Monthly Archives: February 2012

Sustainable chemicals sourcing at P and G

Posted on February 9, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the website Sustainable Brands (http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/articles/procter-gamble-developing-sustainable-chemicals-biofuel-company) describes Proctor & Gamble’s use of Zeachem, a cellulosic biorefinery manufacturer that uses raw material from poplar and agricultural residues and uses natural bacteria that produce no Co2 during fermentation. The consumer … Continue reading →

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Mexico’s gain at China’s rising cost expense ?

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Feb 6, 2012) describes data that trains and trucks carried 9 % more freight last year from Mexico to the US, while container traffic from Asia dropped 0.2 %. As we have heard … Continue reading →

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Regulating copper in brake pads at the state level

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 3, 2012) describes a proposal that requires that automobile brake pads decrease the copper content to less than 5 % by 2021 in Washington and less than 0.5 % by 2025 in California.  … Continue reading →

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Manufacturer “bonus depreciation” rules and impact

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 3, 2012) describes the “bonus depreciation” rule that permits capital investments to be treated as costs for the current year and thus subsidizes equipment purchases.  The impact is to incentivize capital investments … Continue reading →

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Asian container flow to the East Coast, Panama canal width and Long Beach

Posted on February 6, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Jan 28, 2012) describes the impact of increased Panama Canal width to handle large ships and the consequent container shipments to the East Coast being sent directly to East Coast ports, rather than being shipped … Continue reading →

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Commodity Prices change direction and supply chain impact

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Feb 1, 2012) describes price declines through the end of December 2011, with fears of European recessionary trends, but price rises though Jan 2012. Copper and corn saw price increases of 15% and … Continue reading →

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Regulating Lithium Battery shipments as cargo and associated costs

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Jan 31, 2012) describes a change in regulations by the FAA that barred transport of lithium batteries by air, without appropriate packaging, following a fire and associated crash of a UPS plane carrying … Continue reading →

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Private Equity role in turning around manufacturing firms

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Feb 2, 2012) by Armand Lauzon Jr describes his experience as a private equity company representative with manufacturing firms. Firth Rixson was a metals forging company that he led, and that doubled revenues, improved profitability, added … Continue reading →

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Climate change risks and disclosure rules

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Feb 1, 2012) describes a requirement by California to require insurance companies to report on their plans to mitigate the impact of climate change. The data shows that by June 2011, the insurance claims … Continue reading →

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Bringing manufacturing back to the US — and associated profitability

Posted on February 5, 2012 by aviyer2010

An Accenture report titled “Manufacturing’s Secret Shift” reports a survey that shows that 49 % of respondents faced delivery time issues and 46 % faced quality issues associated with outsourced manufacturing.  In addition, 73 % faced material cost increases and … Continue reading →

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