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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.

Well, our students end up being our best marketing tool. Thank you, Madison Dober & Alexandra Henson for making our SCM program look great. 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. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE7-y7pLN9E&t=2365s In this Supply Chain Now interview, host Scott Luton is joined...

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).

I am getting a lot of questions from my students about how Gartner decides on the Top 25 SCM orgs. I did struggle with articulating it & it did raise eyebrows. 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): https://lnkd.in/gdhsiRxq My key takeaways: First, people...

College Students: these links are filled with amazing job search & career fair preparation resources…Virtual job fairs and interviews resource guide:

College Students: these links are filled with amazing job search & career fair preparation resources...https://lnkd.in/gH5Pwf7K.Virtual job fairs and interviews resource guide: https://lnkd.in/gYQCF6Fv. Learn what to do before, during and after a job fair: https://lnkd.in/g9Mr22cu Do your research! One of the most impressive things to a recruiter is knowledge of the company, culture, their products, and their available positions. Look at the company website, do some research online, find them in Handshake: https://lnkd.in/gyxtM7vY Resumes and cover letters: review the Career...

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.”

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." https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-27/ford-ceo-farley-says-automaker-absolutely-has-too-many-people Bloomberg reported on July 20, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter, that the 8,000 roles could come from salaried positions throughout the firm, but primarily from...

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?!). The availability of cheap landfills in Mich attracts trucked-in garbage from out of state & even from Canada.

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?!). The availability of cheap landfills in Mich attracts trucked-in garbage from out of state & even from Canada. That’s because, under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, waste is considered a commodity, & states & counties cannot restrict its import/export from...

Random Career Advice

Salaries in SCM are going up & already average $10K-$20K higher than entry-level positions in other fields. https://lnkd.in/gCiYgwS2 There isn’t enough young people working in supply chain - https://lnkd.in/gtUcJpX7. People in SCM want more money & rewarding work (not paperwork). https://lnkd.in/g7BwX84c2022 Avg salary $144K (2021 $131,771): https://lnkd.in/gvKYBGBw 10 college majors that earn the most money. Doesn’t #2 (& #6) sound like "Supply Chain Management + Engineering"? In other words, the WMU ISM supply chain program?...#2. Operations...

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. Look closely at this one. I think I understand this (U.S. oil).

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. Look closely at this one. I think I understand this (U.S. oil). https://lnkd.in/g7cJU25W https://www.visualcapitalist.com/biggest-risks-global-economy-2020-environment/ 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...

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)?

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)? How is that even possible (they must work hard, & a lot)? Note, if California was a country, it would have the 5th largest GDP in...

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.

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. Great reads from Fortune and Accenture. Very important takeaways for me: In a recent report...

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.

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. The company’s overall investment of $2 billion expects to generate 3,200 jobs across the state. Currently, the...