Category Archives: logistics

Boeing division, to independent supplier, back to Boeing, the story of Spirit Aerosystems

An article in the Wall Street Journal (July 2, 2024) titled “Boeing Calls Time on the Great American Outsourcing” describes the reintegration of supplier Sport Aerosystems back into Boeing as a failed attempt at outsourcing. When Spirit split from Boeing, … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, Coordination, Cost, logistics, Made in USA, manufacturer, Operations Management, productivity, supplier | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Treating patient’s at home: good idea or potential liability?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 13, 2024) titled “Hospital’s New Push: Treat Patients in Their Homes”, describes the over 23,000 Medicare treated at home through April this year. The rules require the patients to be less than … Continue reading

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Global freight charges surge in response to supply chain demand and supply disruptions

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 24, 2024) titled “Ocean Shipping Prices are Pushing Towards Pandemic-Era Highs” describes the doubling of freight from Asia to the East coast of the US. It suggests that the Houthi rebel ship … Continue reading

Posted in Air, Capacity, China, congestion, logistics, Made in USA, ordering, Prices, ship, supplier, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Climate change and its impact on olives, coffee and grapes

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 10, 2024) titled “Climate Change is Coming for the Finer Things in Life” describes heavy rains causing mildew that has destroyed grapes in Italy, hot weather and drought impacting olive groves and … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, Cost, disruption, Global Contexts, logistics, productivity, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will customers pay more for ethical sourcing of chocolate bars ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal on June 3, 2024 titled “A U.K. Grocery Store Committed to Paying Farmers More for Cocoa” (https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-u-k-grocery-committed-to-paying-farmers-more-for-cocoa-chocolate-bar-sales-skyrocketed-9977794b) describes a price increase for chocolate bars at Waitrose from 2 pounds to 2.20 pounds, with … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, competitiveness, Coordination, Cost, Global Contexts, labeling, logistics, Prices, Sustainability | Leave a comment

Did Boeing favor “Speed over Quality” ?

An article in the New York Times (March 28, 2024) titled “”‘Shortcuts Everywhere’: How Boeing Favored Speed over Quality” describes examples of monthly production rates of the 737 Max increased from 42 in 2017 to 52 in 2018, suppliers pushed … Continue reading

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

Did Large Grocers use their size to get better delivery volumes during the Pandemic ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 21, 2024) titled ‘FTC Finds Large Grocers Used Size to Stock Shelves During the Pandemic” describes claims that large grocery retailers demanded stricter delivery requirements and levied fines on suppliers who did … Continue reading

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The Logistics Impact of disruptions in the Suez and Panama canals

An article in the Wall Street Journal, March 10 2024, titled “Two Canals, Two Big Problems – One Global Shipping Mess” describes the logistics impact of low water levels in the Panama Canal and the Houthi rebel attacks on ships … Continue reading

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Benefits of customer flexibility during the pandemic

An article in ASCM Insights (https://tinyurl.com/yyneu93x) describes reasons why retail grocery customers might be stockpiling.  The article suggests that retailers should deal with each reason separately, with appropriate steps to reassure customers.    There is also discussion of smaller retailers … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, delivery, logistics, product, retailers | Tagged , , , , | 106 Comments

Hardware Chain Growth through the pandemic

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 16, 2020 https://tinyurl.com/yxuaxu64) describes the impact of the pandemic on hardware chains such as Home Depot and Lowes.   From cancelling customer attracting, but low margin, promotions to ensure social distancing, to reordering … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, congestion, consumer, Coordination, Cost, logistics, retailers, supplier, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 49 Comments