Category Archives: technology

Going Digital in the construction industry to reap $1.6 trillion in potential savings

An article in Fortune (October 2018) titled “Building with Bits and Bytes” reports that the construction industry is replacing paper with digital drawings, enabling collaboration with architects and reducing the 33 percent reported waste, totaling $1.6 trillion. The construction industry’s … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, Cost, delivery, logistics, Operations Management, technology, waste | Tagged , , , , | 17 Comments

Tesla’s request to suppliers for assistance and associated impact

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Tuesday, August 21, 2018) titled “Some Suppliers Worry About Tesla” quotes suppliers claiming that Tesla is delaying payments and demanding cash back. They cite that Tesla is now paying production related suppliers 95% … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, cash, Collaboration, delivery, Operations Management, product, technology, Tesla | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

GE’s program to speed up US Imports through US ports

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 6, 2018) titled ” GE Units Expands program to speed up U.S. imports through supply chains”, describes GE Transportation’s work with the port of Long Beach in California to speed up imports … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, Cost, delivery, Global Contexts, logistics, mgmt5612018, technology | Tagged , , , , , | 62 Comments

Should Kohl’s sell Whole Foods products in it’s stores?

An article in Business Insider (March 2, 2018 http://www.businessinsider.com/kohls-could-help-whole-foods-reach-millions-of-new-customers-2018-3) suggests that an alliance between Kohl’s and Whole Foods may provide a winning combination. Last year, Kohl’s started accepting return products for Amazon. Kohl’s has a network of 1,110 stores in … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, Collaboration, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, Ecommerce, retailers, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged , , , , | 102 Comments

MicroHospitals and fast service by St Vincent in Indiana

An article in IndyStar (https://www.indystar.com/) describes a micro-hospital by St Vincent in Noblesville, Indiana. These micro-hospitals are around 60,000 sq ft, cost $12 million, have seven emergency rooms including one for trauma, four in patient rooms and eight overnight beds. … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, congestion, consumer, emb2019, hospital, imm2018, logistics, Service Operations, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 38 Comments

Nintendo and Apple battle for components provided by supplier

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 30, 2017) titled “Nintendo battles Apple for parts as Switch demand rises”, describes supplier parts NAND flash memory chips, liquid crystal displays and tiny motors used by both companies in their products. … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, Cost, flash memory, manufacturer, mgmt5612018, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged , , , , | 50 Comments

Shoe Manufacturing moving from China to Ethiopia as costs increase

An article in the New York Times (June 1, 2017) titled “Chinese maker of Ivanka’s Shoes Looks for Cheaper labor”, describes the Chinese shoe manufacturer, Huajian International, moving some of their production from China to Ethiopia in response to decreased … Continue reading

Posted in Africa, Capacity, China, consumer, Cost, delivery, Global Contexts, logistics, Made in USA, shoes, supplier, Supply Chain Issues, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Reducing Emergency Room queue time using telemedicine

An article in the Wall Street Journal (March 27, 2017) titled “Can Tech Speed up Emergency Room Care?” describes the increased use of remote care by emergency room doctors at New-York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medicine.  The Express care program offers emergency … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, productivity, queue, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 28 Comments

Smartphone ordering and long lines at Starbucks

An article in CNN Money (http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/27/investing/starbucks-long-lines-mobile-ordering-earnings/index.html) describes customer adoption of the Starbucks app to order and pay, but the consequent long wait to get their drinks.  The company expects over 30% of the orders at stores to move to mobile … Continue reading

Posted in Capacity, Ecommerce, fairness, Operations Management, ordering, queue, Service Operations, Starbucks, technology, Uncategorized | Tagged | 20 Comments

Amazon’s patent for flying warehouses and delivery drones

An article in techcrunch.com (https://techcrunch.com/2016/12/28/amazon-patents-show-flying-warehouses-that-send-delivery-drones-to-your-door/) describes a patent filed by Amazon that describes a floating warehouse that can deliver product to customers via drones. By parking the warehouse close to large gatherings (such as sporting events) the patent claims quickly … Continue reading

Posted in delivery, Ecommerce, logistics, Operations Management, ordering, Supply Chain Issues, technology, Uncategorized | Leave a comment