Author Archives: aviyer2010

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About aviyer2010

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

Reducing complexity and returning to profitability at PSA’s Opel division

Posted on October 11, 2018 by aviyer2010

An article in BloombergBusinessweek (August 29, 2018) titled “The Stunning One-Year turnaround of GM’s German castoff” describes a focus on reducing part variety. The article describes reduction of the 57 possible infotainment systems for the Corsa hatchback to 10. It … Continue reading →

Posted in consumer, Cost, Operations Management, productivity, Variety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Managing the supply chain when facing “Matcha Madness”

Posted on September 2, 2018 by aviyer2010

A video posted in the Atlantic (though made by AT&T to showcase its digital capabilities and available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=129&v=u_lUD3WHz1s) describes the rush to use matcha as a food ingredient fro beverages, cupcakes and more. With harvests at select periods, volatile … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, manufacturer, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Tesla’s request to suppliers for assistance and associated impact

Posted on August 21, 2018 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, August 21, 2018) titled “Some Suppliers Worry About Tesla” quotes suppliers claiming that Tesla is delaying payments and demanding cash back. They cite that Tesla is now paying production related suppliers 95% … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, cash, Collaboration, delivery, Operations Management, product, technology, Tesla | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Exporting hurricane damaged “total loss” cars

Posted on April 6, 2018 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (April 5, 2018) titled “Hurricane-Damaged Cars Moving Again as U.S. Exports”, describes the disposition of over 600,000 cars declared a “total loss” i.e., whose repair cost would exceed their replacement cost. These cars … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, delivery, logistics, manufacturer, ship, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Leave a comment

GE’s program to speed up US Imports through US ports

Posted on March 9, 2018 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 6, 2018) titled ” GE Units Expands program to speed up U.S. imports through supply chains”, describes GE Transportation’s work with the port of Long Beach in California to speed up imports … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Cost, delivery, Global Contexts, logistics, mgmt5612018, technology | Tagged , , , , , | 62 Comments

Should Kohl’s sell Whole Foods products in it’s stores?

Posted on March 9, 2018 by aviyer2010

An article in Business Insider (March 2, 2018 http://www.businessinsider.com/kohls-could-help-whole-foods-reach-millions-of-new-customers-2018-3) suggests that an alliance between Kohl’s and Whole Foods may provide a winning combination. Last year, Kohl’s started accepting return products for Amazon. Kohl’s has a network of 1,110 stores in … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, Ecommerce, retailers, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged , , , , | 102 Comments

Fingerlings – the miniature monkey toy best seller during the 2017 Holiday season

Posted on December 24, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in BBC.COM (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-42374523) describes the Fingerling – an animatronic toy made by a Hong Kong based Canadian company, WowWee. The article describes the early launch in the UK and Canada, and an internet buzz on social media that … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, delivery, manufacturer, mgmt5612018, Operations Management, ordering, Prices, Supply Chain Issues, transport | Tagged , , , , , | 65 Comments

Clothing related waste and possible solutions

Posted on December 10, 2017 by aviyer2010

A report by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/assets/downloads/publications/A-New-Textiles-Economy_Full-Report_Updated_1-12-17.pdf) describes the global clothing sales increasing from 50 billion units in 2000 to 100 billion units in 2015 while the number of times clothese were worn on average before being discarded decreasing … Continue reading →

Posted in Air, Capacity, Collaboration, consumer, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | 63 Comments

MicroHospitals and fast service by St Vincent in Indiana

Posted on November 2, 2017 by aviyer2010

An article in IndyStar (https://www.indystar.com/) describes a micro-hospital by St Vincent in Noblesville, Indiana. These micro-hospitals are around 60,000 sq ft, cost $12 million, have seven emergency rooms including one for trauma, four in patient rooms and eight overnight beds. … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, congestion, consumer, emb2019, hospital, imm2018, logistics, Service Operations, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Ecommerce custom furniture by MaidenHome

Posted on November 2, 2017 by aviyer2010

An ecommerce company (https://www.maidenhome.com) offers customizable furniture, free delivery within six weeks, lifetime warranty, 30 day money back guarantee and prices around $2000 for furniture that would otherwise cost $6000.  They claim that working directly with craftsmen in North Carolina … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, delivery, Ecommerce, emb2019, imm2018, logistics, Made in USA, manufacturer, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 32 Comments