Tag: supply chain

  • MIT offers 2,000 free online courses, here are 7 of the best ones

    MIT offers 2,000 free online courses, here are 7 of the best ones

    The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The institute currently offers 2000 free online courses with different time durations. You can do them online, so all you need is good access to the internet.

    In these online courses, MIT is offering courses that are the essential need of every learner and can be seen as life changers for those who take part in the courses. Entrepreneurship, art and craft, machine learning, coding, and programming are included in the modules.

    MIT wants to spread knowledge and encourage new ideas, and these courses help them do that. They let people from all walks of life learn from top MIT professors and explore the latest research and subjects.

    MIT’s free online courses are great for lifelong learning and personal growth. They give you the freedom to learn at your own pace and choose what you want to study. You can fit your learning around your schedule, whether you’re working, taking care of your family, or doing other things. The online format makes it easy for everyone to join in and learn, no matter where they are. MIT is using technology to make education accessible and exciting for everyone.

    Here are the 7 Best of the 2000 courses offered my MIT

    1. MIT’s Introduction to Computer Science and programming using python

    Time Duration: 9 weeks

    If you want to learn about computer skills and programming and you have the nose to learn the skilled languages, this course is for you. This introductory course focuses on breadth rather than depth; you will learn about Python, simple algorithms, testing and debugging, and data structures. You’ll also get an informal introduction to algorithm complexity.

    1. Becoming an Entrepreneur

    Time Duration: 6 weeks

    Learn the business skills and startup mindset needed to embark on your entrepreneurial path from the premier program for aspiring entrepreneurs, MIT Launch.

    1. Design Thinking for Leading and Learning

    Time Duration: 6 weeks (self-paced)

    A hands-on course for education leaders to learn about design thinking and explore how it can transform classroom learning and school communities.

    1. Art, Craft, Science

    Time Duration: NA

    Also through MIT OpenCourseWare, students can examine crafts or, artworks that are created to be used as well as viewed through historical, theoretical, and anthropological lenses. Professor Heather Paxson examines the historical and contemporary creation, consumption, commodification, and value of crafts. Ultimately, students should be able to apply the same tools to form and articulate their own ideas about crafts.

    1. Supply Chain Analytics

    Time Duration: 15 weeks

    Master and apply the core methodologies used in supply chain analysis and modeling, including statistics, regression, optimization and probability – part of the MITx Supply Chain Management MicroMasters Credential.

    1. Block Chain and Money

    Time Duration: NA

    This course is for students wishing to explore blockchain technology’s potential use—by entrepreneurs and incumbents—to change the world of money and finance. The course begins with a review of Bitcoin and an understanding of the commercial, technical, and public policy fundamentals of blockchain technology, distributed ledgers, and smart contracts. The class then continues on to current and potential blockchain applications in the financial sector.

    1. Machine Learning with Python

    Time Duration: 14 weeks

    An in-depth introduction to the field of machine learning, from linear models to deep learning and reinforcement learning, through hands-on Python projects. — Part of the MITx MicroMasters program in Statistics and Data Science.

  • Toyota IMC announces shutdown of production plant once again due to parts shortage

    Toyota IMC announces shutdown of production plant once again due to parts shortage

    Indus Motor Company Limited (INDU), the company known for assembling and selling Toyota-brand vehicles in Pakistan, has announced the temporary shutdown of its production plant from March 24 to March 27 due to raw material and component shortages.

    In a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), Indus Motor cited difficulties in opening Letters of Credit (LCs) for raw materials by banks, which have caused a disruption in the supply chain of the company and its vendors.

    As a result, the company is unable to continue its production activities due to insufficient inventory levels. This is the second time this year that Indus Motor has announced the shutdown of its plant, with the first being from February 1 to February 14 due to an inventory shortage.

    The CEO of Indus Motor, Ali Asghar Jamali, had previously acknowledged the challenges facing the local auto industry, including the restrictions on Completely Knocked Down (CKD) kits, which have resulted in manufacturers operating at only 40-45 per cent of their capacity.

    The auto industry in Pakistan is heavily reliant on imports and has been affected by the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) restrictions on the opening of LCs, following a sharp depreciation of the rupee.

    The SBP has imposed restrictions on imports due to the country’s low foreign exchange reserves, which has resulted in operational hindrances for many industries, including the auto sector.

    Although the SBP withdrew import restrictions in January, many industries are still struggling due to the dollar shortage.

  • Pakistan has ample fuel stocks available: PSO denies reports of petrol, diesel shortage

    Pakistan State Oil (PSO) on Friday denied all the rumours about the shortage of fuel reserves and said that there is ample stock of petroleum products in the country.

    The Ministry of Energy and Oil & Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), according to the PSO spokesman, is keeping an eye on the general situation regarding product availability by other oil marketing companies to ensure that the nation’s supply chain is maintained smoothly.

    He claimed that PSO would continue to supply the nation with petroleum products on an uninterrupted basis, that there is enough gasoline and diesel in the country, and that 80,000MT and 90,000MT, respectively, of each have arrived at Karachi Port.

    According to the OGRA spokesperson, local oil marketing firms and refineries are also working to meet the demand for petroleum products.

    The Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) requested last week that the federal government step in right away to guarantee the prompt issuing of lines of credit to import petroleum products in order to prevent a fuel scarcity in the nation.

    On behalf of oil marketing companies (OMCs) and refineries, the OCAC sent a letter outlining the difficulties resulting from the opening of letters of credit (LCs) for the import of petroleum products being delayed.

    There haven’t been many oil shipment cancellations as a result of the LCs being closed.

    Mogas, High-Speed Diesel (HSD), and 650,000 MT of crude oil must all be imported into Pakistan on a monthly basis for a total cost of about $1.3 billion.

  • Workers protest, beaten at biggest iPhone factory in China

    Workers protest, beaten at biggest iPhone factory in China

    Workers at the world’s biggest Apple iPhone factory were beaten and detained in protests over pay amid anti-virus controls, as tensions mounted over Chinese efforts to combat a renewed rise in infections.

    Hundreds of workers may be seen marching down a road in daylight in videos posted on Weibo and Twitter that AFP has confirmed. Some of the workers are being confronted by riot police and those wearing hazmat suits.

    A man with blood on his face was shown in a nighttime video as someone off-camera yelled, “They’re striking people, hitting people. Do they possess morals? Geolocation data that displayed recognisable features, such as a building and barricades close to staff housing on the factory compound, helped AFP verify that video in part.

    In another video, testing booths for Covid-19 were destroyed, and a car was on its side.

    In one daytime video, a loudspeaker could be heard stating, “All workers kindly return to their lodging, do not mix with a small minority of unlawful elements,” as multiple fire trucks were parked near residential buildings and were encircled by police wearing hazmat suits.

    Wide swaths of the population in China have grown weary and resentful as a result of the country’s relentless zero-Covid policy; some have spent weeks being locked up in industries and universities or unable to leave their homes.

    By Wednesday noon, the Weibo hashtag “Foxconn riots” appeared to be blocked, but some text posts discussing extensive demonstrations at the factory were still accessible.

    Requests for comment on the most recent unrest from AFP went unanswered from Foxconn or Apple.

    In the place of the fleeing workers, the firm has offered large bonuses and other incentives for employees who stayed as the local government bussed in fresh labourers in a bid to keep the factory afloat.

    Apple this month admitted the lockdown had “temporarily impacted” production ahead of the holiday season at the Zhengzhou factory, the Taiwanese company’s crown jewel that churns out iPhones in quantities not seen anywhere else.

    Foxconn is China’s biggest private sector employer, with over a million people working across the country in about 30 factories and research institutes.

    China is the last major economy wedded to a strategy of extinguishing Covid outbreaks as they emerge, imposing lockdowns, mass testing and lengthy quarantines despite the widespread disruption to businesses and international supply chains.

    The policy has sparked sporadic protests throughout China, with residents taking to the street in several major Chinese cities to vent their anger against snap lockdowns and business closures.

  • OCAC warns of petrol supply shortages due to roadblocks

    OCAC warns of petrol supply shortages due to roadblocks

    Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) said that oil marketing companies are supplying fuel to retailers but the deliveries are being slowed owing to road blockages in Punjab’s major cities, which could affect deliveries to filling stations.

    It warned provincial authorities in Punjab that the road blockades have severed connectivity between major cities and neighboring areas, affecting fuel supplies inside the province.

    The Oil Companies Advisory Council affirmed that there are sufficient stockpiles of gasoline products throughout the country, including depots in Punjab.

    It also highlighted fears about the current scenario of roadblocks and the rumoured assumption of minimal stocks spreading on numerous platforms and asked the public to refrain from panic buying. Despite the roadblocks, there are enough stockpiles of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) in Punjab, and OMCs are constantly working to restock retail outlets on time.

    OCAC expressed its concerns to the Chief Secretary of Punjab, requesting the local administration’s assistance in ensuring the safe and secure transit of tankers from different depots to different petrol outlets across the province till the scenario stabilizes.