[#219] Supply Chain in Numbers - Feb 19, 2024
Sensos raised $20M, Primark is opening a 550k DC in FL, BYD is building RORO vessels now, On average, a restaurant sees 1% more food, 34% higher check on 2/14, 2023 saw 34% lesser robot sales
Welcome to “Supply Chain in Numbers.” This newsletter tracks significant digits from the world of the supply chain. Five prominent numbers are published every Monday. If you have any feedback, please send it to me.
$20 million Series A
Supply chain visibility startup Sensos raised a $20 million Series A. A spinoff of Sony Semiconductor Israel, Sensos offers a disposable cellular label that can be applied to each package in the supply chain. The paper-thin label, similar to a mobile device, can track information like location and temperature with relevant sensors. Sensos is partnering with Bayer, DB Schenker, and other companies in the cold chain life sciences, consumer electronics, and those tied to mission-critical shipments and high-value goods. The company will use funds to establish a U.S. office and further R&D. [Axios]
550,000 sqft DC
The international fast-fashion retailer Primark ceremonially opened its new distribution center in North Jacksonville, with a company executive calling the nearly 550,000-square-foot space a linchpin for its expansion plans in the Southeast U.S. The company’s North Jacksonville center is its second in the U.S (first is in Bethlehem, PA), and is among 12 it operates worldwide. The company operates 24 stores across eight U.S. states, including the Sawgrass Mills shopping center in Sunrise, Florida. It is also working on opening a store in Orlando as part of plans to grow to 60 stores in the U.S. by 2026. [Jax Daily Record]
5,000 cars on a RORO vessel
BYD is a Chinese electric car manufacturer that has become a reluctant entrant into the global shipping industry. The car manufacturer is building a fleet of roll-on, roll-off (RORO) shipping vessels, the first of which, BYD Explorer №1, has entered operation connecting China to European markets with 5,000 cars aboard. It’s partly because vehicle exports are simply a new game here: BYD shipped 55,000 vehicles overseas in 2022, which jumped to 240,000 vehicles in 2023 and is poised to go higher if only BYD can obtain how to ship the cars. RORO vessels have been a bit rare because of the knock-on effects of the 2008 recession, and typically, vehicle manufacturers will own their own RORO fleets Nissan and Toyota. Prices to rent ROROs jumped to $115,000 per day in 2023, up from $17,000 in 2019, hence the need to build some boats. [Technology Review]
1% more food, 34% higher check
As hard as it may be to get a reservation on Valentine’s Day, restaurants prepare virtually the same amount of food, increasing the number of dishes they serve by only 1% over the daily average. But while the chefs and dishwashers may not be much busier, the checks the servers drop are heftier, with the dollar value on food alone 34% higher. The data was prepared (and finished with a drizzle of truffle oil) by Toast, the digital platform used by ~99,000 US restaurant locations. It’s based on February 14, 2023, and includes totals from all full-service restaurants on Toast’s platform in 11 cities, including Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. [Retail Brew]
34% fewer robots sold
By the raw numbers, companies purchased 31,159 robots in 2023, compared to 44,196 ordered in 2022 and 39,708 in 2021. These 2023 orders were divided almost equally among automotive (15,723 robots sold) and non-automotive companies (15,436 robots sold), a 34% drop in sales to automotive OEMs and automotive suppliers over 2022 and a 25% total decrease in all other industries. Sales returned to typical levels, as some buyers showed “over purchasing” during supply chain concerns last year. In 2023, the strongest demand for robots from non-automotive companies came from the metal industry, followed by semiconductor & electronics/photonics; food & consumer goods; life sciences, pharmaceutical and biomedical, plastics & rubber, and others. [DC Velocity]