sourcing – OM in the News

Bacteria + Food Waste = Leather

With vegan leather, material circularity further confirms its growing role in product design.

The trend toward material circularity continues to expand from furniture to fashion. This article features Polybion’s use of bacteria and food waste to produce an environmentally friendly cellulose membrane. That membrane can then be tanned to become vegan leather. Not only is this leather easier to produce than competing fungi-based products, but it is also more versatile and scalable. Therefore, the product […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-04-13T23:03:44+00:00April 15, 2022|Tags: carbon footprint, location, product design, respsonsive supply chain design, sourcing, sustainability|

Neon Shortages from Ukraine May Increase Global Chip Shortage

Our chip-dependent world may be dealt another blow as supplies of neon may soon be in short supply.

Ukraine-based Cryoin, which produces the critical gas, is situated in Odessa and has been shut down since the war began. In addition, transportation routes are flooded with refugees and commercial shipments may have a hard time reaching and moving through borders.

With up to 90 percent of the neon used by U.S. chip manufacturers coming from the Ukraine, alternative sources may be extremely hard […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-03-15T07:41:45+00:00March 15, 2022|Tags: facility location, location, product design, sourcing, suppliers, supply chain management, vendor analysis|

Climate-Proofing Your Cup of Coffee

An old, forgotten coffee species may be the crop of the future.

Stenophylla, a coffee plant once grown in Sierra Leone, offers hope to small growers whose livelihood is threatened by climate change. A wild plant was re-discovered in the forest. Its natural hardiness and rich flavor make it a promising substitute for the arabica species enjoyed by consumers around the world.

Video Spotlight: Tasting the Lost Species That Might Save Coffee (April 24, 2021, James Hoffmann)

This […]

By Corinne M. Karuppan, Ph.D.|2022-01-12T21:45:01+00:00January 14, 2022|Tags: shortage, sourcing, sustainability|

Power Crunch in China Affects Apple, Tesla, and More

Chinese factories for Apple and Tesla had to suspend operations for several days in late summer and early fall of 2021, to ease China’s growing power shortages and to cut emissions.

The rising demand for electricity, the surging coal and gas prices, and the desire to cut emissions has created an ongoing power crunch situation in China. The suspended production of Chinese factories has driven Apple and Tesla to look elsewhere for the needed supplies of printed circuit boards, chip packaging […]

By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-01-08T02:09:30+00:00January 12, 2022|Tags: global supply chain management, sourcing, stockouts, supply chain risk|