The Operations Function – OM in the News

US Air Travel Disruptions: The Rule Instead of the Exception?

The airline industry has taken major hits since December 2022, and customer anxiety is on the rise over booking new reservations.

In December—during the peak of the holiday season—Southwest Airlines cancelled over 13,000 flights due to an antiquated and unreliable flight scheduling system.

In January, a nationwide ground stop imposed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over a computer issue forced a 90-minute halt to all U.S. departing flights, leading to over 10,000 delays in one day alone.

January’s grounding […]

By James Kirby Easterling|2023-02-15T22:07:05+00:00February 15, 2023|Tags: asset utilization, contingency planning, information systems, supply chain disruption, supply chain resiliency|

Is Amazon Pushing Its Warehouse Workers Too Hard?

Fast delivery can be taxing for Amazon workers.

The Feds are investigating possible safety issues and failure to disclose injuries at Amazon. Their findings could spell legal trouble for the company. One of the safety hazards allegedly involves an unrealistic pace of work, which resulted in physical injuries. Work pace is often tied to performance standards. Is Amazon guilty of setting an unrealistic work pace or is it unrealistic to assume that all employees can achieve the standards?

Video Spotlight:

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-08-03T19:03:59+00:00August 6, 2022|Tags: competitivness, delivery, job design, lead time, productivity|

EV Stations: A Vision to Fuel the Future

The winner of an international competition envisions electric vehicle charging stations that offer far more than traditional gas stations.

Since charging an EV can take 20 or 30 minutes, the designer of the winning station included features like exercise equipment, massage therapy, a garden, and stores in additional to traditional gas station fare. He also suggests placing the stations in interesting places, such as near a trailhead or a community site of interest, to offer customers interesting ways to pass the […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-02-17T23:51:55+00:00February 17, 2022|Tags: applied research, new product development, product design, product life cycle, service design, sustainability|

$1.9 Billion in Subsidies Not Enough For Samsung to Choose New York

Samsung was offered $1.9 Billion in incentives to locate their new US-based chip plant in Genesee County, New York.

However, they decided to locate in Taylor, Texas. Taylor offered a $981 Million package. The facility is expected to bring 1,800 Samsung jobs to the community.

Video Spotlight:

Samsung turned down subsidies worth $1.9B (Jan 6, 2022, Investigative Post)

This post is based on the Investigative Post article, Samsung turned down subsidies worth $1.9B, by […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2022-02-05T07:21:32+00:00February 5, 2022|Tags: facility location, location|