Tag Archives: automation

The benefits of recycling robots to enable recycling efficiency

An article in techcrunch.com, titled “Recycling robots raise millions from top venture firms to rescue an industry in turmoil”, describes challenges faced by US recycling companies as a result of China’s lowering of the contamination threshold for recyclable content combined … Continue reading

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Walmart’s new technology intensive warehouse that is 40% more efficient

An article in finance.yahoo.com titled “Walmart’s grocery warehouse worker of the future will have a STEM background” discussed the new warehouse in Shafter, California that will use automation to get eggs, diary and frozen goods to warehouse employees pick rather … Continue reading

Posted in consumer, Cost, disruption, logistics, Operations Management, retailers, technology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 55 Comments

Will “botsourcing” bring manufacturing back to the US

An article in the Harvard Business Review Blog Network (http://blogs.hbr.org/) titled “Robots are starting to make offshoring less attractive” describes how use of automation and robots is increasing the attractiveness of US manufacturing. Foxconn’s decision to build iphones in Pennsylvania, … Continue reading

Posted in emb2021, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Indian firm Tata building the Land Rover in a joint venture in China

An article in the Financial Times (April 20, 2014) titled “JLR China chief says Changshu factory will rival UK for quality”, describes a new plant in China, owned by China automaker Chery and the Indian Tata group that owns Jaguar … Continue reading

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Resurgence of US textile manufacturing – an automation driven solution

An article in the New York Times on September 19, 2013 (http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/20/business/us-textile-factories-return.html?_r=0) describes a textile plant, Parkdale Mills, that makes 2.5 millions pounds of yarn using 140 workers now, compared to 2000 workers in 1980. The new plant uses automation, … Continue reading

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Global Twinning with a Belgian plant to improve a US steel mill

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 21, 2012) describe an approach called twinning, pairing a weaker and stronger plant to share productivity improvement methods, and thus increase productivity. ArcelorMittal paired their Burns Harbor plant in Indiana with a … Continue reading

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