My mother told me why she and my father were sending me to college in the United States. “They have better facilities,” she said. She was right. The Philippines where I came from had good teachers. Philippine universities also offered courses and curricula similar as one would find in the USA. What the country lacked,Continue reading “Facilities in the Supply Chain”
Author Archives: Ellery
Baseball & Statistics in the Summer of 1982
It was the summer of 1982. And I was hooked into baseball and statistics. I was a foreign student from Manila, the Philippines, on my third year into studying for a bachelor’s degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering (IE for short) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) I started listening to and watching games ofContinue reading “Baseball & Statistics in the Summer of 1982”
Imagining the Benefits of Addressing Incomplete Orders
When I order croissants from Starbucks, the baristas would include packets of jam & butter. One time, there was no butter. The barista said the shop was all out of butter; the commissary had also not delivered butter for a whole week. I took the missing butter in stride and ate my croissant. But IContinue reading “Imagining the Benefits of Addressing Incomplete Orders”
What I Learned About Tenacity & Milestones
On October 19, 2026, I squatted with a barbell weight of 202.25 lbs. It was the heaviest I did for a Squat. It was a milestone. And I did it thanks to tenacity. The synonym for tenacity is perseverance. But I don’t fully agree. They’re not one and the same. While perseverance is about keepingContinue reading “What I Learned About Tenacity & Milestones”
A Letter from the Pale Blue Dot to Voyager One
Dear Voyager One, I read from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration (NASA) website that on November 18, 2026, you would be 25.902 billion kilometres from Earth. It’s significant in that you’ll be at a point where you’d be one light-day from Earth or the distance a beam of light travels in twenty-four (24) hours. Continue reading “A Letter from the Pale Blue Dot to Voyager One”
Improving the Commodity Supply Chain
Just about every supply chain involves commodities. And it is in commodities where many supply chain challenges emerge. By the strictest definition, commodities are essential raw materials like grains, minerals, fish, livestock, metals, and fruits. Commodities are basic items that are typically the same wherever they may be sourced or how they are processed. OneContinue reading “Improving the Commodity Supply Chain”
Writing for Communication, Not for Art’s Sake
I don’t write for the sake of it. I write to express thoughts or send messages. I write to communicate. I get it that there are writers who add beauty into our world. Like artists, they write masterpieces of poetry & prose. Admirers read their poems and stories with gusto, more so if the textContinue reading “Writing for Communication, Not for Art’s Sake”
When Standard Features Aren’t Needed
How do engineers justify buying equipment if it comes with standard features that the enterprise doesn’t really need? Before engineers recommend buying new equipment, managers first mention what they need or what the problem is. Managers may already have a solution in mind such as a machine they read on a catalogue or saw inContinue reading “When Standard Features Aren’t Needed”
Why Should One Care About How Long Customers Wait
A leading drugstore chain in the Philippines was getting flak on social media for only having one (1) cashier at each of its branches. Netizens were complaining that whenever they went to any of the drugstore’s branches, they’d see two to three pharmacists at the prescription counter but only one (1) cashier. The complaining netizensContinue reading “Why Should One Care About How Long Customers Wait”
In Cost Reduction, Context Matters
It’s a commonly asked question from business leaders. ‘How can we reduce costs?’ Answers arrive almost immediately. Reduce head counts. Buy cheaper stuff. Cut overtime. Save energy. The list goes on. A large multinational corporation initiated a ‘cost improvement program.’ Departments were asked to submit reports on cost improvement projects they initiated and implemented. ThoseContinue reading “In Cost Reduction, Context Matters”
