Wednesday, November 4, 2026 Vol. I · No. 15 Price: One Attention Span
Bentonville WeatherToday: Return Labels, Scattered; Clearing By Afternoon, High 63

Satire news site CPG and e-commerce

All the news that's fit to scan

The Tape: Delayed, Like Your Supplier's Shipment.

  • AI-Recommended Buys Returned (%) 46 ▲ +46
  • Publix Comps (%) -0.6 ▼ -0.6
  • FedEx Optimized Stations 630 ▲ +140
  • Levi's Filming Hours Per Second 4 ▲ +4
  • 3M Factories Closed 16 ▲ +16
  • Tilray U.S. Breweries 6 ▼ -4
  • Gerald Purchases Kept 20 ■ 0

Supply Chain Satire

3M Closes 16 Factories, Keeps The Tape

The manufacturer is cutting its plant count below 100 and its inventory by about 20 days.

Based on real news: 3M closes 16 factories, plans changes at 10 more in network revamp (Supply Chain Dive)

Illustration of a vintage delivery truck with a pink stripe
Illustration: The Daily SKU

ST. PAUL, Minn.—3M has closed 16 factories and plans changes at 10 more, Supply Chain Dive reported. The company is targeting $1 billion in productivity by the end of 2027, cutting its plant count from 108 to under 100 and spending more than $250 million on automation.

Days of inventory should fall from the high 90s to the mid 70s. Each day is worth about $35 million. That is a lot of tape. I asked. The tape is staying.

Illustration of a barcode scanner aiming a pink laser at a box
Illustration: The Daily SKU

A fictional plant manager said it was not their container, and offered me a roll of the good stuff, 3 inches, clear.

I asked whether a few spare days could be applied to Container DSKU 401177-3, now on Day 939. A fictional plant manager said it was not their container, and offered me a roll of the good stuff, 3 inches, clear. I accepted.

Gus Ternberg covers supply chain and is still tracking Container DSKU 401177-3. Status: in transit.

The Daily SKU is satire. Headlines and stories riff on real e-commerce, CPG and retail news, but the people, quotes, studies, surveys and most numbers are invented. No real person’s words are made up here. Each article ends with a factual “The Real Story” box and a “Riffing on” line linking the genuine reporting. Not investment advice. Not any kind of advice. About us.

As an Amazon Associate, The Daily SKU earns from qualifying purchases.

Riffing on: 3M closes 16 factories, plans changes at 10 more in network revamp, Supply Chain Dive