Engineers have been the go-to people to solve problems or implement pre-decided solutions. Engineers build edifices architects design, install equipment which executives prefer, and fix things that were creating problems no one else could solve. Engineers deal with the complicated technical stuff like designing rockets and constructing skyscrapers, repairing nuclear reactors, setting up oil drillingContinue reading “Arguing for Engineering”
Tag Archives: business
The Supply Chain Problem Many Don’t See
The escalator at the shopping mall was out of order for four (4) weeks. The mall managers perhaps didn’t think it was a big deal. Mall customers could still walk down the broken escalator from the ground floor to the lower level or take a nearby elevator. Never mind that any elderly person or parentsContinue reading “The Supply Chain Problem Many Don’t See”
The First Step is Always the Hardest
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” In building a supply chain, that single first step can be a doozy. When we construct a home or facility, the first thing we think we of doing is plan. Seek a site. Draft a layout. Determine our budget. Schedule the construction. But thatContinue reading “The First Step is Always the Hardest”
The Changing & Un-Changing Supply Chain
Since Keith Oliver and a Mr. Van ’t Hoff coined the phrase in the 1980s, supply chain management has evolved from an obscure middle-management responsibility to a high-echelon business priority. Supply chains had become hot topics in executive suites and business school lecture halls. At the same time, operations managers face endless enigmatic problems asContinue reading “The Changing & Un-Changing Supply Chain”
What’s the Big Deal About 300?
People celebrate milestones; I’m no exception. Birthdays, anniversaries, victories. We celebrate sentimental times and achievements. Sometimes, we play down some these things because whatever we’re celebrating doesn’t stand up to what others had done or had been awarded with. We compare notes; we look small; we decide not to make a big deal. I onceContinue reading “What’s the Big Deal About 300?”
Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s
A business owner asked me: how can I manage my company’s inventories more efficiently? The business owner imported soap, luggage, and cell phones, in short: assorted merchandise. He shipped in and kept hundreds of items in inventory, in which he had trouble keeping track. Sometimes he had too many items in storage or had tooContinue reading “Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s”
The Good Problem
The repairman sighed. No one called; there was nothing to do. The ad said it best: we make dependable appliances. That meant that the repairmen, even though employed and salaried, had no jobs pending. They were there just in case, nothing else. It was a lonely life, and the repairmen complained about the loneliness. ForContinue reading “The Good Problem”
The Need to Change the Supply Chain
When a parcel arrives at my doorstep, I see myself at the end of a supply chain process—a process which involved multiple operations from procurement, manufacturing, to logistics. But I could care less. What mattered is I got my parcel and the items I ordered. The individuals in the respective supply chain processes which enabledContinue reading “The Need to Change the Supply Chain”
Elements of Productivity
Our objectives stem from our business priorities, which usually consist of: How managers perform against objectives relative to meeting their business organisations’ priorities define their productivity. The mistake managers make is classifying productivity as a mere performance measure. As much as it does make visible how well the enterprise performs, productivity is more an attributeContinue reading “Elements of Productivity”
The Benefits of Management By Walking Around
Some of us may remember Management by Walking Around. It was a buzz phrase from the 1980’s, credited to Hewlett-Packard executives and made popular from the book, In Search of Excellence, by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman. Management by Walking Around (also known as Management by Wandering Around) or just MBWA for short, is essentiallyContinue reading “The Benefits of Management By Walking Around”
Ellery's Essays 