzalez. “This conflict should serve as a catalyst for improving organizations’ supply chain resiliency plans over the long-term.”
As cross-border logistics providers prepare for potential disruption from a Trump Administration executive order requiring strict enforcement of English-language proficiency for truckers, a provider of driver training tools has released an online “English Language Proficiency Assessment” tool.
In response to those concerns, Ontario-based CarriersEdge says it created the assessment to help carriers prepare for enforcement of the English Language Proficiency requirements under 49 CFR §391.11(b)(2) in the United States.
“Many of our customers have contacted us to say they are very worried about the new enforcement rules and the ambiguity regarding how they will be applied,” Jane Jazrawy, CarriersEdge CEO, said in a release. "The easy-to-administer assessment is a diagnostic tool carriers can use to understand what sort of risk they are facing with their drivers.”
The assessment test uses a series of visual cues and audio questions to assess a driver's ability to understand and respond to the types of questions they may encounter during a roadside inspection. It includes identifying the meaning of various road signs and responding to questions they may be asked.
According to CarriersEdge, understanding the level of risk based on a driver’s English proficiency is the first step in preparing for the new enforcement rules. And the results of the firm’s new test can provide carriers with insights into how their drivers may perform in a real-world scenario.
However, the firm warned that there is still much that remains unknown about how the rule will be enforced. So passing the CarriersEdge assessment is not a guarantee that a driver’s English proficiency is sufficient to pass an actual roadside inspection and avoid being marked out of service.
Parcel shipping is becoming more complex, costly, and strategic than ever before, as the industry feels pressure from rapidly changing carrier pricing models, expanding fulfillment demands, and mounting operational pressures, according to a report from Reveel.
An overwhelming number of respondents (91%) expect to expand the number of carriers they’re currently utilizing, in response to growing frustration with carriers, according to the survey. Irvine, California-based Reveel says it provides parcel spend management tools that include real-time visibility, actionable insights, and enhanced control over shipping costs and carrier performance.
One sign of that frustration is that every organization expected their shipping volumes to increase or stay the same this year - but almost half (44%) reported a lack of information about shipping expenses and what could help them improve.
Other results showed a similar attitude from shippers: 87% expect their shipping volumes to increase this year, but more than half lack insight into demand forecasting (59%), vendor performance (57%) and inventory levels (50%) - which are all key drivers of operational efficiency and improvement.
“Carriers are getting very creative with pricing; we’ve observed them leaning into definitional changes and incremental rate and fee increases without warning, applied at various times across the calendar year. It’s clear shippers are frustrated, and are hoping to address these issues by expanding their carrier networks,” Jack McCrum, Director of Optimization and Analytics at Reveel, said in a release.
According to Reveel, parcel spend can consume a considerable amount of an organization’s budget - and because carriers now make incremental increases to rates and fees all year long - costs can quietly creep up if not actively managed with real-time visibility. The study found that logistics expenses average 22% of organizations’ overall operating expenses. And within their overall logistics budgets, respondents reported that the amount spent on parcel shipping breaks down as follows:
37% allocate between $2 million and $10 million;
42% allocate between $10 million and $50 million; and
Supply chain software vendor Deposco today launched a “Tariff Tracker Dashboard” which leverages real-time market intelligence from the company's Bright Suite platform to help businesses proactively respond to the complex challenges posed by evolving trade policies.
According to Atlanta-based Deposco, the tool comes as businesses continue to grapple with significant supply chain adjustments following the recent implementation of tariffs. For example, the firm’s proprietary data recently revealed a dramatic surge in Days of Inventory on Hand (DIOH) between February and April 2025, as companies stockpiled goods ahead of new trade policies, significantly exceeding the inventory increase seen during the pandemic.
"This significant inventory build-up represents a strategic pivot by companies attempting to mitigate the impact of impending tariffs," Reid Bishop, Vice President of Data Science at Deposco, said in a release. "Our new Tariff Tracker Dashboard empowers businesses to make these critical decisions with unprecedented visibility into real-time market dynamics rather than operating in the dark."
"Companies are making a calculated bet that the added carrying costs of additional inventory will be offset by avoiding the tariffs," Bishop explained. "Our platform data shows that businesses with sophisticated AI and data-driven supply chain tools are better positioned to right-size inventory levels appropriately while maintaining service levels."
Seafood traceability system provider Trace Register has launched a new platform built to simplify compliance, enhance supply chain performance, and deliver potential ROI to seafood businesses around the world, the Seattle company said.
The system called “ORIGIN by trace register” builds on the foundation of Trace Register's TR5 GDST-capable platform while offering a modern, intuitive interface and expanded capabilities. ORIGIN will be in 9 languages and includes 1:1 global customer service. The new platform will roll out in phases throughout 2025, offering tools for document management, achieving interoperability, and fulfilling requirements.
According to Trace Register, users achieve an average 80% reduction in manual data entry, and ORIGIN enables them to access reliable traceability data across complex supply chains. "Traceability is no longer just about compliance—it's a valuable business asset," Phil Werdal, founder and CEO of Trace Register, said in a release. "With ORIGIN, we're delivering a platform that helps seafood companies leverage their data for smarter decisions, efficiency, and trust.”