Walmart exclusive and innovative Inventory practices ..

Walmart logo ..

Walmart Logo - Save Money, Live Better .. What does this mean ?? Walmart's main focus was, is and always will be to sell products at low rates to help customers save money. Moreover the items sold are not cheap, they are high quality products which will help the customers lead better lives too.

Here are a few web links on Walmart's innovative inventory management practices that have helped them become not only the largest retailer of the world, but also the largest business conglomerate of the world.  

Walmart's succesful SCM (click here..) (Compulsory reading material for students)

Vendor Managed Inventory video ( click here)

Strategic Sourcing video (click here..)

Use of Technology video (click here..)

Shoplifting at Walmart, we have not heard much about it. Is it a major problem ?? Not yet. As is common with all other supermarkets and hyper marts, Walmart too has its own pilferage issues, which they are trying to solve partly by using technology by increasing surveillance.

We played an interesting Role Play game in the class. The students in five teams were asked to represent the different departments / areas from Walmart who were specialised in some of the top world-class INNOVATIVE inventory management practices like

1. Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI)
2. Strategic Sourcing,
3. Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP)
4. Extensive of Information technology systems (RFID etc.) and
5. Cross Docking. 

The students were representing Walmart team members who were to make a presentation / discussion with Ratan Tata representing Tata Sons at Walmart HQ in Arkansas convincing why Walmart should tie up with Tata instead of doing it alone in India in physical commerce.

Great words from Ratan Tata, the humble and simple
doyen of the Tata business empire ..

The earlier Walmart collaborator Bharti was a big disgrace for Walmart and Tata's collaborator Target has also not helped Tata progress the way it was meant to progress. That is when Tata and Walmart decided to have discussions and this brought Ratan Tata to Arkansas to Walmart HQ. The threat of Amazon in the electronic retailing space was very unsettling for both Tata and Walmart.Walmart had joined hands with Flipkart from India to handle Amazon in the electronic retailing space in India.

Ratan Tata interacted with each of the 5 teams on their specific world-class SCM strategies as to why Tata should resort to these strategies in India and how it would benefit Tata's Indian operations of Star Bazar, the physical commerce wing of Tata in India.

The students were very excited to meet the dynamic, energetic, handsome and flamboyant former Chairman of Tata Sons and we’re ready with answers to the questions asked by Ratan Tata. Ratan Tata has gone back to India convinced and confident with his interactions and with hopes that he will be able to start collaboration with Walmart in India. 

george..

E-Waste (Management and Handling) Rules 2011

Electronic waste, or e-waste, is a term for electronic products that have become unwanted, non-working or obsolete, and have essentially reached the end of their useful life. Because technology advances at such a high rate, many electronic devices become “trash” after a few short years of use

E-Waste (Management and Handling) rules 2011 says that the producer of electrical and electronic equipment shall be responsible for

1. collection of e-waste during the manufacture of the e-waste and channelising it for recycling or disposal 

2. the collection of e-waste from the end of life of the products in line with the principle of Extended Producer responsibility by registered collection agents authorised by the producer 

3. the arrangement of collection centres or take back points collectively or individually 

4. ensuring transparent financing and organising system to ensure the environmentally sound disposal of e-waste generated by the end of life activities of the product 

5. Providing address / contact details of authorised collection centres or help lines of the producer of electric and electronic product to customers to ensure safe disposal of products 

6. creating awareness by advts / posters on       a. information on hazardous constituents in the components       b. information on improper handling / damage / breakage and recycling        c. instructions on handling equipments after its use, along with DOs and DONTs..      d. affixing a clearly visible signal to prevent e-waste from being dropped in garbage bins means for other types of wastes 

7. Obtaining authorization from the concerned authority to handle such e-wastes 

8,. Maintaining records of e-waste handled and make it available for scrutiny

9. File annual returns by 30 June every year for the just finished financial year

 The following seven brands are top ranked for their effective e-waste management practices

1. Onida
2. Intex
3. Lenovo
4. Nokia
5. Canon India
6. Panasonic India
7. Sansui India

I am sure with such good rules and regulations in place, if we as a whole try to practice these rules, we can be sure of  a safe and secure environment for our children in the future.

george.

BPR links..

10 steps to BPR implementation  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yHbZkOslvj_sLTd5QZqqeGN1FbXLdF2scW4K53NUKdQ/edit?usp=sharing

BPR and Quality management  https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3P_fJFwJNOdV08zUFB0NzBSU1RHSW5wdzJZU1BMRTlDRVh3/view?usp=sharing

BPR case at Honeywell .. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3P_fJFwJNOdRVA0UndvVk1PLTA/view?usp=sharing

Why BPR ??  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AgadJCo7DeEosk1yAMiKG6KMStblPbN4m_7FOu1xdcs/edit?usp=sharing

Benchmarking in BPR   https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1tQjA3fFmx2uZFNRnBENdDyETtWNYmKSx7KM75VLhOtA/edit?usp=sharing

BPR steps and methodologies  https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kIY-07pGxMfFdgZeD-9FcR8FpZI-sx33VB-RuhoB2o0/edit?usp=sharing

What is BPR   https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11JStXkc1nVhHmkYhxaB7ABnJYbPokSSIKh0Kcn-Q7t0/edit?usp=sharing

Recycling Medical Wastes ..

What are medical wastes ?

The wastes generated at health care facilities, such as hospitals, physicians' offices, dental practices, blood banks, and veterinary hospitals/clinics, as well as medical research facilities and laboratories are called medical wastes. 

International symbol for biological hazard

Medical Wastes fall into four categories

1. General Medical waste - eg paper, files, plastics etc..

2. Infectious medical waste - surgical blades, blood soaked cotton, discarded body parts, used bandages, dressings etc..

3. Hazardous medical waste - chemotherapy drugs, thermometer mercury etc..

4. Radioactive medical waste - wastes from radioactive therapies, solvents, nuclear medicine therapies etc for cancer

Why can't medical wastes re handled like normal wastes ?

Courtesy - Apollo Hospitals

The presence of bacteria, infected sharp tools etc can cause damage to any body tissue which comes in contact with it. Also if not destroyed we are not sure into what all dangerous forms can bacteria morph into. 

The medical wastes first need to be sanitised and then disposed, mainly by an incineration process.. Needles, blades etc are put in a sharps container and then incinerated. 

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas and heat. Wikipedia

Aerobic incineration happens in the presence of oxygen and anaerobic incineration happens in the absence of oxygen.  Click here for video of an aerobic incinerator .. What happens inside an incinerator (click here )

Autoclave

Old (after a week), unused blood is transferred to a bio-disposal unit and then incinerated. Refrigerated blood can be kept up to six weeks. 

Autoclave is a pressure chamber used to carry out industrial processes requiring elevated temperature and pressure different from ambient air pressure. These are used for sterilising equipments and for treating and disposing wastes like blades, sharps etc before they are released into the outside world.

This gives a brief information of how medical wastes can be classified.

george..

The process of Recycling ..

What is Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Recycling?

Frequently we hear the word recycling and we hesitate, thinking a second before committing to anything. Long time back, recycling was not considered to be a safe and good practice, but over time it has been shown that with care and due diligence, we can indeed use recycled products and save the environment.

Recycling logo seen on products

.

There are three types of recycling, known as primary, secondary and tertiary. 

   1. Primary recycling means that the recyclable material/product is recovered and reused without being changed in any way and usually for the very same purpose. 

   2. Secondary recycling means that the material/product is reused in some other way without reprocessing 

   3. Tertiary recycling refers to a process that involves chemical altering of the 

material/product in order to make it reusable. www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk 

Examples of Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Recycling

Primary-

In order for the material/product to be classified as primary recycled, it mustn't be changed in any way. Primary recycling can be defined as secondhand use - reusing yourself, donating to a friend, family member or charity organisation, or/and selling. Using a second hand jeans bought from a roadside vendor.

Secondary-

Secondary recycling involves some sort of modification of the material/product without the use of chemical processes. Examples include cutting the plastic drinking water bottle into two parts and using one part as a pen stand or a flower vase, plant pot, cutting and reshaping various waste products to make arts and crafts, cutting envelopes into smaller pieces to use them as scrap paper, etc. Cutting a jeans at the knee so that it becomes a denim trouser.

Tertiary-.

If a material/product has been tertiary recycled it means it has been reprocessed either by a chemical process or heat. Examples include melting metals, chemically treating old paper and breaking down plastic bottles in order to make brand new products. Cutting open old jeans so that it can be used as a swabbing cloth.

Recycling bins colours in different countries

Tertiary recycling can be external or internal. 

     External recycling means that the recycled materials/products were recovered and reprocessed thanks to public participation - sorting waste and putting it in recycling bins to be collected and transferred to reprocessing facilities. 

     Internal recycling means that the materials/products were recovered without public participation, for example within factories and manufacturing facilities. www.recyclingconsortium.org.uk

As per Pollution Control Board in India (Haryana), the colours are as given here -

• Green for Biodegradable wastes, 
• Black for e-waste  (E-waste)
• Blue - plastics and metals   (Plastics and metals)

Danes use incinerators to handle all types of wastes (click here for video)

Incineration is a waste treatment process that involves the combustion of organic substances contained in waste materials. Incineration and other high-temperature waste treatment systems are described as "thermal treatment". Incineration of waste materials converts the waste into ash, flue gas and heat. Wikipedia.

In fact incineration can be considered as a fourth category of recycling called quaternary recycling where the plastics and other wastes are burnt to recover the heat from the process to product steam or to transfer it to a heat exchanger etc..

Manchester City Council of UK has comes up with a site that tells to what colour recycling bins to dump our waste (click here) and another one that tells us how these wastes can be recycled (click here).

www.kayalankadai(click here) is a reliable domestic waste collection website that collects wastes from the homes around Coimbatore and segregates them and recycles them.

www.kuppathotti.com (click here) and www.kachradabba.com (click here) are online waste collection services operating in Bangalore, Chennai and Pune that comes to your doorstep to collect domestic wastes and pays you for it as well.

Biogas :

Breaking down organic waste in the absence of oxygen produces a gas called as biogas. This gas can be used for cooking, heating purposes. www.biotech-india.org is a company that sells equipments..

Compost : 

Decomposing organic waste from homes etc in a pit mixed with soil, coir, peat etc produces organic manure which can be used as fertilizers for plants avoiding the use of chemical fertilizers. www.dailydump.org is an organisation that helps meet your composting needs and advice..

Sustainable packaging, need of the hour ..

The global packaging industry is worth $ 420 billion .. What is the result of this packaging, most of the time the packaging is just one time use. It is discarded and becomes an environmental burden.

The global packaging market is estimated to total US$ 424 billion with an annual growth rate of some 3.5 per cent. Europe accounts for US$ 127 billion(30%), North America for US$ 118 billion (28%), Asia for US$ 114 (27%), Central America for US$ 30billion (seven per cent) and other countries for US$ 30 billion (eight ... www.interpack.com

Most of the time we find packaging after serving its purpose of getting the product from point A to point B safe, sound and economically, is wasted. We believe the contents of the packaging have already been paid for by us and what we do with the packaging is totally now our lookout. Whether we use it beneficially for any high value purpose (upcycling) or just throw it around and waste it to be used in landfills etc. (downcycling) is completely our lookout..

This thought process is totally wrong. I was reading the article Green and Competitive by Micheal Porter and Class Van Der Linde in Harvard Business Review, Sept. Oct '95,(click here for the paper)  where in the issue of resource productivity has been discussed in detail. 

Packaging has three basic functions :

• It should be lightweight
• Recyclable - reusable and compostable and
• It should offer an enhanced barrier to the material protecting it from the environment impact like dust, dirt, moisture, evaporation, contamination, leakage, pilferage, water, atmosphere, breakage, insects etc..
  
• Product identification through labeling
• Provides convenience for transporting
• product promotion through the labeling 

If packaging is not upcycled, it becomes a burden on the environment.

Porter claims that pollution is basically inefficiency. How can we ensure that this inefficiency either from less developed or less innovative technology or immature uses  etc van be leveraged to get great value out of the product.

Organising a NO IMPACT WEEK ..

NO IMPACT WEEK - Points for guidance

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 offer a great promise to humanity to impact the environment in which he/she lives, Here are some steps that can be undertaken on your couch, inside the home, outside and home and at your workplace to benefit the environment. (click here for a United Nations pdf doc to the Lazy Man's guide to Save the Environment, pdf version). Some suggestiona that were advanced buy the students in the class is produced here..

1. 
   

   Switch off computer, laptop when not in use
   Make your money payments online or by card
   Buy online only from companies that have clear environmental protection policies
   Turn off lights, fans and projector when not in use
   Calculate your Carbon footprint ,.. (click here..)
   Share social media posts about
   Women’s rights b) Environmental protection c) Climate change
   Report on online bullies to administrators or authorities
   Ask local leaders and representatives to engage in sustainable activities
   Be properly informed by reading extensively and interacting with experts
   Publicise your environmental sustainability actions

   NO IMPACT WEEK - Points for guidance (from UN document)
   Couch Superstar
   1. Switch off computer, laptop when not in use
   2. Make your money payments online or by card
   3. Buy online only from companies that have clear environmental protection policies
   4. Turn off lights, fans and projector when not in use
   5. Calculate your Carbon footprint ,.. (click here..)
   6. Share social media posts about
   a. Women’s rights b) Environmental protection c) Climate change
   7. Report on online bullies to administrators or authorities
   8. Ask local leaders and representatives to engage in sustainable activities
   9. Be properly informed by reading extensively and interacting with experts
   10. Publicise your environmental sustainability actions
   Household Hero
   1. At home, while washing, ensure washing machine load is full and clothes are dried in the sun	1.
   2. Take short shower, better still collect water in a bucket and take bath.
   3. Eat less meat, poultry and fish, more of vegetables and locally available fruits
   4. Compost household wet waste / food scrap at home as green waste to the raddiwala
   5. Recycle paper, glass, plastic and aluminium before giving them to the raddiwala
   6. Buy food only with minimal packaging, so that you produce less waste
   7. Replace old electrical appliances with energy efficient models and filament light bulbs with LED.
   8. Extra food at home can be kept safely in the refrigerator to be used for the next day.
   9. Keep your rooms and premises clean and avoid use of chemical compounds / pesticides at home
   10. If your home is air-conditioned, plug all window and door leaks and keep the thermostat higher
   Neighbourhood Nice Guy
   1. Shop locally, not from a far off place, saving fuel and transportation. It helps local people and businesses too.
   2. While shopping for meat and seafood, shop only for sustainably grown meat and fish
   3. Bike, walk or take public BMTC buses when alone. Use cars only when there are more people.
   4. Use refillable water bottle and coffee cup
   5. Take clothbag while visiting the milk vendor or the shop
   6. Take fewer napkins before taking food
   7. If you can purchase from second-hand shops items for normal use - vintage items
   8. Donate what you don’t use, be it food, clothes, books, shoes or furniture, it can help someone.
   9. Take your dry waste to a point of safe collection and do not fritter away
   10. Take part in the democratic process in your community and help elect responsible leaders
   Exceptional Employee
   1. Give fruits / eatables you do not need to someone in need
   2. Ensure everyone in the organisation has access to good healthcare
   3. Mentor young people to a better future
   4. Ensure equal pay for equal efforts irrespective of gender, class, caste, colour, education
   5. Raise your voice against lack of proper sanitation in parts of the world
   6. Ensure your office uses energy efficient cooling and lighting equipments and technology
   7. Raise one’s voice against any discrimination at workplace to oneself or other employees
   8. Bike, walk or take public transport to work or shopping.
   9. Organise NO IMPACT WEEK in offices and neighbourhood to create awareness
   10. Ensure only grey water from kitchens and bathrooms are used for gardening