Category Archives: competitiveness

What innovation lessons can one learn from LEGO ?

Posted on January 23, 2017 by aviyer2010

The book “Brick by Brick:How LEGO rewrote the rules of innovation and conquered the global toy industry”  by David Robertson describes the rebirth of LEGO and strategic choices made along the way. The book lists ideas such as a) linking … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, disruption, Innovation, logistics, Operations Management, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Will floating warehouses and drone delivery enable Amazon to deliver in minutes?

Posted on December 29, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN.com titled “Amazon patent hints at floating warehouses in the sky”  (December 29, 2016) describes a plan to carry anticipated inventory in a blimp located close to customers, with drone delivery in minutes to a customer.  Example … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, logistics, mgmt5612018, Operations Management, ordering, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged | 46 Comments

Do surging ecommerce orders portend lower ontime Christmas deliveries by UPS and FedEx

Posted on December 17, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (December 13, 2016) titled “UPS, FedEx Struggle to Keep Up with Surge in Holiday Orders” describes the increase in ecommerce orders from 18% last year to 25% this year and a reduction in … Continue reading →

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

Amazon’s cashierless grocery store plans

Posted on December 6, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in Business Insider (December 6,2016) titled “Amazon’s new grocery store highlights a huge hole in Donald Trump’s promise on jobs” describes plans by Amazon to open thousands of stores where customers can check into the store with their … Continue reading →

Posted in competitiveness, consumer, Cost, disruption, logistics, Operations Management, retailers, Service Operations, technology | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Amazon.com’s 43% increase in shipping costs

Posted on October 30, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (October 28 2016) titled “Amazon’s Shipping Costs Likely to Surge With Holiday Orders” describes a 43% increase in shipping costs in the third quarter of this year as reported by Amazon.com. The article … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, Ecommerce, logistics, ordering, truck | Tagged | Leave a comment

Understanding the reasons for GM’s shift of work from Mexico to Canada

Posted on September 30, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (September 20, 2016)  titled “G.M. Job Shift From Mexico Tests a Trump Premise”, describes a decision by General Motors to shift work from an automobile engine plant in Mexico to Canada and shutting … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Global Contexts, Made in USA, manufacturer, Operations Management | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

How treating colds in China impacted the donkey supply chain in Africa

Posted on September 30, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN.com (September 29, 2016) available at http://www.cnn.com/2016/09/29/africa/china-african-donkeys/index.html describes a Chinese remedy, ejiao, used to treat colds and insomnia, that uses donkey gelatin. With a fall in the donkey population in China from 11 million to 6 million … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, disruption, Global Contexts, mgmt5612018, ordering, Prices | Tagged | 57 Comments

Even faster fashion and its impact

Posted on September 17, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in BBC.com (September 8, 2016) titled “Designers aim for even faster fashion” describes the option of ordering items shown on the runway as a new fashion trend offered by Burberry, Tom Ford and Tommy Hilfiger. This approach drops … Continue reading →

Posted in competitiveness, consumer, delivery, Global Contexts, logistics, ordering, Service Operations, ship, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 69 Comments

The GM vs Tesla Supply Chain competition for EVs

Posted on September 17, 2016 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (September 15, 2016) titled “Upstart car, unexpectedly, from an old-line carmaker” describes the launch by General Motors of the Bolt, with a range of over 200 miles. The article claims that GM outsourced battery production … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, Collaboration, competitiveness, Cost, disruption, manufacturer, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Will a van and delivery robots combination be competitive as a logistics solution?

Posted on September 17, 2016 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN money titled “This Mercedes Benz van will carry a fleet of delivery robots” (http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/07/technology/starship-robot-mercedes-benz/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool) describes a Mercedes van and a fleet of robots from Starship technologies that will combine the speed of travel of the van … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, truck | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment