Some suppliers of consumer goods are looking to get closer to their customers, but doing that means mastering the tricky nuts and bolts of retail logistics. Apparel makers including Levi Strauss, Skechers and Canada Goose are among the clutch of companies looking to get beyond their wholesale roots, the WSJ Logistics Report’s Liz Young writes, a big strategic step aimed at kick-starting faster growth and resetting business models. It’s a strategy that depends on the execution of logistics, including operations that involve picking, packing and shipping individual items through warehouses, as well as developing shipping and returns plans that are crucial to consumer sales. Ohio State professor Terry Esper says the strategy has grown as suppliers got more used to packaging up and delivering orders during the pandemic. New online trends, including social commerce through platforms like TikTok, are also a boost since they can bring in more individual customers.

A supply-chain bottleneck is building up in the cloud. The frenzy to build data centers to serve the exploding demand for artificial intelligence is causing a shortage of the parts, property and power that the sprawling warehouses of supercomputers require. The WSJ’s Tom Dotan and Asa Fitch report the lead time to get custom cooling systems is five times longer than a few years ago, while delivery times for backup generators have stretched to as long as two years. The holdups are the latest sign of the challenges companies face in standing up new supply chains to match the rapid pace of change in the technology sector. CBRE estimates data-center space in the U.S. grew 26% last year, and a record amount was under construction. One startup, Armada, is building data centers inside shipping containers and dropping them near inexpensive sources of power like gas wells.

A U.S.-backed railway connecting Angola to the Democratic Republic of Congo is part of a pushback against China’s Belt and Road initiative in Africa. The $1.7 billion Lobito Corridor project aims to secure vital mineral supply chains. In a video report, the WSJ looks at efforts to restore the Benguela Railway, part of a rail line that connects Angola's Lobito seaport to the heart of the copper belt in the DRC. The line is crucial to moving minerals essential to electronic goods, including EV batteries. A successful bid to restore the infrastructure could change power dynamics across the African continent.

Orders for durable goods in the U.S. jumped 2.6% in the first quarter, almost entirely on gains in transportation. (MarketWatch)

Boeing burned through nearly $4 billion in cash last quarter as it slowed production of its 737 MAX passenger jets. (WSJ)

Old Dominion Freight Line’s profit edged up 2.6% to $292.3 million as revenue rose despite a slight decline in shipments. (WSJ)

Knight-Swift Transportation swung to a $2.6 million loss on falling volumes in an “extremely challenging” truckload market. (Dow Jones Newswires)

SK Hynix plans to spend another $14.6 billion to expand its semiconductor production capacity in South Korea. (WSJ)

The European Union will investigate Chinese subsidies, including a probe of procurement practices at a medical devices maker. (WSJ)

Michelin’s tire sales contracted 4.1% in the first quarter on weak demand for truck and specialty tires. (WSJ)

Japan’s Asahi Kasei will build a $1.3 billion plant in Canada to make components used in electric vehicle batteries. (Nikkei Asia)

Colombian smugglers are disguising cocaine as “fake coal” within major bulker consignments to dupe port surveillance. (TradeWinds)

Mediterranean Shipping is seeking to take over Norway’s Gram Car Carriers in a $700 million deal. (Splash 247)

Car carrier Wallenius Wilhelmsen struck a 20-year agreement to sharply expand its operations at Georgia’s Port of Brunswick. (gCaptain)

Norfolk Southern says the impact of the Baltimore bridge collapse is costing the railroad $25 million to $35 million per month. (MarketWatch)

Canadian Pacific Kansas City’s net profit slipped 3% last quarter despite a 1% gain in rail volume. (Dow Jones Newswires)

Canadian National’s revenue and profits declined in the first quarter as freight volume was flat and costs rose. (Trains)

Transport equipment maker Wabtec raised its outlook on strong demand in its freight business. (Reuters)

Revenues in freight forwarder DSV’s air and sea segment declined 11.5% last quarter even as volumes increased. (ShippingWatch)

TopBuild is dropping its proposed $960 million acquisition of rival building materials distributor Specialty Products amid antitrust concerns. (Industrial Distribution)

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

Follow the WSJ Logistics Report team: @PaulPage, @bylizyoung and @pdberger. Follow the WSJ Logistics Report on X at @WSJLogistics.