Author Archives: aviyer2010

About aviyer2010

Dean and H. William Lichtenberger Chair in Management at the School of Management, University at Buffalo, State University of New York.

Tracking lead batteries recycling supply chain from the US to Mexico

Posted on February 9, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (February 9,2013) describes lax tracking of the recycling of lead batteries exported from the US to Mexico. In the absence of treatment of used batteries as hazardous waste, shipments into Mexico are not … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Coordination, Cost, Environment, exports, Global, lead battery, Mexico, Supply Chain, Sustainable | 1 Comment

Transporting wine in bulk in plastic bags from Australia to the UK

Posted on February 9, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (February 7,2013) describes shipments of Australian wine in 24,000 liter plastic bags that are then packed in the UK. Saving 25 cents per bottle by shipping without the bottle enables the wine to be sold for … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Cost, Design, Environment, Global, Supply Chain, Sustainable, transport | Leave a comment

The impact of drought on corn and the beef supply chain

Posted on February 2, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (February 4, 2013) describes the impact of the drought on corn yields and thus the beef supply chain. Corn farmers were covered by crop insurance but produce worth billions were destroyed by the drought. The corn … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged beef, Consumers, corn, Cost, drought, manufacturing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Tunnel trade – and the impact of demand and supply of goods on either side

Posted on February 2, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (February 4, 2013) describes the tunnels (now numbering 500 but up to 1000 at one time) between the Gaza strip and Egypt. Transporting motorcycles, cars, contraband between the two sides enabled owners of these tunnels to … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Cost, disruption, Global, river transport, Service, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

Workshare programs to retain skilled workers during downturns and impact

Posted on January 27, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (January 28, 2013) describes the impact of work share programs that enable access to Federal funds to support a fraction (70 % or so) of a worker’s wages when the employee works at least 40 % … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations | Tagged Capacity, Cost, manufacturing, Supply Chain, Survival, workshare | Leave a comment

Quicksourcing – using manufacturing in Tijuana to support design in the US

Posted on January 27, 2013 by aviyer2010

An opinion piece in the New York Times (January 26,2013) by Chris Anderson describes his company, 3D Robotics, that has a factory in San Diego and another in Juarez, 20 minutes away but across the border in Mexico. He describes … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged China, Cost, Global, Imports, Low Margins, manufacturing, Mexico, quicksourcing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

The overturning of E.P.A.’s mandate for biofuel use and associated questions

Posted on January 26, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (January 26, 2013) describes the overturning of a mandate by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding use of “liquids made from woody crops and wastes in car a truck fuels”. But the lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Capacity, Cost, Environment, Legal, regulation, Risk, Sustainable | Leave a comment

“Earth’s Balance Sheet” discussion by Nestle

Posted on January 26, 2013 by aviyer2010

A discussion with Nestle’s Jose Lopez (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulB-ETDI2wA) focuses on the idea of the Earth’s balance sheet, a concept described by Solomon Darwin in (http://openinnovation.berkeley.edu/Solomon_Darwin_Balance_Sheet_Earth_Executive_Summary.pdf). The idea is to account for the assets that are removed from the earth and not … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Cost, Earth's balance sheet, Environment, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment

Supply Chain Transparency for apparel by Bruno Pieters in honestby

Posted on January 24, 2013 by aviyer2010

The fashion apparel store (http://www.honestby.com) by Bruno Pieters promises to provide a full description of the supply chain associated with the garment including prices paid at each stage, material details etc. An example look at a 100% silk short sleeved … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Global, manufacturing, Margins, Retail, Supply Chain | 2 Comments

Reclothing, Upcycling – the Schmidttakahashi way

Posted on January 24, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the Brander (http://www.thebrander.com/article.php?o=391) describes the Berlin based Schmidttakahashi manufacturer of clothing that creates new apparel from used apparel. The donor of the clothing keeps part of the numbered label and can track the garment’s evolution downstream. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Apparel, Consumers, Cost, Environment, Global, recycling, stories, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment