Monthly Archives: July 2011

WalMart’s “Sustainability Index” challenges

Posted on July 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Fortune article (July 25, 2011) titled “The Trouble with Green Product Ratings” describes the challenges faced by WalMart as it tried to deliver on its stated goal, two years ago, to provide an index between 1 and 10 for … Continue reading →

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“Piccolo bello” fims in Italy and regulation

Posted on July 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (29 July 2011) describes the challenges faced by small Italian firms (“piccolo bello”) which form the backbone of the industry in Padua, Italy.  Firms face the need to work with 10 to 20 different government … Continue reading →

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Pipeline capacity location and demand-supply matching

Posted on July 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (29 July 2011) describes the reduced demand for pipeline capacity from the Midwest and Canadian locations to the Northeast (with capacity reported to drop by 44 %) as increased gas is shipped from the Marcellus … Continue reading →

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Product package size and associated potential liability

Posted on July 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Jorunal article (28 July 2011) describes a lawsuit in Las Vegas against generic manufacturers of propofol used in colonoscopy.  The manufacturers sold 50 milliliter bottles that could be used for at least two procedures.  However, labels on … Continue reading →

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Boeing design choice for the new 737 and Airbus announcement

Posted on July 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (28 July 2011) describes Boeing’s CEO McNerney defending Boeing’s plan to offer an upgraded design for the 737 versus an anticipated new design.   Many in the industry had anticipated a newly designed 737, and this … Continue reading →

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54.5 mpg by 2025

Posted on July 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal (28 July 2011) describes an agreement between the auto manufacturers and the US government to double the average mileage from 27.3 mpg to 54.5 mpg. Attaining this mileage can involve use of solar panels, battery power, … Continue reading →

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US Auto supply chain recovery from tsunami related glitches and growth impact

Posted on July 28, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (July 27, 2011) links the impact of the tsunami, and part shortages, on US auto production (a drop of 5.9 %) and thus dampened growth of the US economy in the second quarter 2011 (1.9 … Continue reading →

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Dropping rare earth prices in China and supply chain impact

Posted on July 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

The Wall Street Journal (July 6, 2011) reports that rare earth metal prices in China dropped by as much as 7.2 %, a remarkable change from a short few months when China’s cut in exports created worries of global shortages … Continue reading →

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The US and Mexico Truck Transport Agreement

Posted on July 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (July 6, 2011) summarizes the recent agreement to let Mexican truckers carry loads into US destinations, thus decreasing trade frictions (cost and time delays) at the US-Mexico border.  In turn, this agreement decreases Mexican tariffs … Continue reading →

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JIT workers and Sales Impact

Posted on July 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (July 27, 2011) describes the 2009 sales drop of 4.5 % and employment drop of 8.3 % and a ten year growth of 19 % while private sector jobs dropped 2 million.  One concept described … Continue reading →

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