Tag Archives: Growth

US Battery companies “shocked” by low demands and high costs ?

Posted on December 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (Dec 5, 2011) describes the plight of US battery companies, funded by over $ 2.4 billion in Federal grants, but struggling to win contracts from automakers. In the case of Ener1, low sales … Continue reading →

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Creston Electronics and US manufacturing

Posted on November 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Forbes (Dec 5, 2011) describes Creston Electronics, a N.J. based company that creates over 1,500 complex electronic products in small volumes with low errors. The company’s founder claims that his strategy was to bring outsourced work in … Continue reading →

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U.S. multinationals global job growth in the 2000s

Posted on November 26, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Nov 22, 2011), describes an analysis by the Commerce Department showing that US multinationals cut 865,000 jobs in the US and added 2.9 million jobs in the rest of the world.  In the manufacturing sector, … Continue reading →

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Borders bookstore operations and its trajectory to extinction

Posted on November 16, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (nov14, 2011) describes supply chain choices by Borders bookstores in its path to extinction. The company’s origins and growth were fueled by careful title sales tracking and inventory management, but its merger with Waldenbooks created an … Continue reading →

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Apple’s supply chain strategy – more insights

Posted on November 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (Nov 7,2011) describes Apple’s plans to invest $ 7.1 billion in its supply chain and commit $ 2.4 billion in prepayments to suppliers. It describes Apple’s decisions to buy such large volumes of high-end drills that … Continue reading →

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Restructuring the global supply chain at Whirlpool

Posted on October 29, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 29, 2011) describes the extra capacity held by appliance makers anticipating a demand rebound from 25 % low in the US and a 15 % drop in Europe compared to past levels. But continued … Continue reading →

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Liking Cotton Price Increases to Consumer Goods Sales Growth in Pakistan

Posted on October 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in bloombergbusinessweek (Oct 17,2011) describes a global cotton driven supply chain. The rising cotton prices worldwide, doubling the past year, has increased spending capacity among  Pakistan’s farmers. But the biggest beneficiaries are global consumer goods manufacturers Unilever and … Continue reading →

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Contradictory trends – Retail Sales forecasts at odds with imports trends

Posted on October 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (Oct 11, 2011) describes the contradiction faced by shipping companies. Growth in retail sales have inspired strong retail growth forecasts into the future. But dropping manufacturer shipments at ports suggest demand downturns at … Continue reading →

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Sprint guarantees Apple it will take 30 million iPhones ?

Posted on October 5, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (Oct 4, 2011) describes a guarantee by Sprint that it will buy at least 30.5 million iPhones in return for the opportunity to offer those phones on its network.  Such volumes in turn enable Apple … Continue reading →

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Rising leather prices and supply chain impact

Posted on October 2, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (Sept 19, 2011) describes the surge in leather prices – 21% in 2011 and 43 % in 2010. The reasons (a) decreased beef consumption in response to health concerns and income slowdown and thus reduced cattle … Continue reading →

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