Tag Archives: Trends

Including weather forecasts to improve fashion product profitability

Posted on November 27, 2016 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal (November 27,2016) titled “The Next Fashion Trend:Weather Forecasting” describes the impact of weather on fashion sales and thus the need for the fashion industry to learn about weather forecasting. It claims that the … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, consumer, Cost, logistics, Made in USA, mgmt5612018, Supply Chain Issues, technology | Tagged , , , , , , | 141 Comments

Will a van and delivery robots combination be competitive as a logistics solution?

Posted on September 17, 2016 by

An article in CNN money titled “This Mercedes Benz van will carry a fleet of delivery robots” (http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/07/technology/starship-robot-mercedes-benz/index.html?iid=ob_homepage_tech_pool) describes a Mercedes van and a fleet of robots from Starship technologies that will combine the speed of travel of the van … Continue reading →

Posted in Capacity, competitiveness, consumer, Cost, delivery, truck | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

France’s inconsistent rules regarding retail store operating hours

Posted on November 5, 2013 by

An article in the Financial Times titled “France retailers battle restrictive opening hours (November 4,2013) describes rules that permit garden centers, furniture and food stores to be open until 1 pm on Sundays but does not permit do-it-yourself and department … Continue reading →

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The improving competitiveness of US toilet manufacturing

Posted on September 25, 2013 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal titled “America’s Toilet Turnaround”(September 25, 2013) (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303983904579093463623447196.html) describes plans to add capacity to the Mansfield Plumbing Products plant in Perrysvlle, Ohio and Toto Ltd’s plans to increase its capacity in the Morrow, Georgia … Continue reading →

Posted in Global Contexts, Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Retail Analytics to mitigate fashion risk

Posted on September 21, 2013 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal, on September 8, 2013, titled “Fashion Industry Meets Big Data” (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323595004579062793245498838.html?mod=itp&cb=logged0.7893976105842739) describes the increasing use of analytics in the fashion industry to forecast trends. These forecasts provide estimates of demand by color, fabric … Continue reading →

Posted in Operations Management, Supply Chain Issues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

US egg price rise (by 42%) and global supply chain impact

Posted on June 24, 2013 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal (June 14, 2013) describes a 42% rise in US egg prices and explores possible reasons. One key reason is the avian influenza in Mexico that has created a dramatic demand increase in US … Continue reading →

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Will Tesla’s new 90 second battery swap increase electric car demand ?

Posted on June 21, 2013 by

A report in PCmag.com (June 21, 2013 http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2420802,00.asp) describes a demonstration of a 90 second battery swap by Tesla, thus offering consumers the choice of waiting and getting free battery charging or paying close to the price of tank of … Continue reading →

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Is manufacturing shifting away from China due to wage increases ?

Posted on January 18, 2013 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal (January 17,2013) describes shifts in manufacturing out of China to compensate for the 20% wage increase compared to 2005, as well as an attempt by the government to shift to more value added … Continue reading →

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How should the excess steel capacity problem be solved ?

Posted on November 28, 2012 by

An article in the Wall Street Journal (November 28, 2012) describes the glut in steel capacity -an estimated 1.8 billion tons, compared to demand which is 1.5 billion tons. The reason, fragmented capacity with the top five companies comprising 18.2 … Continue reading →

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Adhoc social networks to assist during hurricane Sandy in NJ and lessons learned

Posted on November 24, 2012 by

An article published in the CNN.com website (http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/20/us/new-jersey-sandy-social-media/index.html?hpt=hp_c1) describes the use of facebook and street signs to create volunteer groups to assist people impacted by Hurricane Sandy. Providing food, cleaning supplies, clothing etc and helping clean out flood affected rooms … Continue reading →

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