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“The disconnect between procurement budgets and efficiency:” Very consistent with feedback from former students (they spend a lot of time manually updating spreadsheets): “Even as more organizations recognize the value of automating processes in controlling spend, many are not investing the necessary resources to do so…40% of procurement teams said manual and inefficient processes are holding them back from fully addressing C-suite’s critical business priorities.”

Here’s a Bronco (and former student) telling it like it is (notice the discussion on manually updating spreadsheets, required listening for my current students)….In this episode of Auto Supply Chain Prophets, hosts Terry Onica and Jan Griffiths sat down with Alan Shevela, Global VP of Supply Chain and Quality at Aludyne, to talk about the company's push to innovate and how they're breaking new ground with digitization in the die-casting...

“Nationwide, small businesses employed 46% of the American workforce in 2022, totaling nearly 62 million people.” Smaller suppliers’ finances have deteriorated since pre-pandemic: Large buyers have been pressuring suppliers, dragging down smaller, private firms’ operational efficiency, according to RapidRatings analysis.

“Nationwide, small businesses employed 46% of the American workforce in 2022, totaling nearly 62 million people.” https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-americas-small-business-employment-by-state/ Smaller suppliers’ finances have deteriorated since pre-pandemic: Large buyers have been pressuring suppliers, dragging down smaller, private firms’ operational efficiency, according to RapidRatings analysis. https://lnkd.in/eh44F_dS.It might be time for price risk sharing in these buyer-supplier relationships: https://lnkd.in/eRm5Cdxw. Also, get ready for another supply chain disruptor: no succession planning…Do not forget where most of the supply chain...

Michigan at #29 and Michigan State at #90. Undergrads…pay attention to what matters most (MAYBE not rankings). “Students who are able to build strong relationships w/ professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation, according to Gallup-Purdue polls.”

Michigan at #29 and Michigan State at #90. Undergrads…pay attention to what matters most (MAYBE not rankings). https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-americas-top-universities-in-2024/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VGgeYsNb44&t=164s "Students who are able to build strong relationships w/ professors are far more likely to find engaging work after graduation, according to Gallup-Purdue polls." https://lnkd.in/gSuzhcjP-       those who believe a professor cared about them as a person, made them excited about learning, & encouraged them to pursue their dreams had more than double...

Visualizing the Decline of U.S. Manufacturing, by Sector (2002-2022): Manufacturing Matters. The ISM MFG PMI Index has contracted for the 19th time in the last 20 months. Yes, that is a MFG recession, but does this predict and/or is a precursor to an overall recession? Maybe.

Visualizing the Decline of U.S. Manufacturing, by Sector (2002-2022): https://lnkd.in/eKstjmX5. Manufacturing Matters. The ISM MFG PMI Index has contracted for the 19th time in the last 20 months. Yes, that is a MFG recession, but does this predict and/or is a precursor to an overall recession? Maybe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWFpgb9h658&t=59s https://www.visualcapitalist.com/the-top-10-economies-where-manufacturing-is-most-important/During the 2006-2009 time period, the ISM MFG and employment indices were below 50 for several years, for nearly 40 consecutive months....

FYI: Record number of non-asset based 3PLs at our career fairs. These freight brokerage firms have numerous jobs. Note, they tend to be SALES related, so it is all about fit. 3PLs Need Data Analytics to Save Money. Solution? Hire WMU students that minor in Business Data Analytics (w/ these skills):

FYI: Record number of non-asset based 3PLs at our career fairs. https://www.globaltrademag.com/third-party-logistics-providers-need-data-analytics-to-save-money/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EePQkl7Lwws These freight brokerage firms have numerous jobs. Note, they tend to be SALES related, so it is all about fit. 3PLs Need Data Analytics to Save Money. Solution? Hire WMU students that minor in Business Data Analytics (w/ these skills):1. Advanced Excel (power query & pivot) & macros;2. Data visualization (Tableau, Power BI & python w/ seaborn & matplotlib);3. Data...

Our next class case study/lecture…Vertical Integration, are we coming full circle? I spent the last 3 decades showing students how aggressive outsourcing strategies have been a hallmark of industry, driven by the pursuit of cost reductions, wider margins, higher asset turnover rate, and better ROI.

Our next class case study/lecture…Vertical Integration, are we coming full circle? I spent the last 3 decades showing students how aggressive outsourcing strategies have been a hallmark of industry, driven by the pursuit of cost reductions, wider margins, higher asset turnover rate, and better ROI. This trend saw delegating significant portions of their production and services to external partners, often in lower-cost regions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7tg_ebiIzw&t=388s However, recent years have witnessed a...

A 401(k) for a New College Grad? Yes! A great read…My thoughts if you want career mobility & financial independence in your 40s. In order to achieve this, you will need to invest heavily in your 20s. Picking a college major:

401Ks: I spent some time on this w/ a student & her full-time job offer. Students need help understanding their retirement savings plan. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/majored-one-18-subjects-ll-193945292.html The Benefits of Investing Early in Life: https://lnkd.in/esCz_vQ7. Let’s say you started investing at 20 years old...and you invest $250 each month with an 8% annual rate of return. By the time you reach 65, over 50% of your total portfolio would have come from money that you...

A great weekend read, should SCM students learn this?…”the importance of including location analytics in the standard business school curriculum—especially in the field of supply chain management.” Are Supply Chain professionals using ArcGIS Pro technology?

A great weekend read, should SCM students learn this?…”the importance of including location analytics in the standard business school curriculum—especially in the field of supply chain management.” Access via: https://ow.ly/kMci50PWU1K. Are Supply Chain professionals using ArcGIS Pro technology? https://www.simecurkovic.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/GEOG3010ArcGIS.pdf Do you think our SCM students should learn this? ArcGIS is a technology that can help companies manage risk.I recently had a GIS analyst reach out to me & ask: Is...

A nice career guide from Harvard to help with resumes, interviewing, getting offers, etc. For more help, pasted below are links from Yale, MIT, & WMU. Should college grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? Yes, but only if you know how to negotiate. My thoughts:

A nice career guide from Harvard to help with resumes, interviewing, getting offers, etc. For more help, pasted below are links from Yale, MIT, & WMU. Should college grads negotiate a job offer (i.e., a higher starting salary)? Yes, but only if you know how to negotiate. My thoughts: https://lnkd.in/gEZF6prG.Here’s what a lot of college grads don’t know about their first job offer: https://lnkd.in/gG2DeF2h. “Just 38% of new grads negotiate w/...

Students often ask: Shouldn’t I major in Finance or Accounting if I want to become a CEO? I said: Well, being able to talk CFO talk is critical to long term success, but you might want to give this supply chain thing some thought…CEOs Will Come from an Unlikely Place: The Supply Chain…

Students often ask: Shouldn’t I major in Finance or Accounting if I want to become a CEO? I said: Well, being able to talk CFO talk is critical to long term success, but you might want to give this supply chain thing some thought…CEOs Will Come from an Unlikely Place: The Supply Chain...Note, (I encourage my SCM students to get an Accounting minor): College Accounting to me feels like Supply Chain...