Guest: Maxime Darmet of Allianz Trade on new tariffs; Taking to the skies; Finding the right fit

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY

Logistics Matters with DC VELOCITY
Guest: Maxime Darmet of Allianz Trade on new tariffs; Taking to the skies; Finding the right fit
Jul 31, 2026 Season 7 Episode 29
AGiLE Business Media

Our guest on this week's episode is Maxime Darmet, senior economist at Allianz Trade. One week ago here in the U.S., we saw former trade tariffs expiring and a host of new tariffs being slapped on most of our trading partners. These new tariffs are attempting to tie these countries to not doing enough to prevent forced labor in the production of their products, though those allegations are extremely hard to prove. Our guest shares about these new tariffs, their impacts to our supply chains, and he compares them to previous tariffs. We also look at how business margins have been affected by the various tariffs of the past year and a half.

We cover a lot of cool technology for logistics and one of the most space-age is the idea of delivering parcels with flying autonomous drones. This week, we saw two new advances in drone delivery. One for small items and one for large items.

More warehouses are implementing automated packaging solutions these days—and as they do, they are demanding a higher level of collaboration with equipment vendors. The trend reflects a growing demand for automated packaging systems that easily integrate with existing warehouse automation systems—and that signals a shift in the way many vendors are approaching the market.


Articles and resources mentioned in this episode:

Episode Artwork Guest: Maxime Darmet of Allianz Trade on new tariffs; Taking to the skies; Finding the right fit 25:29 Episode Artwork A national robotics strategy; Rising grocery prices; A data health check 20:05 Episode Artwork Curtis Spencer of Bloodhound Tracking Device on the rise of cargo thefts; The impacts high fuel prices have on trucking; Effective supply chain planning 19:32 Episode Artwork Guest: Victor Thomas of Odyssey Logistics on coming Scope 3 requirements; The trucking industry grapples with artificial intelligence; Peak season comes early in 2026 18:29 Episode Artwork Guest: Kathy Fulton of ALAN on disaster response; The market heats up for humanoid robots; Containers lost at sea 22:04 Episode Artwork Guest: Eric Fullerton of project44 on plastic shortages due to oil restrictions; The logistics behind the World Cup; Getting the most from robots and their humans 19:00 Episode Artwork Guest: Andrei Quinn-Barabanov of Moody’s on inflation risks; Growth drives new demands for cobots; A shift in robotic final mile delivery 19:12 Episode Artwork Guest: Jim Mozer of Crown and ITA on forklift safety; Venture capital invests in warehouses; Strengthening global disaster response 18:55 Episode Artwork Guest: Matt Lekstutis of Efficio on China and world trade; The upbeat forklift market; Automation comes to the high seas 22:04 Episode Artwork Guest Hannah Hurckes of Boss Lady Logistics on fallout from the Supreme Court’s broker decision; Gaining “Momentum” with Agentic AI; A robotics acquisition 19:15 Episode Artwork Guest: Patrick Van den Bossche of Kearney on the 2026 Reshoring Index; Will AI take away jobs? Safety in trucking fleets 21:55 Episode Artwork Guest: Omar Qari of Logicbroker on how retailers and brands respond to shifting geopolitical uncertainty; Carton diversity drives sortation designs; China doubles down on robotics 19:59 Episode Artwork Guest: Lisa Dyer of the GPS Innovation Alliance on vulnerabilities of GPS systems; Growing technology gaps; The clever ways thieves steal cargo 25:50 Episode Artwork Guest: Helaine Rich of ePost Global on rising fuel costs; Truck stops work to accommodate women drivers; Changing shopping patterns 16:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Disney Petit on a better way for customer returns; Managing a variety of robots successfully; Autonomous fulfillment advances 21:18 Episode Artwork Guest: Christelle Keefer of A3 on gaps in automation skills; Robot density is growing; Fleets flex in AI 16:19 Episode Artwork Guest: Stefan Heck of Nauto on distracted driving; Coping with surging diesel prices; Cold storage goes high tech 24:13 Episode Artwork Guest: Ian Massey of S-RM on the ongoing supply chain impacts from the war against Iran; What is “port proximate” and why is it changing?; Work remains to optimize pharmaceutical supply chains. 21:21 Episode Artwork Guest: Mark Becker of G10 Fulfillment on safe handling and shipping of lithium-ion batteries; Workers experience AI anxiety; The logistics behind hyperscaling data centers. 19:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Mike Van Bree of the American Ladder Institute on safety when working at heights; A cybersecurity collaboration; Sensing your way to a smoother supply chain 20:47 Episode Artwork Guest: Jackson Wood of Descartes on what war in the Middle East means for supply chains; Most warehouses lack needed agility; Is trucking ready for a recovery? 23:00 Episode Artwork Guest: Per Hong of Kearney on tariffs, Iran, and more; The "pandemic echo” affecting parcel fleets; How Agentic AI impacts hiring 23:38 Episode Artwork Guest: Fab Brasca of Kinaxis on who is leading in AI adoption; The top five freight bottlenecks; A new data threat is lurking 20:05 Episode Artwork Guest: Lisa DeNight of Newmark on the industrial real estate market on the rise; Thoughts on improving infrastructure; Striving for fast, dynamic execution 20:22 Episode Artwork Guest: Jake Heldenberg of Vanderlande on automation trends and predictions; Gamification comes to DCs; What’s up with retail? 20:51