China’s efforts to curb energy consumption are reaching into global supply chains. Officials in two Chinese provinces have forced factories to curtail operations over the past week, the WSJ’s Stella Yifan Xie, Yang Jie and Stephanie Yang report. The pullbacks are affecting suppliers for companies including Apple, semiconductor manufacturers including NXP Semiconductors and car makers. They are providing a new jolt to supply chains and a new blow to companies that are seeking equilibrium in markets that have been knocked off balance. For companies operating in Kunshan in China’s eastern Jiangsu province near Shanghai, the problems stem largely from China’s efforts to reduce emissions and burnish its climate credentials. Elsewhere, the bigger problem has been surging coal costs driven by factors including strong global demand for China’s manufactured goods. The result highlights the central role Chinese factories play in several sectors even as companies talk about spreading out suppliers.

A fuel-starved U.K. is scrambling to find truck drivers. Panic buying by consumers has been spreading across the country since some gas stations ran empty and shut down, the WSJ’s Max Colchester reports, as a shortfall in tanker drivers to ferry fuel starts to bite into daily life and the British economy. Officials insist there is enough fuel in the country, but the Covid-19 pandemic and the U.K.’s departure from the European Union have pulled thousands of truck drivers from the roads. The government is pressing for more drivers and rushing to clear a backlog of driver applicants. It also may ease tough post-Brexit immigration rules to boost the workforce. Any solutions may take time, however, and a fuel retailers group says two-thirds of its members have run out of gas. For now, the U.K. is keeping soldiers on standby to deliver fuel supplies if the situation worsens.

There’s no inventory replenishment crisis in the apparel sector as far as some fashion retailers are concerned. The brands are using new services from manufacturing and technology providers to design on-demand supply chains, the WSJ’s Suzanne Kapner reports, a strategy that tries to leverage the merchants’ smaller scale by eliminating backlogs of orders and stockpiles of goods. Fashion designer Rebecca Minkoff doesn’t produce a single item in its “sustainably made” collection until a customer orders it, and then produces it through on-demand garment maker Resonance Cos. The operation is one sign of changes going on in apparel supply chains in recent years that have picked up speed during the pandemic. Clothing retailers are following fast-fashion sellers by seeking to shorten lead times to better match supply with demand and avoid heavy discounting of unsold items. Now it appears zero inventory is the most fashionable strategy of all.

New durable-goods orders rose 1.8% in August to a fresh record level. (WSJ)

The World Bank says Asia’s economies are on track to grow 7.5% this year, led by 8.5% expansion in China. (WSJ)

Ford plans to spend $7 billion to build its first U.S. assembly plant in decades and three battery factories in Tennessee and Kentucky. (WSJ)

Surging natural gas prices are approaching a seven-year high. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Cotton futures prices rose to their highest level since 2018. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Drug giant Merck is in advanced talks to acquire biopharmaceutical company Acceleron Pharma. (WSJ)

U.S. Steel suspended production at a northwest Indiana plant after it leaked a substance into a waterway. (Industrial Distribution)

Rolls-Royce is selling its Spanish aircraft engine manufacturing business to a private equity-led consortium. (Financial Times)

The backup of ships off the Southern California coast is raising complaints about growing pollution from the vessels. (Daily Breeze)

New container ship orders have reached a record annual level with 468 vessels comprising the equivalent of 3.9 million boxes in capacity. (Lloyd’s List)

Vessel owner Seaspan added 10 mid-sized container ships to its growing order book. (Splash 247)

Maersk Line spans to reduce port calls in Europe to improve schedule reliability on trips from Asia. (The Loadstar)

Clarksons Platou projects a “big winter rally” and strong earnings for tanker operators. (TradeWinds)

China will invest $3.5 billion in a Pakistani development project​that will include upgrades of the Karachi seaport. (Maritime Executive)

Australia’s dockworkers’ union plans a series of strikes at the country’s major container shipping terminals. (The West Australian)

North Carolina-based freighter operator 21 Air plans to double its fleet to 10 all-cargo aircraft. (Air Cargo World)

Industrial exosuit maker Sarcos Technology and Robotics raised $260 million in an initial public offering. (DC Velocity)

BMO Capital Markets analysts say wholesale distribution by brands comes with higher margins than direct-to-consumer sales. (Retail Dive)

Paul Page is editor of WSJ Logistics Report. Write to him at paul.page@wsj.com.

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