Tag Archives: exports

“Disruption clauses” by Mississippi barge operators in contracts with shippers

An article in the Wall Street Journal (August 27, 2013) describes the worries of barge operators on the Mississippi river who have been hurt by floods and the drought. The new disruption clauses shift the cost of delays and the … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will the US govt proposal to the Bangladesh govt improve garment factory conditions

An article in the New York Times (July 20, 2013) describes a proposal by the US govt to Bangladesh for the country to regain its suspended trade privileges with the US. The plan includes creation of a public database of … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

US egg price rise (by 42%) and global supply chain impact

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 14, 2013) describes a 42% rise in US egg prices and explores possible reasons. One key reason is the avian influenza in Mexico that has created a dramatic demand increase in US … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Is blocking logistics for US coal exports good for the global environment ?

An article in the New York Times (June 15,2013) describes efforts to block train shipments and port expansion for low sulfur coal from native American reservations. Environmentalists claim that train transport will result in coal dust being blown into rivers … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Should the US restrict LNG exports to assist higher margin plastics exports ?

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (June 3,2013) describes efforts by chemical companies like Dow Chemicals to argue against US exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) given the abundance of natural gas in the US. These chemical companies produce polymers and plastics … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Are European manufacturers globally competitive in making premium components or products ?

An article in the Financial Times (May 29, 2013) describes a collection of Italian manufacturers – Luxottica for eyewear, Sogefi for premium auto parts and Guala Closures for premium bottle caps that prevent counterfeiting. They compete globally to make premium … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

US forests to fuel European power plants – a green supply chain ?

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 28, 2013) describes exports of US forest generated pellets to replace coal in European power plants as Europe cuts down on fossil fuel use and tries to decrease emissions of carbon dioxide. … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Natural gas use by the US trucking industry – how fast can it happen ?

An article in the New York Times (April 22, 2013) describes the growing use of natural gas in the US trucks, with the industry consuming over 3 million gallons of diesel fuel daily. Natural gas use is estimated to cut … Continue reading

Posted in Operations Management, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The impact of a US-Europe free trade agreement on auto supply chains

An article in the New York Times (March 7, 2013) describes the possible impact of a US-Europe free trade agreement on automobile production. Executives at BMW and Mercedes claim that they would manufacture cars in the US and ship them … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Will local supply solve the horsemeat contamination problem?

An article in the Financial Times (March 3,2013) describes a decision by Tesco, a UK retailer, to increase use of local sources, starting with chicken and working towards others. Similarly,Carrefour, a French retailer, claimed it would shift to French sources. … Continue reading

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment