Category Archives: Service Operations

Robots to pick drug dosages

Posted on May 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Forbes (May 23, 2011,62-66) describes robotic picking and lifting of drug dosages by Remedi Seniorcare. Conveyor style robots take pills from tubes and create individual patient daily dosage sealed plastic pouches. This saves time for nurses and … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues, Uncategorized | Tagged Cost, Service, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Smithsonian and “Made in America” requirements

Posted on April 22, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Washington Post (http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/smithsonians-made-in-america-mandate-not-easy-to-achieve/2011/04/13/AFFA2RqD_story.html?utm_source=eMail_OMNow_utm_medium=eMail_utm_campaign=OMNow__2011422) describes the impact of a “Made in America” requirement, spurred by Senator Bernie Sanders and Rep Nick Rahall, to require the Smithsonian to sell only products made in America in its gift shops. … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capacity, Global, Low Margins, manufacturing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

US Companies ramp up to fill Japanese supplier delivery issues

Posted on April 15, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in BloombergBusinessweek (April 11-17, 2011, page 18) describes the impact of the Japanese tsunami and consequent supply disruptions. US suppliers such as Microchip Technology claim to be ready to ramp up production to meet demand, with a preference … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Capability, Capacity, Cost, disruption, Global, Growth, manufacturing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Rail Capacity shortages cause auto shipment delays

Posted on April 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (April 13, 2011) describes the impact rail shipment delays on car manufacturer inventories. During the recession, railroads decreased their rail cars and cut their staff. The sudden expansion of car shipments has created a surge … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Growth, manufacturing, river transport, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Hospital Penalties for preventable patient infections ?

Posted on April 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (April 13,2011) describes a study doe by the VA hospital to screen patients for MRSA, require use gloves and gowns and hand washing by care providers. The study reported a 62 % drop in infections … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, hospitals, infections, Service, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

The Food vs Fuel tradeoff,biofuel regulation and global impact

Posted on April 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 7,2011) describes the impact of rules regarding biofuel use (36 billion gallons by 2022 in the US, similar goals in China, India, Indonesia and Thailand). The article focuses on cassava, a root … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Global, Supply Chain, Sustainable, Trends | Leave a comment

FDA and large vs small scale drug manufacturing oversight

Posted on April 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (April 4, 2011) describes the impact of decisions by the FDA not to regulate “compounding pharmacies” that make versions of drugs not commonly available (for example liquid forms of tablet medications). The expectation is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Consumers, Cost, FDA regulation, manufacturing, pharmaceutical | Leave a comment

Recycled boxes, export growth and global supply chain impact

Posted on March 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 30, 2011) describes exports of recycled cardboard boxes from the US to China. With the increased use of online shopping – US consumers have a growing number of such boxes, with 15 % of … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Service Operations, Sustainability | Tagged Cost, Global, Growth, manufacturing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Managing food prices by Adjusting package sizes

Posted on March 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (March 29, 2011) describes package size adjustment as an approach to maintain prices at the grocery store. Examples cited include whole wheat pasta packs with 13.25 ounces instead of the usual 16 ounces, baby wipes … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Consumers, Cost, Loyal Customers, manufacturing, packages, recession, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Cargo Ships and containers impact of Japan earthquake and tsunami

Posted on March 26, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (March 26, 2011) describes decisions made by cargo ships, ship owners of leased ships and container owners to avoid routes and ports that might result in exposure to radioactivity. Ships that test positive for radioactive … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Cargo, Consumers, Containers, Cost, Global, Supply Chain | Leave a comment