Monthly Archives: January 2011

“Back to Basics” at Uniqlo Japan

Posted on January 13, 2011 by aviyer2010

Businessweek (Jan 10, 2011, page 16) describes the travails at Uniqlo, a division of Fast Retailing in Japan. The firm is repoted to be Asia’s largest retailer and is known for its low-priced casual “basic” apparel.  But competition from Zara and … Continue reading →

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Rare Earths Sourcing in Japan

Posted on January 13, 2011 by aviyer2010

Businessweek (Jan 10, 2011, page 9) has an article discussing the supply of rare earth metals (neodymium, dysprosium etc).  China supplies 97 % of the world’s demand for rare earth metals – but cut exports by 72 % in 2010 … Continue reading →

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Probing Insider Trading based on Supply Data

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (November 24, 2010) describes the SEC probe of “channel check” as potential criminal activity. The article describes such data for Apple – forecasts of the “build plans” are used to project upcoming production volumes iPads … Continue reading →

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Can “Buy American” Hurt US firms ?

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (September 16,2009) desribes the “Buy American” laws that are part of the US government’s stimulus package.  But companies whose supply chains include Canadian suppliers, like Aquarius, a manufacturer of sewage treatment equipment, are … Continue reading →

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Temporary Stores by Toys R Us for the Holiday Season

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (September 15,2009) describes a plan by Toys R Us to open 350 temporary stores that will stay open during the holiday season and then shut down.  The stores will be smaller and will carry the … Continue reading →

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Speed vs Screening for Air Cargo

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Page 1, Nov 2,2010) describes plans by the US administration to demand potentially 100 % screening of air cargo.  But the question is whether such screening should apply to the 80 % of air cargo … Continue reading →

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Recycled Paper Availability and Supplier Partnerships

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Page B5, January 10, 2011) focuses on the collaboration with suppliers of recycled paper that paper company SCA – which uses the fiber to make recycled paper for napkins, toilet paper etc.  By investing in … Continue reading →

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Russian Control of 50 % of US uranium in nuclear supply chain

Posted on January 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A finanical Times article (Page 15, Dec 6, 2010) describes the takeover of Uranium One of Canada by ARMZ – a Russian state owned company and now owns two mines in Wyoming.  The impact is loss of control by the … Continue reading →

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Nuclear propulsion for Civilian Ships – the impact of fuel regulation

Posted on January 10, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Financial Times (Dec 5, 2010) describes how planned regulation of the fuel emissions by commercial ships – is expected to increase fuel costs by 50 % in 2012 due to the level of sulphur content in … Continue reading →

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Cotton Prices surge 91 % and Rayon Use increases

Posted on January 10, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (6 Jan 2011) describes the quandary faced by apparel manufacturers who face cotton price increases of 91 % over the course of the year.  An alternative is another fabric also obtained naturally, from … Continue reading →

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