Category Archives: Uncategorized

Robots support staff, increase throughout, despite fewer employees at a restaurant

An article in CNN.com (September 8,2021) titled “Robots are picking up unwanted jobs at a Latin restaurant in Texas”, describes a mobile robot with an iPad that greets customers, takes them to the assigned tables and carries the food for … Continue reading

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Covid oxygen crisis and managing oxygen tank refills

An article published in CNN.com titled “Hospitals in the South face oxygen shortage as Covid Crisis Worsens” (August 29, 2021), describes the challenges of keeping oxygen tanks resupplied. Normally, tanks are described as starting at 90% of capacity, and suppliers … Continue reading

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Supply Bottlenecks at Catrike, an adult tricycle manufacturer

An article in the New York Times titled “What an Adult Tricycle says about the world’s bottleneck problems” (August 23, 2021) describes the 500 adult bikes, and $ 2 million in inventory, waiting for a $30 derailleurs from a Taiwanese … Continue reading

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Can logistics assist in dealing with volatility and uncertainty ?

An article in American Global Logistics titled “The Logistics Industry in 2021: Using strategy to deal with volatility and uncertainty” (December 11, 2020) describes adaptability, responsiveness and resilience as key features of logistics systems, enabling “adapting to winning”. The article … Continue reading

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Amazon’s The Drop and associated supply chains

Amazon’s website “The Drop” describes its process as consisting of collections that are available for 30 hours, are designed by influencers and inspired by street trends. Their limited availability reflects supply constraints based on fabric availability. But the limited availability … Continue reading

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Identifying demand for ugly produce not accepted by retailers

An article in the Atlantic titled “The Murky Ethics of the Ugly-produce business” (January 25, 2019) describes platforms such as Misfits Market and Imperfect Produce that delivers to customers who both are ready to accept the misshapen fruit, care about … Continue reading

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US Food Supply Chain Disruptions due to the pandemic

An article in the McKinsey & Co website titled “US Food Supply Chains: Disruptions and implications from Covid-19” describes the shift in the mix between grocery and food service to serve the US population. With grocery moving from 56% to … Continue reading

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Walmart to charter ships to ensure capacity for the holiday season

An article in SupplyChainDive titled “Walmart charters ships to ensure freight capacity, inventory for peak season (August 18, 2021) describes the challenge of higher out of stock levels and delivery capacity constraints faced by the retailer. By chartering the vessels, … Continue reading

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Recycling coffee cups – why is it difficult ?

An article in the site HuffPost titled “Why can’t coffee cups be recycled” describes the challenges associated with coffee cups that have a polyethylene lining that is difficult to recycle. In addition, lined coffee cups if mixed with other cups … Continue reading

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Toyota has chips for automobiles while others do not, how ?

An article in Investing.com titled “How Toyota thrives when the chips are down” (March 8, 2021) describes the impact of the global chip shortage and associated auto manufacturer impact but has left Toyota unaffected. Toyota plans to increase vehicle output. … Continue reading

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