Tag Archives: manufacturing

The US alliance vs the European accord’s plans for Bangladesh garment factories

An article in the New York Times (July 14,2013) describes plans by an alliance of the US retailers to offer shared inspection reports of over 500 factories in Bangladesh, loans from a pool of $100 million to factory owners to … Continue reading

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Competition and monitoring challenges of apparel manufacturing in Cambodia

An article in the Wall Street Journal (July 6, 2013) describes the evolution of the role of “Better Factories Cambodia” and its monitoring of working conditions in Cambodia’s apparel factories. Though initially focused on public release of its reports, the … Continue reading

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How widespread is counterfeit food ?

An article in the New York Times (June 26,2013) describes counterfeit foods such as vegetable oil in chocolate bars, peanuts in almond powder, water in olive oil, liquor marketed as tequila, engine oil in olive oil, nonbranded vodka sold as … Continue reading

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Can low shale gas prices attract new steel capacity to the US ?

An article in the Financial Times (June 19,2013) describes a new plant in Ohio built by Vallourec to produce steel tubes for the oil and gas industry. The company describes the low US gas prices, as well as the surging … Continue reading

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How are US paintbrush makers globally competitive ?

An article in the New York Times (June 18,2013) describes the competitiveness of over 139 broom, brush and mop manufacturers in the US undeterred by competition from CHina. One company, Kirschner, survives by making no changes in its manufacturing and … Continue reading

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Decreasing production to increase profits at Ferrari

An article in the Financial Times (June 11, 2013) describes a plan to decrease production by Ferrari by 400 vehicles this year, down to 6,900 cars. The plan is to continue to maintain the exclusivity of the brand, add capacity … Continue reading

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Shortage of TB drugs in India – a major producer of these drugs

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 6,2013) describes severe shortages of tuberculosis (TB) drugs in India, a country that is a major producer of TB drugs. TB kills a significant number of Indians and the government has been … Continue reading

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Tracking medicines to prevent counterfeits in the US

An article in Bloombergbusinessweek (June 3,2013) describes a plan to install a digital ID on tablet bottles to track them as they move through the supply chain. Individual companies would have to be registered in the Federal licenses and subject … Continue reading

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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

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The economics of the $6.75 shirt in Bangladesh

In an article in the Wall Street Journal (May 16, 2013), a manufacturer, Rubana Haq, describes the producer margins in a $6.75 shirt he manufactures. He claims that it costs $4.75 to buy the cotton cloth and $1 for the … Continue reading

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