Featured Post from University of Florida

What it will take to overcome supply chain disruptions

May 9, 2023

2 min

Asoo Vakharia

The supply chain disruptions sparked by the pandemic highlight the need for behavioral shifts by both consumers and companies.


Asoo Vakharia, McClatchy Professor and director of the Supply Chain Center at UF’s Warrington College of Business, says supply chain disruptions are — and will continue to be — a way of life. But the degree of the turmoil experienced recently demonstrates the need for some change.


“Demand dropped so quickly and at such a high volume that it created a problem for us,” Vakharia said in an episode of the From Florida podcast.


Approximately 20% of imports to the United States come from Asia with the biggest share off-loaded in Los Angeles, followed by Long Beach, California. Those ports, along with other large centers, can accommodate the Ultra Large Vessels often used for trans-Pacific shipping. But they’ve been severely impacted by inflow/outflow imbalances caused by a range of factors including truck driver shortages and poor infrastructure.


In response, companies such as Amazon, have purchased smaller vessels that can access a larger number of smaller ports, including those that may require passage through the Panama Canal. The move will enable the commerce giant to side-step some of the bottlenecks slowing down larger ports, but it will also add to expense.


This is where Professor Vakharia says companies, and consumers, will need to make choices. He cautions companies to play the long game.


“Consumers have long memories and they will reward people who have a little bit of recognition of our conditions,” he said. And he says buyers should always be on the lookout for deals.


“There is lots of opportunity out there,” Vakharia said. “Maybe you won’t get the brand you want, but you will get a good brand. Let’s moderate our wants a little bit. Let’s think logically.”


Professor Vakharia also sees opportunity for Florida ports, with the caveat that the complexity of the issue will require significant planning — and investment. “We need to have an infrastructure, which is rail or trucks, which are going to visit these ports and take the goods away from them because otherwise we’re going to do the same thing as Long Beach.” The added expense of smaller ships will also need to be managed.



To hear more about the supply chain issues currently at play, and possible solutions for the future, listen to the episode on From Florida at this link.


Read the recent article that Professor Vakharia has been quoted in: 



Listen to other episodes in the "From Florida" series from the link below.


From Florida - A weekly Education podcast




Connect with:
Asoo Vakharia

Asoo Vakharia

Professor

Asoo Vakharia's research and areas of expertise include sustainability, channel selection, green product design and supply chains.

Information Systems and Operations ManagementSupply Chain ManagementEnvironmental OperationsGreen Product DesignSustainability

You might also like...

Check out some other posts from University of Florida

4 min

UF builds community resilience in Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside neighborhood

As the University of Florida continues to expand its presence in Jacksonville, Gators are undertaking sustainability projects to improve the city’s neighborhoods. Faculty and students in the College of Design, Construction and Planning’s Florida Institute for Built Environment Resilience (FIBER) have spent the past four years focusing on the role of housing design in community health resilience in Jacksonville’s Historic Eastside neighborhood, interviewing resident stakeholders and collaborating with citywide organizations that are helping to restore older homes. Findings from the UF research will be instrumental in informing future community planning and housing design decisions, potentially leading to more health-centered, sustainable neighborhoods. “Our research in Jacksonville focuses on how we can inform the development of community infrastructure that holistically supports human well-being across mental, emotional, and physical dimensions,” said Lisa Sundahl Platt, Ph.D., a FIBER research faculty member and an assistant professor of interior design at UF, who added that this holistic, health-centered approach is known as salutogenic design. “We are also actively collaborating with community organizations in Jacksonville and researchers from UF to explore improved strategies for designing and constructing community infrastructure that effectively responds to potential hazards.” A community-wide collaboration UF has conducted a pilot study over the past year on the Jacksonville-based Restore, Repair, and Resilience (R3) initiative that is underway in Historic Eastside – surveying residents about how the design quality of their housing and surrounding environments affects their overall well-being. This interdisciplinary project has brought together FIBER and members of the R3 Group – a coalition of organizations that includes the JEA utility company, LIFT JAX (committed to eradicating generational poverty), the Historic Eastside Community Development Corporation, the United Way of Northeast Florida, and Local Initiatives Support Corporation Jacksonville. FIBER-led research has received ongoing support from the Florida Resilient Cities grant, which is funded by the Jessie Ball duPont Fund. The scope of the R3 project is being scaled up through a U.S. Department of Energy grant awarded through JEA, which will allow for an expansion of home revitalization efforts in Eastside Jacksonville. FIBER’s ongoing housing and health community action research on these efforts will be supported through a grant from the LS3P Foundation. “Many residences we evaluated need help with improvements to housing energy efficiency, building ventilation, building shell structural integrity, and materiality,” Platt said. “For example, underperforming flooring material can create potential trip hazards for older adults. Deterioration in interior materials, caused by degrading components of the building envelope, can also lead to mold and mildew growth in interior environments, which can contribute to poor interior environmental quality issues and acute and chronic health conditions.” Respiratory health issues are often caused by material and ventilation design failures, which can affect people of all ages, especially vulnerable populations such as children and older adults. Oftentimes, interior designers see that the environmental risks that compromise human well-being are coming from both the outside and inside of the buildings. “As we continue to address priorities, our focus extends beyond energy and building efficiency to encompass comprehensive factors of built environment resilience that impact overall community health and well-being,” Platt said. “There's still significant progress to be made in the design of sustainable housing that supports community salutogenic health." Keeping residents safe and healthy UF research has continued to prove that interior resilience for living environments plays a vital role in people’s mental and physical health. “People spend roughly 90% of their time indoors, so it is important to understand the types of design conditions and materials that we’re putting into spaces and how they can affect the occupants of those living in said spaces,” said UF student Milena Rodriguez Mendez, who is one of Platt’s graduate research assistants. Students like Mendez are using qualitative and quantitative research methods to engage in collaborative community-led research that includes academics, for-profit organizations, nonprofits, citizen scientists, and neighborhood stakeholders. “I aim to center my work on social justice and equity, and I believe this initiative represents a meaningful step in that direction,” Mendez said. “Our focus is on the residents of this vibrant yet at-risk community.” FIBER researcher Jason von Meding added, “We want to know how future housing policies can address some future health concerns. We have a lot of youth in the community that are participating, which I think is important.” The FIBER housing and health team is actively pursuing additional funding to expand this research, in collaboration with UF Health Jacksonville’s Department of Community Engagement. “Our goal is to develop an open-source online platform that disseminates lessons learned and proof-of-concept findings on the impact of regenerative housing design on human and ecological health,” Platt said. “This resource will be valuable for other cities and neighborhoods facing similar challenges in housing quality, affordability, and accessibility.” Looking to know more about this project or connect with Lisa Platt? Simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

2 min

Simple display changes in grocery stores could cut food waste while boosting profits

New research from the University of Florida suggests that supermarkets could significantly reduce food waste while increasing their profits through smarter product display and pricing strategies. The study found that retailers could cut food waste by more than 20% while increasing profits by 6% on average. “It’s rare to find solutions that benefit both business and the environment, but this appears to be one of them,” said Amy Pan, study co-author and associate professor at the UF Warrington College of Business. “Our findings highlight that strategically selling older products alongside fresh ones can simultaneously boost profits and minimize waste by leveraging the right product display, discounting rate and discount time.” The findings provide crucial insight into a growing global challenge. Recent estimates suggest that 17% of global food production goes to waste, with retail accounting for 13% of that waste. In the United States alone, up to 40% of food produced is wasted, while one in eight Americans faces food insecurity. The researchers identified two effective strategies for retailers, depending on the predictability of store traffic. When store traffic is predictable, the researchers find two optimal solutions: Unsold products are swapped with a new batch when the current products are due to be replaced, so that there is only one batch on shelves at a time Newer batch products are displayed on shelves alongside older products that are sold at a discount In contrast, when store traffic isn’t predictable, the product display depends on the characteristics of the product, store and consumers. Specifically, the researchers find: For products that spoil quickly and have a low disposal cost, like fresh pastries, the best approach is to remove unsold items when new stock arrives However, for items with longer shelf lives and high disposal cost, like dairy products, stores can sell older items at discounted prices at the front of shelves while keeping fresher items at their full price on the back of shelves Even stores that prefer not to discount their products can benefit from simply optimizing their display strategies. The study found that thoughtful product placement alone can significantly improve profits while reducing waste. The researchers emphasize that while their findings focus on retail-level waste, the benefits extend throughout the supply chain. Farmers benefit from increased orders, retailers save money by reducing waste and consumers get more affordable access to healthy food options. “What’s particularly exciting about these findings is that everyone wins,” Pan said. “Retailers make more money, consumers get more affordable options and we reduce the environmental impact of food waste.” Looking to know more about this topic or connect with Amy Pan?  Simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

2 min

Florida needs veterinarians trained to respond to natural disasters. Congress can help.

When Hurricane Helene struck, we were on the frontlines in Florida’s Big Bend region, racing against time to support the Humane Society as they rescued animals displaced by the most powerful storm ever to hit this part of the state. Two weeks later, we were back in action, facing the devastating flooding from Hurricane Milton. These back-to-back disasters showcased the urgency and critical need for emergency-response veterinarians who can act fast to save lives. We lead one of the nation’s only three emergency veterinary response teams — the University of Florida Veterinary Emergency Treatment Service (UF VETS). Founded after the 2004 hurricane season and operating under the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, the UF VETS program hosts two distinct, yet complementary, branches: a medical response unit for disaster-affected animals and an animal technical rescue branch, which manages complex operations like overturned livestock trailers. Larry Garcia specializes in veterinary disaster preparedness and response, animal technical rescue/training and shelter medicine operations. View his profile here Our team is on call whenever disaster strikes, working alongside local and state veterinary organizations, animal rescues and law enforcement to save animals in crisis. But here’s the problem: Without a nationwide system for coordinating these efforts, it’s often chaotic, and animals suffer because of it. Now Congress has a golden opportunity to change that. As they return to Washington, they have the chance to make a game-changing impact by including funding in the final FY 2025 Homeland Security Appropriations bill to create a nationwide network of veterinary emergency teams. This funding could revolutionize how the U.S. handles animal care during national disasters — and it needs to happen, fast. Read more ... Looking to know more about this important topic or connect with Lawrence Garcia - simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.

View all posts
Powered by