Ops & Supply Chain Strategy

McDonald’s Cancels the McPlant

After a lackluster six-month test of the McPlant product in 600 U.S. restaurants, McDonald’s has pulled the item from its menu across the U.S. citing low sales.

In February 2020, OM in the News reported that Impossible Foods had bowed out of supplying plant-based burgers to McDonald’s, citing capacity concerns. For Beyond Meat, which took on the contract to supply the McPlant patty, the loss of this lucrative contract will no doubt have serious repercussions.

Video Spotlight:

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By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-09-19T05:03:13+00:00September 21, 2022|Tags: capacity planning, external environment, product design, product quality, service design, strategy|

GM Warns of Voided Warranties for Flipping Cars

To minimize the flipping of several of its high demand, limited production vehicles, General Motors will void the warranties if they are resold within a year of purchase. In addition, dealers that engage in flipping will be barred from purchasing additional such vehicles from GM in the future.

Video Spotlight:

General Motors Now CANCELING Warranties To Stop Flippers & Resellers! (Aug 2, 2022, Brian Mello)

This post is based on the Autoblog article,

By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-09-19T04:07:10+00:00September 18, 2022|Tags: quality, strategy, warranty costs|

Ford Redeploys Resources to Compete in the EV Market

The race for dominance in the EV market demands a new strategy and realignment of operations.

Ford has started on a new trajectory that involves controlling costs in its gas-powered vehicle division and injecting capital into its EV division to speed up expansion. The article describes the company’s reallocation of resources and its impact on the size and skills of the workforce.

Video Spotlight: Ford Motor Company Cutting 3,000 Jobs in Bid to Lower Costs (August 22, 2022, […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-09-06T22:05:07+00:00September 8, 2022|Tags: competitivness, focused factory, strategic capacity management, strategy, sustainability|

Amazon Prescribes Bigger Investment in Healthcare

The acquisition of One Medical for $3.9 billion by Amazon signaled the intent of the e-commerce giant to compete in the healthcare industry, in particular, the telehealth sector.

Amazon has grown from operating as an online retailer to becoming a key player in entertainment, groceries, and pharmacy with the acquisition of MGM, Whole Foods, and PillPack respectively, in recent years.

Video Spotlight:

Amazon to buy One Medical in healthcare push (July 21, 2022, Reuters)
Amazon […]

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-09-05T19:50:24+00:00September 6, 2022|Tags: competitiveness, ecommerce, innovation, technology|