Note, complete access to my blogs and job postings requires MEMBERSHIP ($25 lifetime)…
- Free View Sample: Does your resume make it obvious that you know how to solve problems?
Click below (ARCHIVES) for most current and complete list of posts and blogs:
Posts (see ARCHIVES for previous Posts)
My students agree…Most Gen
Zers ‘would not work five days a week in an office,’ researcher says, (BUT
money is still the most important thing! Scheduling flexibility is #2)
These companies have
paused hiring or laid off employees. Tesla workers who started their jobs only
months or even weeks ago have been let go while others have had offers
withdrawn (is that reneging?).
I am getting a lot of
questions from my students about how Gartner decides on the Top 25 SCM orgs. I
said, it’s complicated & no one appears to really know the exact details. I
think I understand the basics, but here is a great read on just how complicated
it is (from 2021):
Did you know that 80% of
the global goods trade is transported over sea? FYI: COSCO Shipping (#4 on
list) is China’s state-owned shipping company. For context, Chinese state-owned
enterprises have ownership stakes in terminals at five U.S. ports.
Almost 40% of the world’s
supply is controlled by Chinese firms. This week: Congress approved $280B for
the semiconductor industry. FYI: The largest “fabless” semiconductor orgs are
American (HQ’s in California).
New York Fed launches
global supply chain pressure index (the gov has lots of public data). Published
on a monthly basis, this index integrates transportation cost data and
manufacturing indicators to provide a gauge of global supply chain conditions.
Look closely. I think I
understand this. AMERICA (not Saudi Arabia) makes more oil per day than any
other country (by far!). Here’s the problem, we consume more oil than we make
(around -2M barrels/day). Also, that non-American oil is cheaper than American
oil for Americans!
Gartner 2022: U.S. SCM
undergrads finding their first jobs are earning $1,600 more/yr than in 2020.
While the avg starting salary is $61,769, grads from top 10 programs can expect
around $65K.
Artificial intelligence
will have the greatest impact on the supply chain industry through 2025. I
agree with Gartner (in general) & I think most SCM managers would agree (in
general). One thing often not mentioned is the attitude of the hiring managers.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/08/03/3548/
See pages 20/22 below for
a little bit of supply chain data. There is better data & more details in
the links following…Salaries:
If you look at this
2020-2030 job growth chart closely, all things supply chain related scored VERY
well (i.e., operations & logistics). Basically, we are going to see 20-30%
growth in SCM jobs over the next decade.
Notice the first stage in
the Semiconductor Supply Chain: DESIGN (that is mostly U.S. companies). The
largest “fabless” semiconductor orgs are American (HQ’s in California –
Qualcomm, NVIDIA, Broadcom, AMD, etc.).
I have a former student
who went on to become a technology consultant & I asked him: if a company
wanted to get started with using RPA, where & how should they begin in
general?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/08/03/3540/
Has Price Analysis become
a lost art? Aside from the precious metals, every other commodity managed
double-digit increases. U.S. suppliers’ price increases picked up (11.3%!) in
June & remained near historic highs. Producer-level inflation showed an
11.3% annual rate, 7th straight month of double-digit gains.
If the region surrounding
the Great Lakes was its own country, it would be the 3rd largest economy in the
world with a GDP of > $6 trillion. Some speculate that Michigan might become
the center of the universe because we are roughly 21% of the world’s surface
freshwater.
After a few thousand
students, I would say this is the #1 reason my students change jobs (it’s their
boss). Money becomes a factor when they can make > 20% elsewhere. FYI: WMU
students can major in Leadership (however, they have to have another major also,
make sense?).
Most college students do
the bulk of their electronic communication via text messaging. Standards for
emailing are different, especially in academic settings. Students’ emails WILL
100% influence the way their professors view them.
To Improve the Supply
Chain, Put Women in Charge of Logistics & Women Can Lead The Way Through
Supply Chain Challenges-The Women in Supply Chain Survey by Gartner, and
AWESOME, showed the highest % of women in SCM since the first edition of the
survey in 2016.
My students are getting
worried about the job market because they are hearing about this recession.
Yes, recessions tend to be very bad for college grads. However…
Only 22.7% of U.S. high
school students are guaranteed to receive a personal finance education. FYI:
Michigan recently addressed this (a little, kind of). Note: It is ½ of 1
credit.
“2018” supply chain salary
summary (see below from ISM). The salaries in “2022” are up (but I would have
guessed WAY more 4 years later)…See 2018 (well before covid):
10 Supply Chain Trends to
Watch for in 2022 (and beyond): #1. Advanced analytics. Do Supply Chain pros do
a lot of coding?
More salary data…CIPS
Procurement Salary Guide 2022 reveals a 7.4% avg salary increase & the avg
salary for all procurement & SCM pros in North America was $111,278.
Great read by Laura Cecere
at Supply Chain Insights. Notice, only “3” orgs from the Gartner Top 25 make
her Supply Chains to Admire list.
For my friends across the
pond: CIPS 2022 Salary data for UK & rest of Europe. As often is the case,
Europe & America have more in common than differences.
Over time, more companies
are choosing to draw from their SCM team when they are looking to fill the CFO
role. Therefore, a background in SCM is the perfect preparation for a CFO
career path–& possibly even the job of CEO.
Parents: 93% of 2020-21
WMU graduates are employed or continuing education.
Supply chain professionals
need to have a solid educational background to perform in today’s challenging
circumstances. This is raising the bar for colleges and professors working hard
to educate the next generation of supply chain leaders.
In this Supply Chain Now
interview, host Scott Luton is joined by Dr. Sime Curkovic, Professor of Supply
Chain at Western Michigan University, and two students: Madison Dober a junior
at WMU and Alexandra Henson, a senior.
My advice: if you want to
get on the Gartner list, then make sure you really understand the financial
analysis criteria (which I consider short & dated) & build
“relationships” w/ the people associated with this process (it’s a network).
Feedback from former
students in actual consulting jobs after graduation…
College Students: these
links are filled with amazing job search & career fair preparation resources…Virtual
job fairs and interviews resource guide:
Suppliers, ready to help
(they buy > $50B from you)? “Everything is on the table…If we’re going to
take out $3B over the next 2-3 yrs …Ford CEO: automaker needs ‘totally
different talent’ to meet goals…We don’t have that talent at Ford.”
Oh America, Oh Michigan
(#1, thank you Canada?). Each American produces 1,700 pounds of waste/yr,
making America the world’s most wasteful country (12% of world’s trash, 4% of
global population?!).
Random Career Advice
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/08/03/random-career-advice/
Note, this was right
before Covid (Jan/2020): Top Risks to Global Economy in 2020: Dominated by
Environmental (Climate/Weather) Factors. Obviously no mention of pandemics…and
the Supply Chain.
My students love pictures
(and so do I). I asked my students which country has the largest economy in the
world? The majority guessed NOT America. Ugghh (see picture below). America: 4%
of the global population accounts for 25% of earth’s economic output (GDP)?
Our SCM students told us
many times that their hiring managers valued only the traditional Excel
capabilities (lookup functions, pivot tables, etc.), & they greatly
overlooked the opportunities from other analytical solutions (that our students
have!). For example, our data mining class is essentially a machine learning
class for business, which is the core of AI.
A few days ago: Ford’s CEO
says carmaker has ‘too many people’ amid reports it plans to cut 8,000 jobs in
push to fund EV expansion – and now in YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP — it will be
investing $160M into the Rawsonville Plant as part of its efforts to invest $2
billion across Michigan.
Pay attention to what matters most- not
rankings!…especially at the undergraduate level.
37 pages of salary data…
Should college grads negotiate a higher starting salary?
The Future of SCM:
Predictive Analytics ranked #2!
This is interesting from
Gartner. I posted this to get feedback from a few colleagues. It proceeded to
get > 54K views (no idea why).
“There isn’t enough young
people working in supply chain”…Note, there are not enough young people in
general.
42 pages of salary data,
the trend is good. On avg, SCM & logistics pros are making $126,215 in
2022, an increase from $112,779 in 2021, on par w/ 2020’s avg of
$126,475.
Has Strategic Cost Mgmt
(i.e., Price Analysis) become a lost art? Will you be ready when your supplier
asks for a price increase?
Students who choose to
specialize in their education are having better experiences than those who stay
generalist.
Reading List: A great book
read for CFO types that want to understand SCM types (or the other way
around?):
I love it when lawyers
talk about Supply Chain Management: It never hurts to think like a lawyer. That
is why we make our students take a customized legal course.
Supply chain sage says
stakeholders are wishing for return to normal that won’t happen. Notice the
solution – “Digitized Supply Chains”. Can we get all the VP’s of SCM in one
room & figure this out?
College Students: Do NOT
round up your GPAs, use a post script on your phones for email replies, take
your email signatures VERY seriously, & use keywords on your resume.
This is how Harvard thinks
you should negotiate an internship or job offer (not bad). Do I think students
should negotiate an INTERNSHIP or FULL-TIME offer (i.e., a higher salary)?
Big companies rescinding
job offers to recruits. Ugghh, this comes after I just lectured my students on
not reneging.
Artificial intelligence
can help manage the supply chain. So what’s the delay? The needed technology
exists, but it’s not being used.
There are surprisingly few
“great” books on family business & succession. Many show up on Amazon, but
I have found them to mostly repeat the basics that I think are laid out well in
the following 3 books.
This is an Adjunct
Professor job posting…Compensation: standard compensation for most undergrad
courses is $2,200 per 8-week course & $2,500 for most 10-week grad courses.
What if you are a student
that wishes to learn both Power BI and Tableau, but your instructor only covers
one?
Gartner SCM rankings: “The
top 10-15 supply chain programs are crowded & expensive. Consider others,
even beyond the Top 25.”
Python or R for Supply Chain
professionals? There are only 500,000 unfilled SCM Data Science jobs on
LinkedIn (only, sarcasm). All data scientists stress the importance of Python
in analytics programs.
Here are the states/cities
where employers are required to disclose salary ranges during the hiring
process & More pay transparency laws could be coming…
Microsoft to Nearly Double
Salary Budgets, Expand Stock Compensation and Microsoft will become first major
US employer to post job salaries
Uyghur Forced Labor
Prevention Act. This is a very good quick read from a SCM perspective. My quick
take (notice how I use words like “might”):
Charlie Munger: ‘Every
time you hear ‘EBITDA’ substitute it with ‘bull**** earnings”. Every business
manager w/ advancement aspirations should watch this & teach themselves to
understand it (it can be self-taught). I will be walking my students through
it.
Kalamazoo Ranks #1 in the
Nation for Lowest Cost of Living, 2022. Kalamazoo also ranked as one of six
Michigan cities as best places to live according to U.S. News & World
Report.
The Bad Actors of OEM
Procurement. “When sending out a request for quote (RFQ), original equipment
manufacturers have the option of soliciting bids either on individual parts or
parts packages as a whole.”
International Students
majoring in Business Analytics at WMU can get a 3-year visa extension for their
OPTs. Why is the U.S. doing this? Answer:
FYI, we make every
business major take FIN 3200 (& I think every business major should learn
how to talk to a CFO):
Gartner Announces Rankings
of the 2022 North American Supply Chain Undergraduate University Programs
*University of Arkansas defends pole position, University of Tennessee, and
University of South Carolina complete Top 3.
Big companies rescinding
job offers to recruits. Ugghh, this comes out a week after I just lectured my
students on not reneging. Thank you Corporate America for setting a great
example.
I just find it disturbing
(if true per the slide below) that America has one of the highest inflation
rates in the world?!
Lean Talent Wins Over Six
Sigma Skills. Why does lean remain so popular, & is the demise of Six Sigma
approaching?
Last month I had a student
ask me why don’t all those shipping containers have smart phones attached to
them? I said I am very certain some do. He asked what percentage have that?
Most Gen Zers ‘would not work five days
a week in an office,’ researcher says, (BUT money is still the most important
thing! Scheduling flexibility is #2) see:
I have asked a lot of SCM
managers how they “prepare” to negotiate price increase requests from their
suppliers.Many said their suppliers provide that information. I am not
convinced that using data from your suppliers is a form of “Preparation” for
the negotiation process.
College Students: Do NOT
round up your GPAs, use a post script on your phones for email replies, take
your email signatures VERY seriously, & use keywords on your resume.
There is no shortage of
books critical of business schools. The titles leave little doubt about how
much disdain the authors have for the schools meant to prepare future leaders
in business.
Salaries in SCM are going
up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other
fields.
10 college majors that
earn the most money. Doesn’t #2 (& #6) sound like “Supply Chain Management
+ Engineering”?
Great read: people want
more money & rewarding work (not paperwork). “Stressed-Out Supply Chain
Managers Are Throwing in the Towel”
Supply chains top CFO
business risk concerns: “#1 – raw material costs” Strategic Cost Management
(i.e., Price Analysis) has become a lost art…
Let’s stop saying America
does not making anything anymore (not even close to true). America makes more
stuff than ever. U.S. Manufactures approx. 20% of World’s Output (we are only
4% of global population)
That darn MBA degree still
has a great ROI!…“Over their lifetime, an MBA graduate can expect to earn $3
million more than someone with only a bachelor’s degree, according to GMAC.”
When is the right time for grad school?
Predictive Analytics
ranked #2! Here is an example of a F500 firm (Kellogg’s) that has full time SCM
roles but also requires VERY strong Data Analytics skills (they love Tableau).
Newer Supply Chain Salary
Data. Avg salary $144,017 (2021: $131,771):
How to effectively join
LinkedIn. I have former students that found new jobs & they were not even
looking! Yes, aggressive orgs found them via LI. Some firms w/ a market cap of
> $1T do this often. Interviewing tools:
Some employers are giving
students 3 days to make decisions on full time job offers several months before
graduation? One student asked if that was ethical or even legal. Exploding job
offers & do you want a full time job to begin in a job rotation?
The semi-conductor supply
chain arguably powers the entire global economy (certainly the digital
economy). This was a great interview about a complicated far reaching topic,
but I needed help visualizing it and this one really helped (sometimes I need
pictures):
Dear Industry: If you want
more super talented female supply chain professionals, then invest in SCM
programs.
Explanation on Single
Sourcing versus 70/30 Split I had a student email me with this work situation.
How would you handle this situation?…
People love salary data
(me too). “The demand for logistics talent has never been greater. The low
unemployment rate has created a supply/demand imbalance, spurring employers to
raise salaries in a bid to attract and retain top talent.
Procurement 101:
Explanation on Commodities (Are computer chips still commodities? I think it
depends on how you buy them).
Tesla workers who started
their jobs only months or even weeks ago have been let go while others have had
offers withdrawn (is that reneging?)
A few students out there
have asked: How can SCM impact the bottom line? No other major has a greater
impact on what goes into the ROI calculation.
“They paint a picture of
an industry with stellar opportunities, including a median salary for supply
chain professionals of $86K, 38% above the national number, & a typical
starting salary for industry newcomers of $60K.”
As a buyer, you have every
legal right to say you want a “cost breakdown” of the price they gave you.
Let’s say you have a supplier and you are starting to get the vibe that you are
overpaying. What can you do? You could ask them for a cost break down.
A 401(k) for a New College
Grad? Yes! Please watch this if you want career mobility & financial
independence in your 40s & beyond.
“After the recruiting
process, I received 7 offers…$ in SCM are going up & avg $10-20K higher
than entry-level positions in other fields…There are more jobs for supply chain
professionals than there are candidates.”
Read this for
perspective…”Consider supply chains: In Deloitte’s latest survey of chief
procurement officers, only 15% said they could see into their second- and
third-tier suppliers.
Let’s stop saying America
does not making anything anymore (not even close to true). “Tier-1 is the
global technological innovation center, currently dominated by AMERICA…
Would you recommend using
Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) or Consignment Inventory (CI)? I recently had a
student ask me this question (I struggled w/ it)…
Is Supply Chain Management
a Core Competency for your employer (ask that during an interview)?
See “2021” Salary Career
Report Vs. “2022” https://lnkd.in/gtYC5Cnw. ASCM’s 2022 Salary and Career
Report Shows Minimal Impact from the Great Resignation, High Job Satisfaction…
I talked to a group of high schoolers
(& their parents) that were thinking about majoring in supply chain. Two
common questions were: what do SCM classes look like & who hires WMU ISM
grads (see below)?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/06/22/3324/
Based on the May 2022 PMI,
I am NOT betting against the American economy. Pre-covid, the U.S. economy grew
131 months in a row! Current streak = 24 months & May 2022 PMI = 56.1%!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/06/22/3322/
FYI: America still makes a
lot of stuff. U.S. Manufactures approx. 20% of World’s Output (we are only 4%
of global population); China makes 28% (they passed the U.S. in 2012ish). So, 2
countries make almost ½ the world’s stuff.
See Page 15 of the Gartner
report on how to best recruit SCM talent. For me, the most important part was
on Page 16: “The top 10-15 supply chain programs are crowded and expensive.
Consider others, even beyond the Top 25.”
This video is a classic
& could still be used as a powerful Lean teaching tool. Yes, WMU SCM
students get Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified…
FMK + ISM = Multiple Job
Offers (i.e., Stryker, J & J, Kellogg’s, Hormel, Pepsi, Coca-Cola, etc.).
WMU FMK & WMU ISM: Ranked Top 10
Google’s “Interview
Warmup” asks practice job interview questions, then gives feedback on your
spoken answers. If you can’t practice w/ another human for an upcoming job
interview, Google has a new solution: Talk to its computer.
The industrial sector
(factories) uses more delivered energy than any other end-use sector, consuming
about 54% of the world’s total delivered energy. Also, CO2 emissions: China is
30% of global total, U.S. is 15%. Again, close to ½ from two countries.
FYI: This is how Harvard
thinks you should negotiate an internship or job offer (not bad). Do I think
students should negotiate an INTERNSHIP or FULL-TIME offer (i.e., a higher
salary)?
Students who choose to
specialize are having better experiences than those who stay generalist. They
also found that professors have the most influence on major.
The WMU graduate
certificate in business analytics – The curriculum is comprised of 4 HANDS-ON
(best way to learn IMHO) courses that focus on major business analytics skills
& applications w/ emphasis on data understanding & statistics, data
visualization, data mining and predictive analytics, and databases.
I hope this does not hurt
university enrollment: GM drops 4-year degree requirement for many jobs, will
focus on skills. Hmmm. Note, the data also says Education boosts earning power…
Average salary by education 2022:
Only (sarcasm) 26,000
unfilled SCM Finance jobs on LinkedIn. WMU M.S. in Finance info session. Earn
more with a Master of Science in Finance in one year.
Just in case you missed
it: Microsoft will become first major US employer to post job salaries. There
appears to be an appetite for posted salaries!
Here is an example of a
F500 firm (Kellogg’s) that has full time SCM roles but also requires VERY
strong Data Analytics skills. That is why the WMU SCM program teaches Big Data
w/ skill sets such as:
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/06/21/3293/
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Western
Michigan University’s integrated supply management program recently ranked No.
14 on national researcher Gartner’s list of Top 25 U.S. Supply Chain
Undergraduate Programs.
Students are getting lots
of job offers…In U.S., 28% accepted a job offer & reneged! 70% of grads are
willing to renege? Reneging: Once you commit, quit!
Why small orgs have the
happiest employees. I have a former supply chain student that works for a very
small company. He does everything on the slide below.
Do you know what your
brand is? Become the Nike swoosh of your life! Most students & even
managers put little effort into developing & promoting their brand. How
about a personal SWOT analysis? For details on how to build your brand (with a
workbook):…
You ever notice how a
supply chain education always seems to have the bases covered when it comes to
job security? “For those looking to future proof their careers, building
competencies in areas that machines will be unlikely to tackle effectively
(i.e. complex problem solving, creativity) is likely the best recipe for
success.”
I meet a lot of people
involved in family owned businesses & they often ask me for material on
succession. I reached out to my colleagues in this space & here is some of
their recommended reading.
Top 25 Undergrad Supply
Chain Programs vs College Football Preseason Top 25. OK, this is a silly post.
However, I assumed there would be a lot of overlap between the Top 25 SCM
schools vs the Top 25 Football schools (only 4 schools on both lists).
America has one of the
highest inflation rates in the world right now?!
Supply chains top CFO
business risk concerns: “#1 – raw material costs” It seems like Strategic Cost
Management (i.e., Price Analysis) has become a lost art.
Top 10 Wealthiest
Countries. A majority of the world’s wealth is concentrated in just a few
countries. In fact, 1/3 of household wealth is held by Americans (4% of global
population) & around 25% of total global economic activity & output
(GDP) is America.
Detroit Ranked No. 1
(globally?!) Emerging Startup Ecosystem &…Ford’s $2 billion investment will
bring 3,200 jobs to Michigan. & MI to compete as U.S. mfg capitol w/ new
center. Backed by the World Economic Forum, it is the first of its kind in
America.
“…most companies’ planning
processes are functional, slow and labour-intensive, and that Excel is still
the most widely used planning tool.” That is VERY consistent w/ the feedback I
get from former students. Predictive Data Analytics (Excel on steroids): I get
this kind of feedback all the time…
“Start-up investors are
warning of dark days ahead as boom times are unambiguously over.” I have so
many former students that are with start-ups, some of which are in their very
early stages (i.e., no customers, negative cash flow, etc.).
Just in case you missed
it: Microsoft will become first major US employer to post job salaries.
2022 salaries are up across the board.
Avg salary $144,017 (2021: $131,771)
Surprised by raw material
price increases? Procurement orgs need processes & “tools” to mitigate
& negotiate on these requests in a strategic, data-driven manner
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/surprised-by-raw-material-price-increases/
Both Gates & Buffett
make a point to read every day. People that read a lot make way more $ (2.3
times more?!).
WMU is now offering a
category mgmt training & certification program for students &
professionals in the consumer packaged goods industry.
Will future Supply Chain
managers need to become consultants to their own org?
Yes, WMU SCM students can
be Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt certified..
In honor of Earth Day, I
pulled this out of my archives.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/in-honor-of-earth-day-i-pulled-this-out-of-my-archives/
“Over their lifetime, an
MBA graduate can expect to earn $3 million more than someone with only a
bachelor’s degree, according to GMAC.” When is the right time for grad school?
Is a law degree a good fit
for supply chain managers? FYI: > 50% of the World’s Lawyers are American
(we are 4% of the global population)!
10 college majors that
earn the most money Doesn’t #2 (& #6) sound like “Supply Chain Management +
Engineering”?
College Accounting to me
feels like Supply Chain Finance.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/college-accounting-to-me-feels-like-supply-chain-finance/
I have some students
making final decisions on job offers & some are asking if college grads
should negotiate a higher starting salary.
Help with online
interviews & interviewing with robots (it is AI/machine learning
technology)
Noteworthy statistics
about women in the workplace:
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/noteworthy-statistics-about-women-in-the-workplace/
I am only slightly tired
of explaining to EVERYONE I meet what is wrong with the global supply chain.
It was my pleasure to work
with Ecuador’s supply chain leaders as we are in it together
Getting hit with a price
increase? SCM Managers & CFOs & our students love this cloud platform!
If you combine these,
Supply Chain is the jobs category w/ the greatest 1 month increase:
“There isn’t enough young
people working in supply chain”
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/there-isnt-enough-young-people-working-in-supply-chain/
SCM Data Scientist
(>170,000 unfilled jobs on LinkedIn!)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/05/09/scm-data-scientist-170000-unfilled-jobs-on-linkedin/
Hundreds of internships & jobs that employers are having a hard time filling…
Free, digital guide to help w/ analysis on which degrees are likely to lead to hefty salaries & which can be debt traps.
Should college grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)?
Americans are the most anxious negotiators? Why?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/03/25/americans-are-the-most-anxious-negotiators-why/
FYI: International Students majoring in Business Analytics at WMU can get a 3-year visa extension for their OPTs.
SCM Data Scientist (171K jobs on LinkedIn!), Does your school teach this (we do)?
11 trendy things we are doing in the WMU ISM supply chain program…
“Salaries in SCM are going up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields.” Quickest way to six figures? Answer: SCM
“The salaries of Associate Professor Supply Chain Management in the US range from $136,000 to $204,000 , with a median salary of $170,000 .”
Even though ‘Supply chain’ makes Lake Superior State University’s list of banned terms for 2022
I have had several people ask me about “Industry 4.0” or “Supply Chain 4.0” or “Digitization” of the Supply Chain
Supply Chain Management (SCM) + New Product Development (NPD) = The Future of Competitive Advantage
WMU Job Placement Data (Broncos get jobs, they like their jobs, & they earn)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/02/02/2977/
Resume & Cover Letter Guide – Thank you WMU for 112 pages of great resume ideas & career resources.
Just in case you have not noticed, there is an economic building boom going on at WMU & Kzoo – Can Kzoo Lure New Factories?
The Haworth College of Business has been recognized as a “best business school” by The Princeton Review
If you want to specialize in data & become a Supply Chain Analyst (25,000 jobs on LinkedIn) / Supply Chain Data Scientist (171,000 jobs on LinkedIn – that’s all), Python is a must-have skill.
Here is an astounding fact – readers make more money – a lot more! It’s true.
This great student got this great job. He majored in “Supply Chain” & minored in “Business Data Analytics” & “Accounting”. Note, college accounting to me is SCM Finance (a hugely important skill set for your long term advancement opportunities).
The WMU ISM program has teamed up with several firms to provide every student w/ a remote work experience. >200 projects since 2008.
“Forget Finance. SCM Is the Pandemic Era’s Must-Have MBA Degree”. I also have MBA ROI data below.
Note, I think the MBA route requires careful thought. More MBA data below…
Sarcasm: “Only” 113,000 unfilled jobs in Indirect Procurement on LinkedIn, & > 4,000 MRO Buyer jobs not filled.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2022/01/14/2949/
The salaries of Associate Professor SCM in the US range from $136K to $204K, with a median salary of $170K. The middle 67% of Associate Professor SCM makes $170K, with the top 67% making $204K.
Even though ‘Supply chain’ makes Lake Superior State University’s list of banned terms for 2022, the placement success & starting salaries for WMU ISM is off the charts.
Great read on reshoring MFG back to the U.S. How about Kalamazoo?
I repeatedly said a huge part of Industry 4.0 will be taking all the “manual” processes that exist & “automating” them using “technology” so that they get done better, faster, & cheaper.
I am not a fan of exploding job offers, but they are perfectly legal & employers think it works…
“Supply Chain” + “Data Analytics” = jobs and $$. In our CIS 3640 class we focus on three major areas:
I returned to Face to Face teaching on Sept. 6th & I am so grateful
Anaconda + Jupyter Notebook + Python + visualization libraries
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/12/17/anaconda-jupyter-notebook-python-visualization-libraries/
Is a law degree a good fit for my supply chain students?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/12/17/2912/
There are > 4,000 MRO Buyer jobs on LinkedIn not filled
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/12/17/there-are-4000-mro-buyer-jobs-on-linkedin-not-filled/
There are > 35,000 jobs on LinkedIn not filled which have these words in the job title and/or job description
The placement success of the WMU Integrated Supply Management Program continues to be off the chart
Do you know how to use Power BI or Tableau? Which does your company use? Is it mainstream? Do not be a victim of technology.
In U.S., 28% accepted a job offer & reneged! 70% of grads are willing to renege?
Why was the WMU ISM supply chain program ranked 2nd in SCM technology by SoftwareAdvice?
Creative Payment Terms & Buyer-Supplier Financing
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/11/19/creative-payment-terms-buyer-supplier-financing/
Your future boss will read stuff like this & it happens monthly
One page cheat sheet on Negotiation 101 (also, Apple basically manages 9 suppliers)
Three supply chain orgs you can join (ISMworld.org for $35 & CSCMP.org for $40 & ASCM.org for free!)
WMU ISM students continue to get virtual professional work experience during covid
Please share with a high schooler or young college student trying to decide on a major.
*List of Fall 2021/Summer 2022 SCM internships, salary data, job interview preparation, etc.
- Will technology replace supply chain jobs?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/will-technology-replace-supply-chain-jobs/
- ROI and Your Core Competency (i.e., SCM?)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/roi-and-your-core-competency-i-e-scm/
- Advice on getting a Ph.D. in business (i.e., SCM – any desire to be a college professor)?
- Notice what happens to salaries as you get certified and get a graduate degree…
- How much Python do I need to know in order to excel in supply chain data analytics?
- If a company wanted to get started with using Robotic Process Automation (RPA), where and how should they begin?
- Will I have to learn and do a lot of coding in SCM? Answer: No, but…
- What technology classes should I take?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/what-technology-classes-should-i-take/
- How important are engineering skills in Supply Chain Management? Can you talk to engineers?
- Another student question: What subjects are required in supply chain management?
- Question from a student: I am thinking of doing dual major in marketing and supply chain management? What do you think about the combination?
- Reneging: Once you commit, quit!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/30/reneging-once-you-commit-quit/
- Feedback from former student on consulting jobs after graduation…
- What do Supply Chain internships pay (and they all pay, never work for free)…
- Here is some advice from SCM majors if you take a CAD class (that way you can talk to engineers at work)
- These stats came out from ISM Supply Chain Weekly (you get this if you join ISM.ws)
- What is MRO? It is a type of indirect cost. Great career path!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/what-is-mro-it-is-a-type-of-indirect-cost-great-career-path/
- Assume a supplier estimates the following costs on an RFQ
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/assume-a-supplier-estimates-the-following-costs-on-an-rfq/
- dd/mm/yyyy or dd.mm.yyyy (day, month, year)? Don’t screw this up at work!
- Where did the middle-class go? Is it SCM’s fault?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/where-did-the-middle-class-go-is-it-scms-fault/
- Supply Chain Management Jobs in the Government
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/supply-chain-management-jobs-in-the-government/
- Do you know what this means? 2/10 net 30 (now employers want you to be Finaciers!!??)
- Purchase Orders and Advanced Contract Management (now they expect you to be lawyers??!!)
- Would you recommend using Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) or Consignment Inventory (CI)?
- Should SCM professionals learn ArcGIS Pro?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/should-scm-professionals-learn-arcgis-pro/
- Knowledge that employers expect you to have
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/knowledge-that-employers-expect-you-to-have/
- Global Sourcing 101 (where should you buy from?)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/global-sourcing-101-where-should-you-buy-from/
- What does it mean to be hollow? Sourcing Strategy matters!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/what-does-it-mean-to-be-hollow-sourcing-strategy-matters/
- U.S. Leads World in Productivity…how many paid vacation days do you expect w/ your first SCM job?
- More supply chain trends and trivia questions
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/more-supply-chain-trends-and-trivia-questions/
- U.S. Manufactures 20% of World’s Output (we are only 4% of global population)
- This could change the world forever (and it is from WMU, not MIT, so stop wearing MIT shirts on campus)
- Do you know how to use Power BI or Tableau? Do not be a victim of technology.
- One of our ISM alumni put this video together on supply chain risk management for you
- Drugs & if you have a criminal record or plan on having one…
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/drugs-if-you-have-a-criminal-record-or-plan-on-having-one/
- Perhaps delay graduation for work experience? Being job ready in the covid market and beyond.
- Do you know what your brand is? How about a personal SWOT analysis?
- SCM Trends and Trivia
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/scm-trends-and-trivia/
- Sustainability from the perspective of a Supply Chain professor (me)
- The New Economy and Supply Chain Management in a Global Market
- Multinational Management 101 and Supply Chain Management
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/multinational-management-101-and-supply-chain-management/
- Do you understand exchange rates and how it impacts SCM?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/do-you-understand-exchange-rates-and-how-it-impacts-scm/
- Are you ready for all the acronyms in your field?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/are-you-ready-for-all-the-acronyms-in-your-field/
- The 3PL/4PL Industry is the Land of Opportunity
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/the-3pl-4pl-industry-is-the-land-of-opportunity/
- Do you want a full time job to begin in a job rotation?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/do-you-want-a-full-time-job-to-begin-in-a-job-rotation/
- Your future boss will read stuff like this & it happens monthly: The ISM PMI MFG Index
- I have had several students ask me about Industry 4.0 or Supply Chain or Digitization of the Supply Chain
- The Covid Job Market for College Grads
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/the-covid-job-market-for-college-grads/
- Negotiating a job offer
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/negotiating-a-job-offer/
- A 401(k) for a New College Grad? Yes!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/a-401k-for-a-new-college-grad-yes/
- Should you brag about your school if you have something to brag about? Yes, if it is related to your major and you suspect that most people might not know.
- Is your degree from an accredited college? Does it matter?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/is-your-degree-from-an-accredited-college-does-it-matter/
- Female SCM students and professionals (the opportunities are endless)
- UC Berkeley’s Fastest-Growing Class Is Data Science 101 (Negotiation just passed Data Science at WMU)
- This means your major is very very very important…Tomorrow’s CEOs Will Come from an Unlikely Place: The Supply Chain
- Will Bitcoin be a part of your career?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/will-bitcoin-be-a-part-of-your-career/
- The most reprinted article in the history of the Harvard Business Review (HBR): The “Core Competence” Article
- As a buyer, you have every legal right to say you want a “cost breakdown” of the price they gave you
- Clarification on 3PL versus 4PL (this is a huge job market)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/clarification-on-3pl-versus-4pl-this-is-a-huge-job-market/
- Help with online interviews and interviewing with robots (it is AI/machine learning technology)
- Explanation on Single Sourcing versus 70/30 Split
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/explanation-on-single-sourcing-versus-70-30-split/
- Take a Global Negotiation class & work on your public speaking
- Please introduce yourself to me via video in 45-60 seconds (your elevator speech)…I make students do this every semester.
- Procurement 101: Explanation on Commodities
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/procurement-101-explanation-on-commodities/
- Do not underestimate the power of a professional email signature
- How should companies use competitive bidding (think long-term)?
- My background & why I am obsessed with your success…
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/my-background-why-i-am-obsessed-with-your-success/
- Supply Chain Factoids
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/supply-chain-factoids/
- How do companies outsource strategically?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/how-do-companies-outsource-strategically/
- People that read a lot make way more money (2.3 times more?!!!!)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/people-that-read-a-lot-make-way-more-money-2-3-times-more/
- SCM Resume Keywords Ideas/Action Verbs for your resume
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/resume-keywords-ideas-action-verbs-for-your-resume/
- I have way too many students failing their first interviews because they were not ready for STAR. Practice, practice, practice.
- Quickest way to six figures (supply chain management?!)
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/quickest-way-to-six-figures-supply-chain-management/
- How can SCM impact the bottom line?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/04/29/how-can-scm-impact-the-bottom-line/
- Supply chain certifications: I make my students do this during the first week of class
- Predictive Data Analytics (Excel on steroids): I get this kind of feedback all the time
- Business Analytics (these classes are very important $ – close to half of our SCM majors are BA minors, why?)
- How to Effectively join LinkedIn, it would mean a lot to me if you connected with me
- How to set up the post script on your smart phones for email replies
- Three supply chain orgs you can join (ISM.ws for $35 & CSCMP.org for $40 & ASCM.org)
- Business analytics addresses an increasing demand in organizations of all types
- The primary elements for sourcing a supply partner
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/the-primary-elements-for-sourcing-a-supply-partner/
- The New Product Design Process and Design for Environment
- Robust Payment Terms and Creative Buyer-Supplier Financing
- Why Your Supplier Data Management Strategy is Key to Company Agility
- ISO 14000 as a Means of Achieving a Competitive Advantage
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/iso-14000-as-a-means-of-achieving-a-competitive-advantage/
- Investigating the Linkage Between Total Quality Management & Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing
- Why are U.S. Firms Becoming Socially Responsible & Sustainable (or aren’t they)?
- Identifying the Factors for Successfully Managing Supply Chain Risks
- The Relationship between Quality and Business Performance: It is not super obvious
- THE DIRECT & INDIRECT EFFECTS OF QUALITY-RELATED ACTION PROGRAMS ON PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES
- An Examination of Supply Chain Quality Assurance
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/an-examination-of-supply-chain-quality-assurance/
- The Contribution of Manufacturing Technology Suppliers
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/the-contribution-of-manufacturing-technology-suppliers/
- Using FMEA for Supply Chain Risk Management
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/using-fmea-for-supply-chain-risk-management/
- Corporate Strategy’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks in SCM
- The Supply Chain Management Organization’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks
- Process Management’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks in SCM
- IT’s critical impact on the predisposition and progress toward managing risks in SCM
- Successful Supply Chain Risk Management Programs
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/successful-supply-chain-risk-management-programs/
- Indirect Procurement: A new global industry standard
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/05/03/indirect-procurement-a-new-global-industry-standard/
- What sort of code of ethics should you hold yourself to?
Very recently added:
Trust me, this is an exceptional read for Supply Chain students, professors, & managers (from Bloomberg)
The August 2021 Manufacturing PMI® registered 59.9% (that means American mfg cranked out more stuff than the previous month).
When it comes to the career readiness of WMU ISM students, our long-standing connections to alumni & industry leaders helps drive the experiential projects of our program.
Better, faster, cheaper…and cleaner?!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/04/better-faster-cheaper/
Work from home productivity data is largely encouraging as it strongly supports remote working. HOWEVER,…
Exploding job offers & do you want a full time job to begin in a job rotation?
Do new college grads really need to participate in a 401K Retirement Savings Plan? Yes!
Do not be afraid of Indirect, MRO, & the Service Sector (i.e., healthcare).
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/what-is-mro-a-great-career-path/
This is what happens when Supply Chain professionals get good at Data Analytics
CIS 2640 – Applied Analytics Foundations (see description in comments & below)
Business Analytics (this can be a deal breaker in your professional lives).
I would say very very little coding. Our Business Anaytics minor does require a Python class, but I would not call it a coding class, far from it.
My first SCM job was very tactical & has been replaced by technology & automation.
When is the right time for grad school? The average age is 33.
Do you understand exchange rates & how it impacts Supply Chain Management? Many struggle with this. Let’s practice
Students who choose to specialize in their education (e.g., Supply Chain) are having better experiences.
Perhaps delay graduation for work experience & stay specialized? Being job ready in the covid market & beyond.
I have been with the Federal Gov for one year now. It’s a great place to work with competitive pay and benefits.
Visualization is big. Kellogg’s is one of the largest users of Tableau in Michigan & Tableau is owned by Salesforce.
For every $1 made by a man in the state of Michigan, women earn $.76 (used to be $.66).
Does a law degree make sense in Supply Chain?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/does-a-law-degree-make-sense-in-supply-chain/
Can Kalamazoo Lure New Factories?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/can-kalamazoo-lure-new-factories/
A company can still hire you if you have a criminal record, it is their choice.
ArcGIS is a technology that can help companies manage risk.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/arcgis-is-a-technology-that-can-help-companies-manage-risk/
You do not need an MBA or a Master’s degree to get your Ph.D.
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/you-do-not-need-an-mba-or-a-masters-degree-to-get-your-ph-d/
For a quick commentary on why employers now also expect you to be a Data Scientist
Common themes from former students in government SCM jobs
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/common-themes-from-former-students-in-government-scm-jobs/
Long term in your careers, understanding SCM Finance will be critical.
Here are some points on how to approach a new technology investment
Here is some advice from Supply Chain majors if you take a CAD class (that way you can talk to engineers at work)
Most companies use STAR
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/most-companies-use-star/
Companies are only now starting to look at their indirect procurement from a strategic perspective
I am very comfortable in saying Python and R are the two most popular languages in analytics, but I think Python prevails.
Employers require these business analytics skill sets from their supply chain management professionals
Why exactly do readers earn so much more money?
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/why-exactly-do-readers-earn-so-much-more-money/
Problem solving has kept moving up and is now number one!
https://www.simecurkovic.com/2021/09/05/problem-solving-has-kept-moving-up-and-is-now-number-one/
Yes, the WMU Haworth College of Business (HCoB) is one of the best business colleges in the world.
These READS really started to surge in March 2020 (I wonder why).
Please share with a high schooler or young college student trying to decide on a major.
WMU ISM students continue to get virtual professional work experience during covid
___
For my most current and complete blog list, go to:
Posts (see ARCHIVES for previous Posts)