Inbound Logistics | October 2022

TAKEAWAYS Shaping the Future of the Global Supply Chain

Against All Odds, Trade Going Strong “Resilient” seems to be the key word to describe global trade today. Despite myriad challenges—the aftermath of the pandemic, inflation, the war in Ukraine, a rocky stock market—global trade is persisting at strong levels, according to the latest DHL Trade Growth Atlas, published by DHL and the NYU Stern School of Business. The report maps the most important trends and prospects of global trade in goods, covering 173 countries. Key takeaways include: • International trade in goods has surged as high as 10% above pre-pandemic levels, even in the face of significant supply bottlenecks that constrained further growth. • Prospects for future trade growth remain surprisingly positive. Due to the war in Ukraine, trade growth forecasts have been downgraded, but they still call for trade to grow slightly faster in 2022 and 2023 than it did over the preceding decade. • E-commerce sales boomed during the pandemic (see chart) and forecasts point to strong cross-border e-commerce growth continuing. • Trade growth is spread across a wider variety of countries. China accounted for one- quarter of trade growth in recent years and is predicted to continue to have the largest growth, but its share is likely to fall by half, to 13%. Vietnam, India, and the Philippines stand out on both speed and scale of projected trade growth through 2026. All three have potential to benefit from efforts by many companies to diversify China-centric production and sourcing strategies. DHL TRADE GROWTH ATLAS 2022 GLOBAL E-COMMERCE: UNPRECEDENTED SURGE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC DHL TRADE GROWTH ATLAS 2022 GLOBAL E-COMMERCE: UNPRECEDENTED SURGE DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

ON MANUFACTURING PESSIMISM: “Given current economic trends, it’s understandable that manufacturers’ optimism is declining. Yet, increased demand offers some promising news. To keep up, business leaders should diversify their material suppliers and challenge logistics providers to find ways to tighten delivery times. And, to address employee shortages, companies must revisit their talent strategies and implement comprehensive recruitment and talent development programs.” —Jerry Murphy,

SHARE OF RETAIL SALES 2019-2021 16 %  19 % (UN Data) SHARE OF RETAIL SALES 2019-2021 16 % 19 % (UN Data)

partner in charge of manufacturing and

distribution services at Sikich, explaining the reason for declining manufacturing optimism.

OUTLOOK: CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE TO SOAR 2020-2030 from $300 bn  to $1 tn OUTLOOK: CROSS-BORDER E-COMMERCE TO SOAR 2020-2030 from $300 bn (McKinsey) to $1 tn

SOURCE: Sikich Industry Pulse: Manufacturing & Distribution report

(McKinsey)

Source: DHL Trade Growth Atlas

#DHLtradegrowth For more information visit: dhl.com/tradegrowth #DHLtradegrowth For more information visit: dhl.com/tradegrowth

20 Inbound Logistics • October 2022

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