Asian airlines such as Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, and ANA are known for their excellence in customer service. A lot of people love flying with these airlines. But thanks to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, these same airlines are experiencing their worst business slump in recent memory. No one wants to fly these airlines not becauseContinue reading “Bad Things Happen to Everyone”
Author Archives: Ellery
Why We Need to Build Supply Chains
Enterprises are planning to rebuild their supply chains in the wake of the pandemic of 2020. Well, no, not really. Many enterprises are planning to resume production and boost inventories in the aftermath of the COVID19 pandemic.1 Some firms will narrow their product lines to those that are in high demand (e.g. toilet paper). OthersContinue reading “Why We Need to Build Supply Chains”
About Overtimers Anonymous
I’ve been immersed in work since 1984. My long-spanning career since graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee include managerial assignments at P&G Philippines, a harrowing experience as an entrepreneur in freight logistics, participation in several successful consultancy projects, and finally as an administrator of a company that builds and leases warehouses and offices. Overtimers AnonymousContinue reading “About Overtimers Anonymous”
“Are You Happy With Our Service?”
A bank had a survey booth near its front door in which one drops a small plastic ball in either of two (2) slots: Happy With Our Service Unhappy With Our Service I dropped the ball on the Happy slot. The teller was courteous and polite and since I was just updating a passbook, IContinue reading ““Are You Happy With Our Service?””
Beating the No-Win Scenario
In the movie, Star Trek: the Wrath of Khan, Lieutenant Saavik (played by Kirstie Alley) asks Captain Kirk (played by William Shatner) how he handled a no-win scenario called the Kobiyashi Maru when he was a cadet at the Starfleet Academy. It turns out Kirk is the only cadet in Starfleet history who ever beatContinue reading “Beating the No-Win Scenario”
Seizing Opportunity and Addressing Adversity via Supply Chain Engineering
We should not focus just on adversity. We should also focus on opportunity. We tend to point to adversity when there’s disruption. But as much as there is adversity behind every disruption, there is also opportunity. This should be common business sense but it can be difficult to accept when there’s a raging disruptionContinue reading “Seizing Opportunity and Addressing Adversity via Supply Chain Engineering”
What Have We Learned About Adversity vis-à-vis COVID19?
COVID19 is the latest and worst adversity to global economies in recent memory. Despite the early warnings in late 2019, enterprises around the world were caught off guard. Executives could only watch helplessly as borders closed and governments enforced lock-downs that shut many businesses down worldwide. Despite all our talents, experiences, and knowledge, weContinue reading “What Have We Learned About Adversity vis-à-vis COVID19?”
Supply Chains are All About Flow
Supply chains are about flow: the movement of product from one stage to the next, from a starting point—a source—to an endpoint—a user. We call them product streams, demand flows, pipelines. But supply chains are hardly these as streams and pipelines imply a single fluid in motion. What flows in a supply chain isContinue reading “Supply Chains are All About Flow”
Admitting Not Knowing What to Do Is The First Step to Problem-Solving
At the height of the Second World War, Great Britain was on the brink of defeat. The Nazis had conquered the European mainland. German U-boat submarines were sinking merchant ships from America, constricting critical supplies to the United Kingdom. The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, was bombing London and other British cities at will, inflictingContinue reading “Admitting Not Knowing What to Do Is The First Step to Problem-Solving”
A Letter to All Industrial Engineers: Time to Rise Up
Dear Industrial Engineer: I come to you as a fellow Industrial Engineer (IE) with a message. It’s time for us to rise up. For years, or should I say decades, Industrial Engineering (IE) has been an un-recognized engineering discipline. Many engineers—e.g. civil, mechanical, chemical, electrical—look at us as fakes. IndustrialContinue reading “A Letter to All Industrial Engineers: Time to Rise Up”
Ellery's Essays 