The Supply Chain Notebook

An all out battle with fish is taking place in the states surrounding Great Lakes and in Canada. Extreme measures are taken to stop Asian carp from entering the waters of Great Lakes which can have a huge detrimental effect on the ecosystem and the fishing industry. Interestingly enough the problem is completely man made.  

Auto sales were one of the first hit by the economic crisis in 2009 and even such well known for their quality brands like Toyota and Honda were not exempt. The only company out of the top 5 car manufacturers not to follow this trend is Hyundai Motor, a company that only few years ago was mainly known for its so-so but affordable cars. The mere fact that Hyundai is in the top 5 speaks volumes about their commitment to succeed and to quality in particular.

Buying a new laptop is always a roller coaster for me. The typical cycle has been between 3 to 5 years and the changes in technology during these breaks always made me work to make the next right decision. Being in the software business I had the opportunity to use a whole array of different brands and configurations although admittedly never got to use Apple iBook. But the story I wanted to share with you today is the amazing rise of Acer that seem to be everywhere these days.

If you are an entrepreneur or you just like to read about technology you probably read a book “Crossing the chasm” by Geoffrey Moore. For me it was a real eye opener and helped me understand the way people adapt to new technologies. In many cases such technologies are very disruptive to the existing paradigms, which is why it typically takes a lot to cross from initial early adopters to the mainstream use. In one of its latest issues of 2009 Business Week wrote about technology innovators and Bloom Energy stood up for me.

As a Motortrend subscriber I am carefully watching the on-going debate about the infrastructure required to sustain major changes in the car technology. Whether we are talking about fuel cell, hydrogen or battery based electric vehicles the supporting infrastructure was always the main obstacle. Project Better Place, another company started in Israel, introduces new approach that effectively addresses this issue.