I just finished reading “More consumer manufacturers selling online, competing with retailers” by Barry Shlachter. (Read more: http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/12/28/2731510/more-consumer-manufacturers-selling.html#ixzz1A72OsI1F) The article raises several good points about the shifting relationships between manufacturers and retailers. In my industry the same is true between manufacturers and distributors. The article states “The primary driver for all this is a more [...]

Next week, I’ll have the honor being the dinner keynote speaker at the European Petrochemical Associations 2nd Interactive Supply/Demand Chain Workshop in Brussels, Belgium. This years’ theme is “21st Century Supply Chains for the Chemical Industry”.  The topic is timely given how there’s been so much talk concerning over-consumption, consumer behavior, corporate social responsibility and [...]

Motion waste occurs when people move without adding value to the product.  This type of waste includes all the motion in operator’s bodies that occurs when they process materials:  foot and hand motion, and torso movements such as bending, reaching, lifting, and so on. Hiroyuki Hirano defined waste as “everything that is not absolutely essential.”  [...]