Tag Archives: Outsourcing

Nokia’s sharing of 3-D print files for cellphone cases and the future

Posted on January 20, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the BBC website (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21084430 describes plans by Nokia to make 3-D print files available to customers so they can print cases on demand on 3-D printers. The ease of access to customizable cases thus lowers the customer’s … Continue reading →

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Who is responsible for preventing apparel factory fires in Bangladesh?

Posted on January 18, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (December 29, 2012) describes the struggle between apparel retailers who outsource manufacturing to factories in Bangladesh, labor advocates and the government. While the $37 a month wage rate makes Bangladesh an attractive sourcing … Continue reading →

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Apple’s increased oversight of global supply chains and impact

Posted on January 18, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (December 28,2012) describes Apple’s hiring of over 30 people in their social responsibility unit, alliances with employee advocacy groups like the Dutch Sustainability Trade Initiative and pressure on suppliers to comply with fair … Continue reading →

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Ramp up delays for inexpensive Indian tablet, or infeasible plans?

Posted on January 18, 2013 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (December 30,2012) describes delivery delays for the $40 tablet promised by Datawind, a Canadian company trying to grow electronics manufacturing in India. With fewer than 10,000 units shipped instead of the promised 100,000, … Continue reading →

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Will shifting designs from ODMs to OEMs improve PC industry competitiveness ?

Posted on November 23, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (November 16,2012) describes slumping PC demand and a decision by OEMs such as HP and Acer to assume control of their product design details. In the past, ODMs (Original Design manufacturers) such as … Continue reading →

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China slowdown and supply uncertainty for outsourcers

Posted on September 7, 2012 by aviyer2010

An opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal (September 7, 2012) describes supply issues faced by US companies that outsource manufacturing to plants in China. Some companies face demands for more money to buy raw materials, others find the company … Continue reading →

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Robots and the new US manufacturing competitiveness

Posted on September 2, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (August 18, 2012) describes a solar panel plant in San Francisco that uses a significant amount of robots and few people, a Philips plant in the Netherlands that uses 10 % of the … Continue reading →

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Using UPS to outsource drug delivery

Posted on September 2, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 28,2012) describes pharmacists at UPS’s hub in Louisville filling prescriptions for insulin or other drugs for quick delivery to customers. The same supply chain allowed Walgreen to ship vaccines to Laos, with … Continue reading →

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Boeing’s 66th Dreamliner aircraft first to go to preflight from assembly

Posted on June 9, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 8, 2012) describes a milestone reached by the 66th Dreamliner aircraft – the first to reach normalized production i.e., go from assembly to preflight testing. That milestone was reached by the Airbus … Continue reading →

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Will parents pay more for US made baby cribs ?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by aviyer2010

An article in the Wall Street Journal (May 22, 2012) describes a decision by Stanley Furniture to move production of its baby cribs to Robbinsville, NC from China. Four reasons cited are (a) the worries about poor quality products (think … Continue reading →

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