Inventory Mgmt with Perishable Demand

French Bakeries Struggle with Rising Costs of Dough

Skyrocketing costs of inputs for French bakeries are threatening their very existence, according to some bakery owners.

While the baguette is recognized by UNESCO as an essential and important part of French culture, its affordability is being called into question.

Video Spotlight:

France’s bakers on strike: Expenses skyrocket as wheat, butter, sugar prices soar (Jan 23, 2023, FRANCE 24 English)

This post is based on the CNN article, Bakeries are central to the French […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2023-05-03T05:34:35+00:00May 3, 2023|Tags: costs, inflation, inventory management, labor shortage, productivity|

Costs of Quality: Tulare Lake Flooding

Much of California’s most productive farmland has yet to emerge from flooding caused by this winter’s torrential rain and snow storms.

Anticipated snow melt from a snowpack 300% of average threatens to put valley areas under even more water as it begins to flow down from the mountains. The melt exceeds the capacity of lakes, dams, and rivers.

Flooding in the Tulare Lake and Monterey areas in March 2023 ruined many crops. Consumers across the country will feel the impact of higher […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2023-04-28T22:30:51+00:00April 28, 2023|Tags: capacity planning, cost of quality, food supply chain, forecasting, inventory management, quality, supply chain|

The Chronic Pain of Drug Shortages

Despite repeated warnings that critical drugs have been and will remain in short supply, corrective action has been painfully elusive.

A confluence of factors contribute to the persistence of the problem. These factors have been identified multiple times over the years, but addressing them and their effects on patients’ health requires overall system changes that call for full congressional and business cooperation. The current blog does not cover the policy changes needed for improvement; they are beyond its scope. However, it […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2023-04-03T19:59:23+00:00April 5, 2023|Tags: bullwhip effect, competitivness, continuous replenishment, flexible-manufacturing, inventory management, JIT, lead time, logistics, outsourcing, productivity, respsonsive supply chain design, safety stock, shortage, sourcing, strategic capacity management, supply chain management|

TikTok Inspired Chipotle’s Fajita Quesadilla

Social media can greatly influence customer demand, and disrupt operations. Such is the case with TikTok and Chipotle.

Two TikTok influencers, Keith Lee and Alexis Frost, endorsed a menu hack that went viral. Initially, the restaurant wasn’t ready for the off-menu item, and some restaurants wouldn’t let customers order the item. This put stress on Chipotle’s systems and employees—not to mention creating unhappy customers who went online to complain about not being able to get the quesadilla.

However, Chipotle decided to listen […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2023-03-22T05:02:29+00:00March 26, 2023|Tags: food supply chain, inventory management, new product design, product design, sourcing, voice of the customer|