What with the aerospace industry’s constant growth and innovation of new technologies, it is imperative to have top-notch supply chain logistical management.  This can refer to both airplane companies and spacecraft alike.

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As seen in the graph above, the market for just international passengers has risen drastically in the last decade, which has prompted constant reevaluation of operation and logistical management in order to stay efficient and timely as air traffic rises 4.5% annually.

Third party logistical advisers are called upon frequently by airline companies to supply efficient analysis and recommendations to maintain the logistical chain. For instance, if one were to look at simple airline travel, several key resources are crucial to have on time and in the right quantity to facilitate timeliness. Those would be: tools and resources for airplane maintenance, airplane fuel and the airplanes themselves, and perhaps uniquely, labour.

Airline labour is particularly unique compared to other industries. They are equal rate limiting steps to capital; the airplane cannot take off or deliver passengers without all personnel on board and in the tower. Therefore personnel management as a factor of logistics is imperative for functioning. Time tables, scheduling, and transportation are key.

From an operational point of view, as the airline industry is a services industry as opposed to a goods one, the key products and metrics are maintaining a steady supply of maintenance and fuel equipment. The stakes are also relatively high for these supplements as they’re expensive alongside being needed in a timely fashion. In goods industries, timeliness of goods are necessary to meet demand, but occasionally a delay will not temper demand within a reasonable time frame. Oppositely, no sales can be made in services industries without the maintenance equipment present.

The operations and logistics of aerospace industries is vast compared to smaller companies. Punctuality is of the utmost importance and equipment must be perfect, as customers are relying on their airline for safety. Spacecraft travel adds an entirely new layer of consistently updating technology as discoveries and innovations are made, and organising the management of resources and products could change at any time.

American department store Sears has announced its closing of all  Canadian stores, which currently employs 12000 Canadians across 74 locations.

The blame for the end of Sears in Canada changes based on who you ask. Joanne McNeish, marketing professor at the University of Toronto, stated that Sears “squandered” its assets in Canada, while on the other hand fault has to be pointed to the staggering growth of Amazon , which supplies many of the same goods that department stores used to.

Amazon forecast: Source

In fact, department stores as a whole may be under siege thanks to the growth of internet shopping. Other companies like JC Penney, and Macy’s are also struggling. Richard George, Food Marketing professor at St. Joseph’s University advises department stores to adopt an “omnichannel” approach.

The definition of omnichannel is: “a seamless customer experience” in any fashion they’re shopping in. In other words, from the moment a customer begins to consider a purchase of an item, to the evaluation of the success of their purchase, the store supplies a seamless support system to guide them on their way and become a necessity rather than a luxury. George believes that the only way the growingly obsolete sector of stores can survive in the increasingly diverse internet shopping age is to integrate themselves into the entire shopping experience to the consumer.

In my opinion, it may already be too late to achieve this. Unless the department store supplies a unique experience or offer, like Costco does with their low bulk prices, then there are already present better, faster, more convenient, and cheaper options available on the world wide web.

This is thanks to how the change in consumer behaviour relative to how it was in the past. In the height of department stores’ success, they were a one stop shop for people looking for a variety of items. Nowadays, customers have a better idea of what they want, and are more likely to enter online or brick and mortar stores with a clear need rather than general browsing. This may be a major factor in the damage to department stores, which saw huge profits off of impulse purchases.

In short, other department stores like Sears will have to drastically shift their value proposition and internal mindset in order to keep their heads above water in the information age.