supply chain disruption – 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|

Updating Southwest’s Operations to Prevent Future Meltdowns

The box-office hit The Perfect Storm (2000), starring George Clooney, highlighted a combination of three separate weather fronts that collided which led to one of the fiercest storms in recorded history in the North Atlantic Ocean.

During this past holiday season, several factors collided which led to major flight disruptions for Southwest Airlines. An historic number of flight cancellations and thousands of angry customers have resulted in major financial implications and operational challenges.

Let’s look at some of those factors to understand why […]

By James Kirby Easterling|2023-01-15T22:41:09+00:00January 15, 2023|Tags: asset utilization, ERP, forecasting, labor shortage, modeling, supply chain disruption, technology, training|

European Cities Debate Christmas Lights in Energy Crisis

European cities are torn between lighting up for Christmas as usual in markets and shopping districts or cutting back to conserve energy amidst the crisis caused by Russia’s war on Ukraine.

Often, these markets and shopping districts see peak tourism levels during the holiday months, affecting not only shopkeepers, but also hotels, restaurants, and other surrounding businesses.

Video Spotlight:

Festive displays light up Europe despite crisis (Dec 1, 2022, AP Archive)

This post is based on the US […]

By Lisa M. Spencer|2022-12-20T19:43:26+00:00December 21, 2022|Tags: capacity planning, supply chain, supply chain disruption, sustainability|

Toyota’s July Production Shortfall Due to Parts Shortages

Facing the challenges of semiconductor shortages and parts supply disruptions, Toyota lowered its July production forecast in Japan by 50,000 vehicles.

Toyota is expecting part shortages to be stabilized later in the year and will run additional shifts to meet the projected annual vehicle production volume of 9.7 million.

Read previous OM in the News posts about effects of the semiconductor shortage on the automotive industry, including some creative solutions.

Video Spotlight:

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By Anita Lee-Post, Ph.D.|2022-07-19T02:01:24+00:00July 18, 2022|Tags: aggregate planning, capacity strategies, forecasting, supply chain disruption|