Strategic Cost Management

Nov 25, 2013

Student projects focus on supply management segmentation, risk analytics, and predictive cost models.

My MBA 541 students presented results from their projects this semester. One team on a project for Bayer Crop Science focused on supplier segementation methodologies – reviewing current Bayer methodologies,… 

Nov 23, 2013

28th SCRC Meeting to Focus on "Mapping Your Supply Chain Analytics Strategy"

Our upcoming 28th Semi-Annual Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC) Meeting will convene at noon on Monday, December 2nd and conclude Tuesday, December 3rd at 4:00 pm.  The Board of Advisors… 

Nov 15, 2013

Sourcing Analytics Combined with Relationship Management is Key for Automotive Suppliers

I spent some time visiting this week with Sensata in Aguascaliente Mexico.  Sensata is a major manufacturer of automotive sensors, with major customers such as Continental AG, BMW, Bosch, Nissan,… 

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 18, 2013

Another Fall semester brings a new batch of 50 SCRC company projects…

As we go into our 2013 fall semester, the SCRC team is pulling together the list of project summaries from our 15 corporate partners.  This is indeed a busy time… 

May 23, 2013

Why margin management is the 'talk of the town' in fast moving consumer product supply chains…

Recent discussions with consumer goods companies reveals that margin management is becoming an imperative that goes far beyond just taking out cost of goods sold, or using full truck loads… 

Apr 30, 2013

A Great Meeting – Insights on the Future of Procurement from BP, Caterpillar, Duke Energy, and others

We had a series of great presentations this week at the SCRC meeting. Bill Knittle from BP first presented his experience on building a supplier performance measurement system, and how… 

Mar 5, 2013

College grads – trouble finding a job? Think welding….

We recently worked on a study examining the market for pipeline construction services.  Across North America, projects like Keystone are only the beginning of growth for pipelines in oil and… 

Nov 12, 2012

Thinking About the Future Role of Procurement/Purchasing/Supply

The field of supply management has undergone quite a few changes over the past several years. Leaders in the field are always thinking about what the future of procurement will… 

Nov 2, 2012

Alcoa's Strategic Transformation

Klaus Kleinfeld, CEO of Alcoa, spoke recently at NC State’s Wells Fargo Executive Series. His informal open style went over very well with students. But make no mistake – beneath an…