A Summary by Charles Chase, Executive Advisor/Thought Leader/Author/Speaker

April 30, 2026

I’m proud to close out another challenging yet incredibly rewarding semester serving as a faculty advisor in partnership with Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. Each semester brings a new set of complex, real‑world supply chain problems, and watching students rise to the occasion, growing their analytical skills, confidence, and professional readiness, remains one of the most fulfilling parts of my work. Grateful for the continued collaboration with Toshiba and for the opportunity to help guide the next generation of supply chain analytics leaders.

This semester I had the privilege of working with an exceptional MBA Practicum student team who delivered a robust, repeatable Python‑based demand forecasting solution for our client.

Our student team, Vicente Martinez, Marina Essa, Zain Majeed, and Sandra Von Canon, designed and built a comprehensive demand forecasting application that significantly elevates the client’s analytical capabilities. Their solution incorporates:

• Automatic outlier detection using mean‑based filtering to refine historical demand.
• Product chaining logic to seamlessly link demand history from phased‑out items to their replacements.
• Univariate and multivariate modeling utilizing traditional time‑series, predictive, and machine‑learning models.
• In‑sample and out‑of‑sample training and testing for rigorous model evaluation.
• Automated multicollinearity filtering to strengthen model reliability while maintaining model integrity.
• Expanded performance metrics and graphical outputs to support interpretation and decision‑making.

To ensure long‑term adoption, the team also produced a clear, standardized operational manual to guide the transition of the solution to the Toshiba demand planning team”

“The student team’s work showcases the force of AI applied learning, technically formidable, executed with precision, and delivering immediate, tangible impact for industry partners.“

A special thank you to professor Donnie Hale who provided the student team with foundational Python code from prior analytics projects, which the students were able to build upon to create a repeatable demand forecasting framework.

One of the biggest contributors of course was also the Toshiba team, notably Alekhyaa Chowdary, Christopher Kidd, Aleksandra Afanasyeva, Mark McClure, Bob Myers and Staci Beck, who partnering with the team and provided valuable industry perspective.

Here is more information about the NC State University Supply Chain Resource Cooperative.

As part of NC State’s Poole College of Management, the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative is a unique, industry-university partnership dedicated to advancing the supply chain industry and the professionalism of its practitioners. The SCRC provides support, services, and programs to benefit three overlapping constituent groups: supply chain management students, supply chain thought leaders and corporate partners from diverse businesses and industries to create a full circle of impact, innovation, and real-world solutions. Businesses tap into the value and resources of NC State, and students gain knowledge and experience to prepare for the workforce.

To learn more about the SCRC, download our SCRC Brochure (PDF).