Tag Archives: Global

Honda to shift car production to the US

An International Herald Tribune article (February 2, 2011) describes Honda’s CFO statement that more of Honda’s CRV production will move to its US plants.  The strong yen has hurt the profitability of producing in Japan, and Honda joins other Japanese … Continue reading →

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Strong Yen causes Nissan to shift global production

A Wall Street Journal article (1 February 2011) reports that given the strong yen, Nissan will consider shifting production out of Japan to the US and other markets.  The article claims that a move of one yen (against the dollar) … Continue reading →

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Drug Shortages and Senate Response

A Wall Street Journal article (1 February 2011) cites 178 drugs in short supply in 2010, requiring hospitals to scramble to find alternate drugs, new sources of supply etc.  These alternative treatments that ncrease costs or require approvals of untested … Continue reading →

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Egypt Unrest and Supply Chain Impact

A Wall Street Journal article (January 31, 2011) analyzes the potential impact of the unrest in Egypt on the global supply chain for oil and cotton.  If the Suez Canal were closed, oil from the Middle East would take 10 … Continue reading →

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Rising prices in China and Global Supply Chain Impact

An article in the International Herald Tribune (30 January 2011) tracks the impact of rising prices in China (“20 to 50 % increases for leather shoes and polo shirts” according to the article) on sourcing decisions and shipping. Wage increases … Continue reading →

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Apple’s Platform Approach impact on growth

An article in the International Herald Tribune (January 28, 2011) describes the 71 % growth in quarterly sales reported by Apple and attributes it to a “platform” approach.  The claim is that Apple software (iTunes, the store and app software) … Continue reading →

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Global Trade Rules and Remanufactured Products

A Wall Street Journal article (January 24, 2011, A3) describes efforts by US manufacturers to press for changes in laws in China, Japan and Brazil that ban or restrict the import of used medical equipment. Manufacturers claim that rising commodity … Continue reading →

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Apple’s Global Supply Chain Changes

A New York Times article (January 24, 2011, B1) describes changes to Apple’s global supply chain orchestrated by the COO, Tim Cook.  It claims that when Apple owned plants in California, Ireland and Singapore, the supply chain had 90 days … Continue reading →

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Understanding Rare Earths Supply Chains – a DOE Report

For supply chain managers interested in rare earth supply chains, a DOE report, available at  http://www.energy.gov/news/documents/criticalmaterialsstrategy.pdf provides a comprehensive summary. Currently, 97 % of the world’s rare earth metals are sourced from China. A few highlights of the report (a) … Continue reading →

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Rising Prices for Coffee, Cotton and Cocoa

A Wall Street Journal article (January 22, 2011) describes rising prices for commodities such as coffee, cotton and cocoa. Reasons for this estimated price increase, as reflected by rising prices of futures, are global.  Significant rainfall in Colombia is expected … Continue reading →

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