Category Archives: Global Contexts

Differential inspection of generic manufacturing facilities

Posted on February 16, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (February 16, 2011, B1-3) describes the fact that FDA inspection of US pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities is usually once every two years but foreign plants are inspected less frequently, with 64 % of the … Continue reading →

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Political Risk and Global Supply Chain Impact

Posted on February 16, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Schumpeter, February 12, 2011, pg 75) describes the impact of political risk on the supply chain. It starts with the abrupt impact of the changes in Egypt on the company that controlled 67 % of … Continue reading →

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Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Global Supply Chain Impact

Posted on February 15, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (14 February 2011) describes the TPP – which involves the Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam (and possibly Japan).  The article describes the possible impact of such a pact … Continue reading →

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Commodity price increases, margin impact and choices

Posted on February 15, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (14 February 2011) describes the impact of commodity price increases have driven down average operating margins – by $ 500 million for Kraft and $ 1 billion for Proctor & Gamble.  The focus on productivity … Continue reading →

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US Manufacturing decreases and possible Innovation Impact

Posted on February 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (February 12, 2011) describes the drop in employment in US manufacturing – from 11.6 million in 1979 to 8.1 million in 2010, and worries about the consequent impact on innovation.  Some experts suggest that manufacturing … Continue reading →

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Modular Nuclear Reactors and attaining carbon footprint reduction

Posted on February 13, 2011 by aviyer2010

The New York Times (13 February 2011) has an article describing a plan to subsidize design of modular nuclear reactors that can be manufactured in a factory and transported, like modular homes, to replace coal fired power plants at their … Continue reading →

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Dredging the Missisisippi, transport costs and global competitiveness

Posted on February 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (February 12, 2011) describes the US Army Corps of Engineers claim that they are running short of dredging funds to dredge to the preferred widths and depths.  The impact is that pilots of … Continue reading →

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US Exports and Manufacturing Sector Significance

Posted on February 12, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article by Floyd Norris (February 12, 2011, B3) describes the composition of US exports in 2010 – with around $ 1 trillion in exports by the manufacturing sector and around $ 0.55 trillion in exports by … Continue reading →

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US Medical Device Approval Delays and Global SUpply Chain Impact

Posted on February 10, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (February 10, 2011, B1) describes delays in FDA approval of medical devices and their impact on consumers, manufacturers and jobs.  A few key issues (a) FDA approval requires the manufacturer to show the device is … Continue reading →

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Growing India China Trade Flows

Posted on February 10, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (February 9, 2011) describes the growing trade flows between China and India, projected to grow by 62 % by 2015, after growing by a factor of 20 in the last 10 years.  Air … Continue reading →

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