Process Design and Analysis

Are We Ready for the Four-Day Workweek?

For decades, the idea of a four-day workweek has gained and lost momentum several times. Because the pandemic has dramatically altered the way people work, proposals for a four-day workweek have reemerged. But doubts about its impact on productivity and its applicability to most professions remain. Would the new schedules boost or constrain operations?

Video Spotlight: Atlantic Staff Writer Makes the Case for a Four Day Work Week (June 21, 2021, CNBC Television)

This post is based […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2021-12-08T23:29:21+00:00December 10, 2021|Tags: productivity, short term capacity, strategic capacity management, work force scheduling|

The Automat Returns

Under the category of “The more things change, the more they stay the same,” is the return of the Automat.

The original Automat opened in Berlin in 1895. America’s first Automat was opened by Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart in Philadelphia, in 1902. Their Automat chain, Horn and Hardart, grew in popularity, with over 100 restaurants in New York City by the 1950s.

Restaurants served home-style comfort food. Many even had a wall of pies, with hot coffee being one of their […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2021-05-26T18:42:33+00:00May 28, 2021|Tags: assembly line, contactless payment, delivery, facility location, forecasting, inventory management, make to order, service processes, waiting lines|

COVID-Sniffing Dogs in Helsinki

Ten amazing dogs sniff out COVID-19 carrying passengers in Finland’s Helsinki airport.

In a pilot program, passengers are asked to volunteer to run a test wipe across their skin to collect a sweat sample. The wipe is placed in a cup in a nearby booth, where the dogs quickly go to work and make a physical sign to indicate samples that carry the virus.

These canines can detect the virus in only ten seconds, and up to five days before symptoms even […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2020-11-02T03:23:47+00:00November 4, 2020|Tags: covid-19, efficiency, pandemic, quality control, robotics, scheduling, service design, service operations|

Black Friday Re-Imagined

Has Black Friday been upstaged by a new October shopping day?

Retailers are looking for ways to drum up demand. They are also seeking creative capacity alternatives to fill it and distribution channels to get merchandise delivered in a timely way.

Some retailers envision encouraging more online shopping with Black Friday deals available online instead of only in-store to cater to shoppers still leery of big crowds and pandemic concerns. Others plan to take it a step further with a new holiday, […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2020-11-02T02:36:21+00:00November 2, 2020|Tags: aggregate planning, covid-19, forecasting, inventory management, sales and operations planning|