Facilities in the Supply Chain

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”

Strategic Planning as Problem Solving: Why Not?

We sometimes create problems more than we encounter them. A large conglomerate builds a huge packaging facility in the outskirts of Manila.  When I visited the plant, I asked the operations manager why such a big facility was built? “We built the facility to attract customers,” the operations managers said.     “So, it was built,Continue reading “Strategic Planning as Problem Solving: Why Not?”

The Pros & Cons of Trigger-Dependent Systems

I complained to the Philippines’ Department of Trade & Industry (DTI) that a mobile phone seller didn’t honour the terms of a promotion in which I was entitled to a PhP 3,000 allowance to buy smartphone accessories.  The DTI responded that I have to fill out a form before the department would respond.  No form,Continue reading “The Pros & Cons of Trigger-Dependent Systems”

Non-Moving Inventories: The Supply Chain’s Elephant in the Room

The phrase, “elephant in the room,” is said to have originated from a fable by Ivan Krylov that tells about “a man who goes to a museum and notices all sorts of tiny things, but fails to notice an elephant.”  It has become a favourite expression for an obvious problem or issue that for someContinue reading “Non-Moving Inventories: The Supply Chain’s Elephant in the Room”