process design – OM in the News

The Chicken Sandwich Wars Continue

The Great Chicken Sandwich War began on August 12, 2019. Popeyes introduced its new chicken sandwich. Chick-fil-A tweeted about its chicken sandwich being the original. Popeyes responded with, “Y’all good?”

This was the beginning of a social media war that brought a great deal of attention to Popeyes’ chicken sandwich. Other restaurants joined in the social media war, including Wendy’s and Shake Shack.

The attention, along with outstanding initial reviews of the sandwich, led to long lines and shortages of chicken sandwiches […]

By Ross L. Fink, Ph.D.|2021-04-24T23:06:43+00:00April 26, 2021|Tags: efficiency, forecasting, inventory management, process design, product development, supply chain management, waiting lines|

LocusBots Track Real-Time Warehouse Operations

In response to a surge in e-commerce, Locus Robotics is developing better and more efficient robots to handle increased warehousing demand.

Locus Robotics’ robots are called “LocusBots”. They are autonomous and mobile and can track real-time warehouse operations using iPhone or wearable technology.

New features for LocusBots to better handle item picking and handling in warehouses are in the research and development stage.

Video Spotlight:

Locus Robotics – How it works (Mar 25, 2020, Locus Robotics Autonomous Robots)

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2021-03-31T21:45:35+00:00April 3, 2021|Tags: automation, logistics, process design, product design, robotics, technology, warehouse|

The Rebirth of Ice Cream Deliveries

In the early 1900s, salespeople delivered Wall’s ice cream on tricycles. Today, the concept is resurrected.

Thomas Wall started selling ice cream as a seasonal product designed to offset slumping sausage sales during the summer. Lever Brothers bought Wall’s company; it later merged with Maragarine Unie to become Unilever, a multinational corporation now known as the “king of ice cream.” Sold in 63 countries, its ice cream brand portfolio now accounts for 19% of the global market. In 2020, as the […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2020-12-13T17:05:53+00:00December 15, 2020|Tags: aggregate planning, delivery, mix flexibility, process design, strategy|

Pandemic Pushes Grocers to Adopt New Tech

The pandemic has created a need by grocers to make customers feel safer. As a result, contactless technology is being retrofitted to brick-and-mortar stores.

Price Chopper, Wegmans, and Giant Eagle have introduced checkout-free technology in some stores. Grocery chains were reluctant to invest in technology given the low profit margins in the industry, but the pandemic has put an emphasis on checkout safety and speed.

Video Spotlight:

Introducing Amazon Go and the world’s most advanced shopping technology […]

By David Little, Ph.D.|2020-10-13T18:57:58+00:00October 14, 2020|Tags: coronavirus, covid-19, facility design, order qualifiers, order winners, pandemic, process design, service design, technology|