Tag Archives: Supply Chain

Innovative use of wool as an oil spill solution

Posted on September 13, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Sept 3, 2011) describes a businessman in a wool fabric producing region of Italy who have experimented with the use of wool to soak up oil from oil spills. Their tests show that coarse wool … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Capability, Collaboration, Coordination, environmental, exports, Global, Supply Chain, Sustainable, wool | Leave a comment

Drug Shortages in the US – other issues

Posted on September 13, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the Economist (Sept 3, 2011, pg 29) describes the increase in drug shortages from 58 drugs in 2004 to 211 in 2010 and 198 by Sept 2011. Most of these drugs are generics whose prices are set … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged disruption, drug shortages, Inventory, Low Margins, pricing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Are Samsung’s Galaxy Tablet Sales real ?

Posted on September 5, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN Money (http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/09/04/samsung-on-the-run/?utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fortunebrainstormtech+%28Fortune+Brainstorm+Tech%29) describes a statement by a manager at Lenovo that suggests that Samsung’s purported 1 million Galaxy Tablet units shipped to retailers generated just 20,000 units of sales. Did Samsung stuff the channel to gain reputation … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged competition, Consumers, Demand Surge, disruption, Galaxy Tablets, Growth, Samsung, Service, Suppliers, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

The “Job Creation vs Environmental Regulation” debate in the US

Posted on September 5, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 5, 2011) describes the current debate in Washington between the Federal government’s planned pollution reduction regulation and purported industry impact. Some E.P.A. studies show that regulations such as the Clean Air Act have been … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged competition, Cost, Environment, Global, Growth, pollution, regulation, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment

Changing the mix of China’s automobile production

Posted on September 4, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 4, 2011) describes a shift in emphasis in China from increasing manufacturing volume to higher mileage cars. Car sales increased by 5 % in 2011 compared to a 33 % increase in 2010. Officials … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged automobiles, China, Global, manufacturing, regulation, Supply Chain, Sustainable | Leave a comment

A new report on Apple’s China Supply Chain and associated pollution

Posted on September 3, 2011 by aviyer2010

A recent report (http://www.ipe.org.cn/Upload/Report-IT-V-Apple-II.pdf, published August 31, 2011) questions whether decisions made by Apple’s suppliers continue to have a negative environmental impact. The report identifies suppliers who release hazardous chemicals into the river or environment, the speed of ramp up … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged China, Consumers, Coordination, Demand Surge, Dual Sourcing, Global, Growth, Quality, river transport, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

The logic of producing more HP Touchpads at a loss

Posted on September 3, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in CNN Money (August 31, 2011) describes a possible reason HP would produce Touchpads and sell them at a loss (for $ 99, from a list price of $ 499) even though the division is being shut down. … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Global, HP Touchpads, Loyal Customers, manufacturing, Outsourcing, Suppliers, Supply Chain | Leave a comment

Importing Indian rosewood to Gibson guitar plants, and customs office reaction

Posted on September 2, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (August 31, 2011) describes a raid on factories owned by the Gibson Guitar Corporation that disrupted the company’s supply chain. The focus is on rosewood and ebony fingerboards imported from India. While Indian laws prevent … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Service Operations, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged Global, India, manufacturing, regulation, Supply Chain | 1 Comment

Plan to tighten Clean Air Rules abandoned

Posted on September 2, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (Sept 2, 2011) desctibes a plan to abandon improving air quality rules to reduce smog causing chemicals, thus moving to a relaxed standard set in 2008. Worries about the impact of this new legislation on … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues, Sustainability | Tagged Capability, Cost, Global, Quality, Supply Chain, Survival, Sustainable, Trends | Leave a comment

Advancing US Manufacturing Future

Posted on August 30, 2011 by aviyer2010

An Op-Ed piece in the New York Times (August 29, 2011) by Susan Hockfield, President of MIT, suggests the need for federal investments in advanced manufacturing, similar to past US govt investments to create innovation in electronics, computing, the Internet … Continue reading →

Posted in Collaboration, Global Contexts, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged competition, Cost, Global, Growth, Infrastructure, manufacturing, Supply Chain | Leave a comment