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The White House’s supply chain envoy said the ports and logistics industry must move toward automation, a sticking point in protracted contract talks between U.S. West Coast dockworkers and their employers.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Postal Service is buying 9,250 Ford Motor Co. electric vans and 14,000 charging stations as part of a move to switch its fleet to electric vehicles.

Supply chains across the world are healing up almost as fast as they broke down. That doesn’t mean the pressure they’re exerting on inflation will disappear as quickly.

The pandemic-era surge in shipping costs was a “smoking gun” that foretold the global inflation spike, and the sharp drop in maritime-freight expenses since peaking last year will contribute to an easing in price pressures.

Since 2020, a pandemic-fueled supply crunch, Russia’s war with Ukraine, and a deepening rift in the U.S.-China trade relationship have hammered home the idea that the world needs more resilient trade networks.

A host of shipping insurers altered their policies for 2023 to exclude claims linked to Russia’s war in Ukraine, a further sign of the industry’s growing concerns about losses stemming from the conflict.

Shippers urged the U.S. railroad regulator to create more competition in the industry during hearings in which Union Pacific Corp. was called to explain a spike in service restrictions.

The value of global trade is set to reach a new record this year, increasing by about 12% to an estimated $32 trillion, according to a U.N. report that signaled a slowdown heading into 2023.

The supply backlogs of the past two years — and the delays, shortages and outrageous prices that came with them — have improved dramatically since summer.

The Port of Savannah plans a $410 million overhaul of one of its sprawling terminals to make room for loading and unloading larger ships while focusing its business almost exclusively on cargo shipped in containers.