Tag Archives: Sustainable

Price fixing of detergents by manufacturers seeking green solutions

Posted on April 14, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (April 13, 2011) describes fines levied on Proctor & Gamble ($ 306 million) and Unilever ($ 104 million euros) for price-fixing to maintain market shares as they worked together in an industry association to implement … Continue reading →

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Profitability and Sustainable Supply Chains

Posted on April 8, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Bloomberg Businessweek (April 4,2011, pg 25) describes efforts at Pepsico’s Walker potato chip plant in England to condense the 80 % of water that escapes as steam, reuse it to wash potatoes and water herbs, and save … Continue reading →

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Oil Soaked booms recycled to make air baffles for the Chevy Volt

Posted on April 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in Fortune (April 11, 2011, page 25) tracks the movement and transformation of oil soaked booms from the BP Gulf oil spill.  The reverse supply chain involves use of centrifuges in trucks to remove the saltwater and oil, … Continue reading →

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The Food vs Fuel tradeoff,biofuel regulation and global impact

Posted on April 7, 2011 by aviyer2010

An article in the New York Times (April 7,2011) describes the impact of rules regarding biofuel use (36 billion gallons by 2022 in the US, similar goals in China, India, Indonesia and Thailand).  The article focuses on cassava, a root … Continue reading →

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Navistar and Engine Redesign

Posted on April 6, 2011 by aviyer2010

A New York Times article (April 4, 2011) describes a radical engine design by Navistar to decrease nitrous oxide emissions and comply with the new EPA guidelines. This redesign and consequent launch delays hurt Navistar’s market share. But competitors used … Continue reading →

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Paint additive shortage from Japanese supplier impacts car colors

Posted on March 27, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 26, 2011) describes a shortage of an additive, Xirallic, made of coated glass flakes, and by a Merck plant in Japan.  This additive is shipped to paint makers in Germany and then to car … Continue reading →

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Airflow Sensor shortage from Japanese supplier and auto OEM impact

Posted on March 25, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 24, 2011) describes the supply chain impact of part shortages from a Japanese company, Hitachi Automotive, that has a 60 % world market share of mass airflow sensors that measure airflow to car engines. … Continue reading →

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Efficient Bagging and Supervalu competitiveness

Posted on March 24, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 22, 2011) describes rules at Supervalu to increase bagging efficiency and thus decrease the more than 1.5 billion plastic and paper bags used across stores. The articles reports that a projected 5 % savings … Continue reading →

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Recyclebank and consumer incentives to recycle

Posted on March 19, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 17, 2011) describes the operation of Recyclebank. The company serves as an interface between consumers and their municipalities by weighing garbage and providing points that can be redeemed by consumers (around $ 150 per … Continue reading →

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Brick and Mortar Retailers urge sales tax collection by etailers

Posted on March 18, 2011 by aviyer2010

A Wall Street Journal article (March 17, 2011) describes a move by retailers such as WalMart and Target to force internet merchants to collect sales tax – a much needed source of revenue for struggling states. The move has resulted … Continue reading →

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