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Apple’s amazing run
Apple just announced some impressive profit numbers: it’s first quarter with $20 billion in revenue and profits that exceed those of IBM, HP and Intel. Only Microsoft had higher profit, but not a...
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Intel to invest in U.S. manufacturing
Intel announced today that it will invest $6-8 billion in the U.S. to build a new plant in Oregon and to improve existing manufacturing facilities. (See WSJ 10/19/10). This investment will give them...
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Robots or people?
Maybe the biggest challenge for e-commerce retailers is dealing with the huge surge in sales in the fourth quarter. How can you build enough capacity cheaply enough to satisfy the rapid growth in...
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What Disney does to reduce wait times
Understanding (and reducing) waiting lines (Queues) is central to Operations Management. Waiting in line is often one of the most memorable experiences when visiting theme parks such as Disneyland. The...
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Taxi capacity in NYC – the 4 O’Clock Blip
Apparently it is hard to find a taxi between 4 and 5pm in Manhattan. Why? Because that is the time when many taxis switch drivers. This turns out to be a fascinating capacity management issue. The...
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How to bump passengers from flights?
Overbooking a flight enables airlines to ensure that they fly with as much capacity as possible – given that 8-10% of passengers do not show up for a flight, you want to make sure that there are not...
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Why China – cheap capital?
In 2008 Evergreen Solar opened up a solar panel factory in Devens, Massachusetts, but they just announced that they will layoff their 800 workers and move production to China (NY Times 1/14/11). Why?...
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McDonald’s medicine
Americans want instant gratification – that is true for fast food as much as it is for healthcare. Consequently, the traditional model of general practitioner in which you make appointments and then (a...
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Supply chain lessons from Japan
The devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan have again raised the issue of supply chain robustness to disruption risk, and in particular, are they too fragile? FT.com (3/15/2011) asserts that...
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How to quake proof a supply chain
After a long hiatus, we return with a post. This one on Toyota’s plan to quake proof its supply chain over the next five years. (Baltimore Sun, 9/6/11). They have three ideas: a) standardize parts...
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