Hershey’s To Manufacture Its Own Masks

Hershey’s To Manufacture Its Own Masks

May 26, 2020
Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.

Hershey is investing $1 million to acquire new production capabilities to make face masks for its employees and their families as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike other food and beverage companies that retrofit existing equipment for personal protective equipment (PPE) production, Hershey is expanding its capabilities to keep both chocolate and PPE manufacturing operations running.  This way Hershey ensures a safe and clean working environment for continual operations as well as providing relief for much needed face masks to protect health workers and general public against the highly contagious coronavirus.

Video Spotlight: 

This post is based on the Food Dive article, Hershey to acquire facility to manufacture face masks, by Jessi Devenynys, April 28, 2020, and the YouTube videos in the Spotlight. Image source: Shutterstock / Dech St

Discussion Questions:

1. What capacity decision has Hershey made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic?

Guidance: Face masks are in short supply as they are a key personal protective equipment (PPE) to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.  The masks are also Continue reading →

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Boston Beer Recycles Beer from Expired Kegs

Boston Beer Recycles Beer from Expired Kegs

May 22, 2020
Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.

In the week of April 11th, beer sales rose by 11.6%.  However, not everything is rosy for beer producers.

The increase in retail sales has been offset by reduced sales to restaurants and bars that are shuttered during this pandemic.  So, beer producers have a mismatch between packaged beer and kegs.  They will need to change their production scheduling to reflect the shift in demand between packaged beer and kegs.

An additional problem is that many beer producers are receiving back expired kegs, and must determine what to do with them.

Many companies recycle expired beer by converting it to ethanol for gasoline.  However, the demand for gasoline is down as well during this pandemic.  One interesting solution is to convert them to ethanol for use as hand sanitizer.

Video Spotlight: Brewery and distillery makes hand sanitizer amid coronavirus pandemic (Mar 19, 2020, ABC Action News)

This post is based on the CNBC article, Kegs Are Going Bad as Coronavirus Keeps Restaurants Closed. Boston Beer Has A Solution, by Amelia Lucas, April 24, 2020, and the YouTube video in the Spotlight. Image source: JirkaBursik/Shutterstock.com

Discussion Questions:

1. What Continue reading →

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Boxes Take a Seat

Boxes Take a Seat

May 6, 2020
Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.

More airlines are joining the “passenger freighter network” to use their passenger aircrafts to deliver cargo, as demand for passenger travel dwindles in the wake of COVID-19.

Major airlines in the U.S., including American, United, and Delta, and their global partners such as British Airways, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa, and Qantas, are dedicating freight capacity for cargo operations to keep global supply chains from food to medical supplies open.

Video Spotlight: American Airlines transports medical cargo from U.S. to Europe (Mar 20, 2020, WPLG Local 10)

This post is based on the Forbes article, More Airlines Are Stuffing Cargo Into Passenger Seats To Counter Coronavirus Slump, by Cathy Buyck, March 26, 2020, and the YouTube video in the Spotlight. Image source: Digital Vision/SuperStock

Discussion Questions:

1. How does COVID-19 affect capacity planning decisions for airlines?

Guidance: As governments all over the world respond to the COVID-19 pandemic by closing borders, all passenger services to and from the countries are temporarily suspended.  Airlines now find themselves with excess capacity as demand for passenger travel dwindles.

2. How do airlines address excess passenger capacity in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic?

Guidance:  While the demand Continue reading →

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