Blog Archives

Wintry disruptions…again

Winter has come early to Europe this year. Very early. Snow has covered much of Europe that hasn’t seen snow in winter for years,with widespread ramifications for all sorts of transport.

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , ,

Volcanic ash cloud – really a surprise?

Icelandic civil aviation authorities have warned Europe for a long time about the potential consequences of a volcanic ash cloud, but no one took them seriously…perhaps we should have.

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , ,

Volcanic Ash Cloud Day 5

While it is fair to assume that volcanic eruptions are in the business continuity plans of most airlines, it is probably not so fair to assume that 5 days of sudden air traffic restrictions is in the business continuity plans of most companies reliant on frequent air travel.

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , , ,

Can we do without air traffic?

The German newspaper Die Welt has an interesting, semi-humorous article, looking at the possible impacts of a volcano scenario that lasts one week, one month and one year. Can we do without air traffic?

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , ,

Business continuity 101

This is the 3rd day with severe transportation and thus supply chain disruptions all over Europe, due to the volcanic ash clod from Iceland, forcing travellers, cargo shippers and logistics providers to seek alternative solutions. In essence this is a very practical lesson in business continuity.

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , , ,

Today’s transport disruption: volcanoes

Now Norway and much of Northern Europe are facing a major supply chain disruption: The shutdown of all air traffic because of a volcano eruption on Iceland. What will happen next?

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , ,

Happy Holidelays!

We rarely see news flashes of truck drivers stuck in snow, or perishable goods that has to be scrapped. That is not news that sells. What does sell are passengers and people, but should they really count so much?

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , , , ,

Airports – vital to supply chains?

Is the temporary shut-down of Bangkok’s two international airports important in a supply chain perspective? So far, the issue has been stranded tourists, maybe as many as 100000. Not only that, air freight will also be impacted, but why is this important?

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Oslo airport shut-down…lessons learned?

The airline industry is a highly competitive market and even established airlines like SAS have been forced to give in low-cost carriers and reduce their own prices. But slashing ticket prices often causes slashing service too, in order to keep expenses down. However, the long-term costs of loosing passenger loyalty compared to the short-term costs of dealing with an emergency cannot be underestimated.

Posted in THIS and THAT
Tags: , , , , , ,

ARTICLES and PAPERS
Are supply and demand elasticity a risk?
Why haven't I seen this paper before? And why is it not cited more often? It should. It is called Th[...]
Transport Network Disruption
Today is my last day at work as Researcher at Møreforsking Molde. It is a sad day, because I am leav[...]
BOOKS and BOOK CHAPTERS
The Handbook of Business Continuity Management
As I said in my post yesterday, Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM) has many similarities with Busin[...]
Book Review: Procurement Risk
"Do yo like living dangerously? Then you should read this book. It exposes you to over seventy types[...]
REPORTS and WHITEPAPERS
Supply Chain Security
Today's supply chains circle the globe and form the backbone of world trade and a are major factor i[...]
Infrastructure - essential for competitiveness?
Regular readers of this blog may have noticed my regular rants about the state of the Norwegian infr[...]
from HERE and THERE
Fastest path problems in dynamic transportation networks
This research essay and literature review investigates some of the gateways to path finding in stati[...]
Why we need to think the unthinkable
Immediately after September 11, 2001, "critical infrastructure" and "vulnerability" seemed to be the[...]