[#287] Supply Chain in Numbers - May 26, 2025
$3k per FEU in Asia-Eu route, Cargo prices see 2.6% YoY increase, Stord raised $200M, Lego's 2M sqft DC, Pulse Charter Connect raised $2 million in seed round
Welcome to “Supply Chain in Numbers.” This newsletter tracks significant numbers from the supply chain world. Five prominent numbers are published every Monday. If you have any feedback, please send it to me.
$3,000 per FEU
Ocean carriers are pushing rate hikes of over $3,000/FEU on the Asia-Europe corridor starting June 1, despite persistent overcapacity and weak demand that have driven spot rates down by up to 70% since January. Major players like CMA CGM, MSC, and Hapag-Lloyd are testing the market with aggressive pricing, though shippers report offers as low as $1,200/FEU. Analysts say the imbalance between record vessel supply and flat demand will likely cap any sustained rebound. Meanwhile, diverted cargo from the China-US route and port congestion in Northern Europe may trigger a short-term crunch in June. [JOC]
2.6% YoY increase in air cargo
Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA) continued to see cargo demand grow in April despite US tariffs kicking in at the start of the month. The world’s largest cargo airport reported a 2.6% year-on-year increase in cargo volumes in April to 404,000 tonnes. HKIA said the increase was underpinned by a 13.9% increase in transhipments, with traffic to/from Europe and the Middle East continuing to be the primary growth drivers, increasing significantly for the period. The number of cargo flights in April increased by 0.9% to 6,345. Over the first four months of the year, cargo volumes were up 3% yearly to 1.6m tonnes. [Air Cargo News]
$366 million for a 2 million sqft DC
The Lego Group is investing $366 million to build a warehouse and distribution center in Prince George County, Virginia. The 2 million-square-foot facility is meant to boost supply chain flexibility and shorten lead times for Lego. The investment is expected to create 305 jobs and is supported by a $2.53 million grant from the Commonwealth’s Development Opportunity Fund. The regional distribution center is being developed with Lego’s manufacturing facility under construction in Chesterfield, Virginia. The factory in Meadowville Technology Park, which broke ground in 2023, is slated to open in 2027. The 1.7 million-square-foot site was initially set to be completed this year. [Supply Chain Dive]
$200 million financing
Stord, a company providing high-volume fulfillment services and e-commerce technology for omnichannel brands, raised $200 million in financing ($80 million in Series E and $120 million in debt financing). The round raised Stord’s valuation to $1.5 billion, reflecting the company’s exceptional growth trajectory. Stord’s maturation from an asset-light fulfillment network to a comprehensive omnichannel commerce enablement provider has saved online retailers hundreds of millions of dollars across parcel and other fulfillment fees. Since 2021, Stord has grown contracted revenue 10x, shipped billions of units, and dramatically improved the shipping experience for countless consumers — all while powering $6B+ of commerce and reaching around 11.5% of US households in 2024 alone. [Stord]
$2 million seed round for organ logistics
Pulse Charter Connect (PCC) has oversubscribed a $2 million seed round to modernize and streamline how lifesaving organs are transported across the United States. This new funding brings the Chicago-based startup’s total raised to $3.3 million. Though about 45,000 organ transplants are performed annually in the U.S., more than 100,000 patients remain on the national waitlist. Pulse Charter Connect helps close that gap by streamlining scheduling, optimizing routing, enabling real-time tracking, and ensuring clear communication among all parties — donor hospitals, transplant centers, and transport partners. Since the platform’s launch in April 2024, Pulse Charter Connect has already facilitated the transport of organs that have saved over 65 lives across the Midwest and the Mid-Atlantic regions.[Ein Press Wire]