The latest threat to international supply chains appears to be Houthi rebels in Yemen. Some shipping companies are rerouting their vessels to avoid the rebels’ attacks on container ships, which will delay freight and increase costs.

Here’s hoping the multi-national security initiative launched this week will allow shipping to traverse the Red Sea unmolested.

Also in this week’s news is the milestone sale of Green Cubes' 10,000th Lithium SAFEFlex battery.

Next week, editor-at-large Allan Leibowitz returns to the news desk to deliver a special feature reviewing the year of materials handling.

I'll be back on deck in the new year, with the first Forkliftaction News edition of 2024 hitting the interwebs on Thursday 11 January.

Happy new year all!