In July 2018, Amir Bell was heading the Operational Excellence (OpEx) team for the Light Duty Pickup Truck Seat Cost Reduction program at General Motors (GM). GM had decided to launch the new full-size truck program in 2019 at assembly plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico. To increase profits, GM sought to decrease costs in the manufacturing process. At the time, GM enjoyed a long-term tier-1 supplier relationship with Skübi Automotive North America LLC (Skübi) for its truck seats. Skübi’s facility in Indiana could not fully support the seat assembly for the new truck program, but Skübi did have capacity at its plant in Ohio, and so it approached GM about moving all or some of the new truck seat production. However, GM had investigated some additional cost-saving opportunities. GM could contract directly with tier-2 suppliers (directed buy) for some parts and negotiate volume pricing, though these arrangements could harm relations with long-time supplier Skübi. Alternatively, GM could assume the risk of raw material cost fluctuations by entering material indexing contracts with its directed-buy suppliers. Bell needed to analyze these alternatives and their related risks, and choose the most cost-effective option for GM.
In July 2018, Amir Bell was heading the Operational Excellence (OpEx) team for the Light Duty Pickup Truck Seat Cost Reduction program at General Motors (GM). GM had decided to launch the new full-size truck program in 2019 at assembly plants in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Silao, Mexico. To increase profits, GM sought to decrease costs in the manufacturing process. At the time, GM enjoyed a long-term tier-1 supplier relationship with Skübi Automotive North America LLC (Skübi) for its truck seats. Skübi's facility in Indiana could not fully support the seat assembly for the new truck program, but Skübi did have capacity at its plant in Ohio, and so it approached GM about moving all or some of the new truck seat production. However, GM had investigated some additional cost-saving opportunities. GM could contract directly with tier-2 suppliers (directed buy) for some parts and negotiate volume pricing, though these arrangements could harm relations with long-time supplier Skübi. Alternatively, GM could assume the risk of raw material cost fluctuations by entering material indexing contracts with its directed-buy suppliers. Bell needed to analyze these alternatives and their related risks, and choose the most cost-effective option for GM.
In early 2021, an investor wanted to invest in Bitcoin. However, because of the high volatility of the currency, she wanted to know when to buy and sell Bitcoin to avoid the price fluctuations caused by various short-term phenomena. Her main objective was to generate the maximum profit possible based on the moving average strategy. How could she use this strategy to profit from Bitcoin’s price movement?
In early 2021, an investor wanted to invest in Bitcoin. However, because of the high volatility of the currency, she wanted to know when to buy and sell Bitcoin to avoid the price fluctuations caused by various short-term phenomena. Her main objective was to generate the maximum profit possible based on the moving average strategy. How could she use this strategy to profit from Bitcoin's price movement?