Category Archives: Supply Chain Issues

Japan’s Tsunami and global supply chain resilience

Posted on May 31, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (May 30, 2011) describes the resilience of companies like STM Microelectronics, that has managed to maintain their global supply chain smoother than expected. A survey of supply chain managers analyzed by the Gartner … Continue reading →

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China’s electricity rates and global supply chain impact

Posted on May 26, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the International Herald Tribune (25 May 2011) describes the fact that China’s central government has forced lower electricity prices to maintain export competitiveness. But utilities have responded with lower production, thus increasing production costs for factories. A … Continue reading →

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Toyota’s quality focus and slow response ?

Posted on May 26, 2011 by aviyer2010

A recent report, written by respected outsiders, but commissioned by Toyota, claims that the attributes of stability and predictability, that create quality products, may be to blame for the slow response to customer complaints regarding brake pads or sudden unintended … Continue reading →

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Volkswagen’s considers building the Audi in it’s US plant

Posted on May 26, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 25, 2011) states that  US production enabled VW to drop prices for the Jetta by $ 8,000 thus enabling it to compete with Honda and Hyundai’s cars in the category.  In addition, … Continue reading →

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Power cuts in China and manufacturing impact

Posted on May 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (18 May 2011) describes electricity rationing in Taizhou, China, which required some factories to halt production one day a week in March, two days a week in April and three days a week in May. … Continue reading →

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Liner conferences and antitrust in Europe

Posted on May 18, 2011 by aviyer2010

Liner conferences involved ship owners who discussed sharing capacity, stabilized port fees, etc. They were legal in Europe until 2008. Ship owners claim that their role was benign, and only helped to stabilize prices by increasing efficiency. A recent investigation … Continue reading →

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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 →

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Royal weddings, product design and manufacturing

Posted on May 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (May 5,2011) describes how Pippa Middleton’s (Kate’s sister) gown (worn during the British wedding celebration of William and Kate)  inspired the company Faviana as well as David’s Bridal to create versions for the … Continue reading →

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Opening a US plant to make candles

Posted on May 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (May 5, 2011) describes the travails of Chesapeake Bay Candle as they tried to open a plant in the US. Candles face a 108.3 % inport duty and thus only 20 % of their volume … Continue reading →

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Fragmented Trucking in China and Supply Chain Impact

Posted on April 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 29, 2011) describes the fragmented, unregulated trucking industry in China and the consequent cost per mile of $ 2.50 to $ 3.00 per mile vs the US coat of $ 1.75 per … Continue reading →

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