Process Analysis Multiple Flow Units

Prefab Is Fab

Prefabricated building modules are trending.

Supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages can wreak havoc on construction projects as their compounded effects lengthen lead times and increase costs. Fortunately, these challenges can make businesses more creative and resourceful. Modular construction with prefabricated units combines the benefits of standardization and flexibility to speed up construction and lower costs. It thus facilitates the successful execution of large projects in an era of uncertainty and inflation.

Video Spotlight: Bathroom […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-05-09T20:48:41+00:00May 10, 2022|Tags: focused factory, lead time, process management, productivity, project management, respsonsive supply chain design, shortage, standardization, work force scheduling|

Airlines Stuck on Runway with Pilot Shortages?

With demand for travel rebounding, pilot shortages have caused a host of flight cancellations in recent months. There is no easy solution in sight.

Some airlines in the United States are looking to hire pilots from other countries such as Australia, Canada, and many other global locations to fill the gap. Candidates from Australia are particularly attractive because of a “specialty occupation” U.S. visa that is fairly easy to get and can be renewed two years at a time as many […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-05-10T02:25:12+00:00May 9, 2022|Tags: aircraft, capacity planning, work force scheduling|

The Ford Maverick Pickup Is Built to Last!

If you have not placed an order for a 2022 Maverick pickup yet, it is already too late.

The chip shortage has hit the automotive industry quite hard, as shared in the OM in the News post, Chip Shortage Puts the Brakes on Automakers. Other posts have featured how the industry has adapted. For example, Tesla makes its own chips, and Ford has switched to a build-to-order strategy. As it turns out, Ford […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-02-06T20:07:47+00:00February 10, 2022|Tags: aggregate planning, carbon footprint, flexible-manufacturing, group technology, product design, product family|

Pop-Up Container Yards Add Storage Capacity For Port of Savannah

Pop-up container yards have reduced congestion at the Port of Savannah, in Georgia.

The pop-up container yard concept, combined with working 24 hours a day, helped reduce the number of cargo vessels waiting to be unloaded from 31 to 6 in late 2021.

Set up in idle rail yards, pop-up container yards are stocked ‘five by five’, five containers high by five wide. These mini-yards help get cargo off ships, away from the dock, and allow more ships to be unloaded.

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By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-01-31T03:00:05+00:00January 31, 2022|Tags: cargo container, logistics, process layout, storage, transportation, waiting line, warehouse|