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Furniture Glut in Silicon Valley

One man’s loss is another man’s gain. The rise of remote work, an economic slowdown, and tighter access to capital have forced tech companies to retreat or disappear. The situation is especially dire in the San Francisco area where prime office space has been vacated. Once destined to the landfill, the barely-used furniture is now finding new homes thanks to resellers capitalizing on the excesses of a certain corporate culture and oversized operations. Video Spotlight: Is Herman Miller Aeron Worth the High Price? (October 16, 2022, BTODtv) This post is based on The New York Times article, The Furniture Hustlers of Silicon Valley, by E. Griffith, February 25, 2023, and [...]

By |2023-03-18T16:54:05+00:00March 19, 2023|0 Comments

Starbucks Adds A New Flavor: Olive Oil

CEO Charles Schultz’s latest slick innovation for Starbucks adds a spoonful of extra virgin olive oil to a variety of hot and cold coffee beverages at the Milan roastery location. Italian customers expressed mixed reactions to this unusual blend of ingredients. Video Spotlight:   Introducing Starbucks new coffee ritual: Oleato™ (Feb 21, 2023, Starbucks Coffee) Olive oil in coffee? Starbucks introduces 'Oleato' (Feb 22, 2023, Reuters) This post is based on The Guardian article, “It went down smoother”: Starbucks olive oil coffee approved in Milan, by Giorgio Ghiglione, February 22, 2023; the NY Times article, Want That Coffee With Olive Oil? Starbucks Thinks Italians Will., by Elisabetta Povoledo, February 24, 2023; and the [...]

By |2023-03-18T00:45:45+00:00March 17, 2023|0 Comments

Efficiency or Identity? A Dilemma for Fast Food Restaurants

Minimalism is in; Googie architecture is out. Red roofs, neon golden arches, and other bright-colored structures have practically disappeared from the fast food landscape. They have been replaced by boxy, sleek designs that reflect both cultural and economic trends. Whether or not these new designs are less aesthetically pleasing than their older counterparts is a matter of personal taste. Fast food chains' primary goal remains to give customers what they want. Video Spotlight: The Decline of Pizza Hut…What Happened? (December 22, 2021, Company Man) This post is based on the CNN article, Why Pizza Hut’s Red Roofs and McDonald’s Play Places Have Disappeared, by N. Meyersohn, February 18, 2023, and [...]

By |2023-03-14T23:06:07+00:00March 15, 2023|0 Comments

AI Is Revolutionizing Demand Forecasting

Demand forecasting is at the very core of operations management. In simple terms, a forecast is a projection or prediction about some future point in time based on underlying assumptions. Demand forecasts—what we project customers will want—range from short-term (operational) to long-term (strategic) and help organizations plan for variables such as production capacity, labor, raw materials, packaging, and transportation needs. The question isn’t whether demand planning is important or essential. The question, rather, is how to have more accurate forecasts so that these variables can be more effectively planned to minimize waste. The difference between what was forecasted for a particular period (i.e., forecasted demand) and what really happened in [...]

By |2023-03-12T11:18:36+00:00March 12, 2023|0 Comments

Brightpick’s Autopicker Increases Order Fulfillment Visibility

Brightpick offers a warehouse automation solution for order fulfillment with its Autopicker, an autonomous mobile robot capable of picking and consolidating orders as it moves around the aisles of a warehouse. According to the company, the advantages of using Autopicker include a 95% savings on picking labor cost, non-requirement of centralized picking stations, ease-of-installation, and scalability. Video Spotlight:   Brightpick | The world’s most efficient warehouse automation solution for order fulfillment  (Feb 14, 2023, Brightpick) This post is based on the Robotics Automation News article, Brightpick launches ‘world’s first’ commercially available autonomous mobile picking robot, by Mark Allinson, February 15, 2023, and the YouTube video in the Spotlight. Image source: [...]

By |2023-03-10T03:28:00+00:00March 10, 2023|0 Comments
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