Inventory Management

Aug 25, 2016

Nike’s Global E-Commerce Distribution Center in Leuven Belgium

I had the opportunity to accompany a group of executives from Anheuser Busch Inbev on a tour of Nike’s global distribution facility in Leuven Belgium this week. Shipments arrive from Nike’s…

Jan 21, 2016

Nike partnership with Flex producing innovation coupled with digitization

I spent the last two days meeting with members of the Global Supply Chain and Manufacturing team at Nike, in Beaverton, Oregon. Nike has developed a partnership with NC State’s…

Nov 26, 2015

Black Friday isn't What it Used to Be…E-Commerce has Changed the Landscape

As retailers prepare for “Black Friday”, what used to be the “biggest shopping day of the year” (the day after Thanksgiving), expectations are actually rather low. A reporter on CNN…

Apr 22, 2015

EMC runs a lean operation: Playing hockey with doughnut holes

I had the opportunity to visit EMC’s manufacturing facility in Apex, NC this afternoon. Brent Taylor, who I met the week before at Procurement Leader’s, took me on a tour…

Feb 26, 2015

Omni-Channel Supply Chains Are Changing Everything You Ever Learned in School…

A senior executive from a large global manufacturer came to speak in my MBA class this week, and discussed the major shifts in global business that was occurring due to…

Nov 11, 2014

Retail Analytics Systems Still Need a Human Touch

As more data becomes available in the grocery and retail environment, organizations are re-thinking their supply chain processes to drive increased automation, improved performance, and increased inventory turns. They are…

May 5, 2014

Winning Student Posters Focus on Visibility, Total Cost of Ownership, and Procurement Processes

We had another great set of student projects during our Spring SCRC student poster session. Students presented a total of 26 projects, including both practicum projects from our undergraduates, our…

Feb 12, 2014

Local Food Systems Insights from the Front Lines: It's About the People!

Sebastian Naskarkis learned more about the ins and outs of produce quality inspections than he ever dreamed. Sebastian is a first year MBA student and NC Growing Together Research Fellow…

Nov 6, 2013

UPS Executive Shares Insights on Total Cost of Ownership in the Electronics Supply Chain

Ken Torok came to my class on Monday evening, and provided a delightful discussion on total cost of ownership. The class was focused on building and developing cost models, both…

Aug 28, 2013

Vendor Managed Inventory? Think twice and consider the risks!

Historically, businesses have used one of two extremes for inventory management: push-based or pull-based. Push-based inventory management uses demand forecast to manage inventory and replenish from the supply base. Pull-based inventory…