About James Kirby Easterling

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So far James Kirby Easterling has created 15 blog entries.

Ford Slows Battery Expansion for EV Market

A myriad of challenges—both external and internal—are leading automotive giant Ford Motor Company to delay construction of its second electric vehicle (VH) battery plant in Kentucky.

Ford has previously announced two large-scale EV battery plants in Kentucky, with start date of 2025 and 2026, respectively. The first Kentucky EV battery plant is on schedule, but the second plant’s opening is now pushed out with no specific start date.

“Given the dynamic EV environment, we are being judicious about our production and adjusting […]

Retail Inventory Levels: Stabilized In Time for the Holidays

Retailers over the last few years can relate to the fairy tale of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Over the past few years, retail companies such as Walmart, Target, Kohl’s and Abercrombie & Fitch battled inventory levels that were too low, too high, and now (hopefully) just right.

They faced multiple years of lower inventory levels driven by pandemic challenges including reduced production, port congestion, driver shortages, and labor constraints.

Those low-inventory years were followed by higher inventory levels due to reduced […]

Direct-to-Consumer Caskets Disrupt Traditional Business Model

The old saying “there’s nothing certain in life except death and taxes” may still be true, but more options now exist regarding the cost of burying a loved one.

Traditionally in the United States, a family purchases a casket upon the death of their loved one, as part of the arrangements made with a funeral home. Funeral homes provide both tangible products (such as a casket) and intangible services (such as preparing the body for viewing and burial).  The combined total […]

Chocolatier Uncovers Sweet Savings with Supply Chain Optimization

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory is implementing a range of supply chain optimization initiatives, leading to  sweet cost savings for the company known for cheesecake caramel apples, gourmet truffles, English toffee, and assorted dark mints.

Reducing inventory levels on raw materials and finished goods of underperforming chocolate products has enabled the company to eliminate multiple traditional warehouses. RMCF now relies heavily on cross-docking facilities for faster inventory throughput and more efficient out-bound loads. These factors are enormously important in streamlining online orders […]

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