Research & News Updates
2020 Third-Party Logistics Study
It’s that time of year again, where the Penn State Smeal College of Business partnered with Penske and Infosys Consulting to conduct a 3PL (third-party logistics) study to help stay current on shipper interrelationship and behavior trends.
The Cognitive Supply Chain
For generations, it’s been up to humans to keep supply chains running smoothly. But the past decade’s advances in artificial intelligence (AI), automation and the Internet of Things (IoT) have forever changed the way companies track and manage products, providing more information than ever about what’s happening at the ground level.
Smeal Lifelong Learning Encourages Growth in All Stages of Life
Too often, education is considered a finite tool, its culmination of degrees an end to the journey of arduous study and number two pencils. The Smeal College of Business, however, grasps the process of learning quite differently, where education is a limitless spiral of knowledge that caters to self-improvement as it ebbs and flows to the advancements of the world around us.
The Longest Yard
For years, logistics professionals have referred to the final leg of the order delivery process as the last mile. It has always been important, but as the volume of e-commerce orders rises exponentially, last-mile logistics has taken on increased significance for delivery service providers, and is now front and center in the minds of shippers.
Penn State Smeal to open Center for the Business of Sustainability in 2020
The Penn State Smeal College of Business will launch the Center for the Business of Sustainability (CBoS) in 2020 to support how business meets the growing demand for resources in a socially just and environmentally sustainable manner.
CSCR®️ welcomes Lockheed Martin and Retail Business Services as Newest Corporate Sponsors
At first glance, Lockheed Martin, the world’s largest defense contractor, and Retail Business Services, the services company of Ahold Delhaize USA, might not have a lot in common. A closer look, however, allows The Center for Supply Chain Research® to reveal the exciting news that both are now the newest corporate sponsors.
CIO REVIEW features CSCR Research on AI and Supply Chain Management
Center for Supply Chain Research research featured in CIO Review's Supply Chain Management Special Edition looks at how companies are looking to artificial intelligence to conquer their Big Data analysis challenges in supply chain planning, sourcing, production, distribution and logistics.
CSCR Announces 2019-2021 Advisory Board
The Center for Supply Chain Research has announced the 2019-2021 Advisory Board comprised of five new members alongside current members.
Four SC&IS Seniors Awarded 2019 MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award
Four Smeal College of Business Supply Chain students were awarded the MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award, recognizing top seniors studying supply chain.
CSCR WelcomesFreightWaves and Capital One as Corporate Sponsors
Freight industry expert FreightWaves and Fortune 500 firm Capital One join the Center of Supply Chain Research as corporate sponsors.
Researchers study mobile money system to help developing world’s entrepreneurs
Chris Parker and Jason Acimovic, fellow Smeal College of Business Supply Chain and Information Systems assistant professors along with Harvard Business School’s David Drake and Karthik Balasubramanian co-author research in mobile money systems in developing countries.
Penn State Executive Programs’ offerings can strengthen your business and advance your career
Learn how the newly revamped Penn State Executive Programs can transform your business's supply chain, management and leadership objectives.
Kijenzi, the 2018 Supply Chain Pitch Contest Winners, bring their entrepreneurial venture to fruition
Tech startup Kijenzi is developing solutions to deliver medical equipment to Kenya using 3D printing. Special thanks to CSCR Corporate Sponsors DOW Chemical, Wegmans, CVS, Lansdale, Rockwell Automation, Kane, Chainalytics and JDA for sponsoring the 2018 pitch contest to give Kijenzi the resources to field test their startup last summer.
Marine Corps Logistics Fellowship brings supply chain to the battlefield
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas M. Warren and Major Jaehong “Jay” Park of the Marine Corps explain how their education in supply chain systems at Penn State furthers their careers in the Marines.
Chocolate bars and and population shifts: How Hershey's supply chain is adjusting to changing demographics
CSCMP's Supply Chain Quarterly Q3 2018 features research by CSCR™ Corporate Sponsor, Jason Reiman, The Hershey Company, collaborating with Dr. John Coyle, Founding Director, Center for Supply Chain Research, and Professor Emeritus, Business Administration, and Dr. Kusumal Ruamsook, research associate for the Center. The research focuses on the demographic shifts at Hershey.
Penn State Smeal retains No. 1 rank in graduate supply chain education
Gartner, Inc., has once again ranked Penn State Smeal College of Business as No. 1 in North American graduate supply chain programs in a recent report.
This marks the fifth time Penn State has earned the top spot in Gartner’s published rankings since 2008.
Tracey weighs in on Amazon's 'uberizing' their last-mile services
CSCR's Steve Tracey weighs in on Supply Chain Dive's article, "How much will Amazon move the needle on last-mile logistics?"
LinkedIn study reveals Penn State is No. 2 for producing CEOs
A new study revealed that when people think of the universities that CEOs attend, they need to add Penn State to a list that often includes private schools like Stanford, or Harvard and other Ivys.
LinkedIn pored over data from 12,000 CEO profiles from 20 countries and found that Penn State has produced the second-most CEOs, behind only Stanford.
Penn State is one of only two public universities to break into the top ten. The University of California, Berkeley, was the other, in fourth place.
The University was also included in Money magazine’s recently released Top 10 Colleges of Fortune 500 CEOs.
The Smeal College of Business also received good ranking news recently as Gartner, Inc., once again ranked Smeal No. 1 in North American undergraduate supply chain education.
Gartner ranks Penn State Smeal No. 1 in undergraduate supply chain education
Gartner, Inc., has once again ranked the Penn State Smeal College of Business No. 1 in North American undergraduate supply chain education.
Previous reports on supply chain education providers were released in 2016, 2014, 2011, and 2009, naming Smeal No. 1 each time. The university rankings are part of Gartner’s larger research project identifying skill and talent gaps in the supply chain industry.
MIT Sloan Management Review features research collaboration including Smeal's Acimovic
Advances in inventory and sales analytics make it possible to deliver products both cheaply and quickly, meeting the demands of today’s consumers.
Nursing, Smeal students team up to address business challenges for SAFE-T Center
When the Penn State College of Nursing launched the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) Center in 2016, it envisioned a solution to enhance access to compassionate sexual assault care in under-served communities. What they still needed: a plan to sustain the center’s operations beyond the initial funding period.
The Next Big Things in SC: Automation and AI
Automation and AI are the biggest buzz-words out in the industry today. Supply Chain Dive takes a look into increasing trends for the supply chain industry.
Sapphire BA497 Supply Chain Project wins Undergraduate Exhibition
Three Smeal teams participated in the 2018 Penn State Undergraduate Exhibition as part of the Applied Professional Experience practicum in which teams of Sapphire Program students work with clients to tackle real world business challenges. One team, a Supply Chain Improvement Process Project in partnership with DowDuPont, brought home first place in the course-based projects category!
Smeal Undergraduates Compete in Rutgers Big10 Plus Supply Chain Case Competition
A team of undergraduate Smeal students competed in the Rutgers Big10 Plus Supply Chain Case Competition on April 13, 2018. The event included seven undergraduate and five graduate teams. The participants represented Big Ten universities and others outside of the Big Ten.
USPS Reform Bill & CSCR Executive Director Insights
The new USPS reform bill could rattle supply chains, as said in a recent article published by Supply Chain Dive. CSCR Executive Director, Steve Tracey, was quoted and consulted for his opinion and stance in creating this article.
CSCR Corporate Sponsor Unilever Leads Sustainability in Palm Oil
Unilever, a CSCR Corporate Sponsor, has become the first packaged goods company to publicly disclose the worldwide sources of the palm oil used in its 400-plus food and HBC brands.
CSCR Administrative Director Leads NASPO Emerging Workforce Session
Tracie Shannon, the administrative director of Penn State Smeal’s Center for Supply Chain Research moderated the NASPO Emerging Workforce Session held at Michigan State University on April 11, 2018.
CSCR Corporate Sponsors Wegmans and Aldi Receive High Honors for Customer Experience
Two CSCR Corporate Sponsors, Wegmans Food Markets and Aldi, have both received high honors for their success in customer experience.
2018 Supply Chain Pitch Contest
The 2018 Supply Chain Pitch Contest open to all Penn State undergraduate students, all majors and all Commonwealth campuses, was held on Wednesday evening, April 11, 2018, at University Park’s Steimer Auditorium in the Forest Resources Building. The annual contest is hosted by the Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR) and the Farrell Center for Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
Smeal Citizenship Conference Partners with CSCR Corporate Sponsors
The Smeal College of Business, and Net Impact have teamed up to host the fourth annual Smeal Citizenship Conference, held on April 4, 2018. Three CSCR Corporate Sponsors, Walmart, PPG and Unilever, were in attendance.
Five Female SC&IS Seniors Awarded 2018 MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award
Five female supply chain majors were recipients of the 2018 MIT Supply Chain Excellence Award. Congratulations to Taylor Peterson, Laura Holleran, Rachel Gimuriman, Amanda Rizzotti, and Lillian Swei
Center for Supply Chain Research Professionals on 3-D Virtual Technologies
John Coyle, Professor Emeritus, Logistics and Supply Chain Management; Steve Tracey, Executive Director of the Center for Supply Chain Research; and Kusumal Ruamsook, Research Associate of the Center for Supply Chain Research, all at Penn State were recently published through Supply Chain Brain on 3-D Virtual Technologies.
United States Cold Storage Leads Spring 2018 Spisak Lecture
As part of the Spisak Lecture series offered every semester in the Smeal College of Business, Keith Mowery, VP of Transportation and Logistics at United States Cold Storage, Inc., came to Penn State to talk about the Amazon impact on food supply chain operations.
Penn State Smeal MBA Program Rise in Ranking in the Newest U.S. News & World Report: Best Graduate Schools
Penn State's Smeal MBA Program has risen in rankings according to the latest release of U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools rankings, released in March 2018. The program has been ranked No. 31 overall and No. 12 among public business schools, bringing the highest ranking in the last 20 years. In U.S. News & World Report, Smeal also was ranked No. 5 in supply chain/logistics.
2018 JPM Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference
On March 13-15, 2018, JP Morgan hosted the Aviation, Transportation and Industrials Conference in NYC. Executive Director for the Center for Supply Chain Research, Steve Tracey, recently was in attendance of the conference.
Three Smeal SC&IS Alumni Recognized on Thomas and ISM 2017 "30 under 30"
Three Smeal Supply Chain alumni were recognized in 2017’s 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars by A Thomas & ISM. Congratulations to Jordan Holler (SC&IS ‘11), Keith Unton (SC&IS ’10, Masters in Business Administration ’17), and Conor Quarry (SC&IS ’13) on your accomplishment!
Must-Know Supply Chain Trends For CEOs
Executive Director for the Center for Supply Chain Research, Steve Tracey, was recently featured in CorpU’s publication via Chief Executive: Must-Know Supply Chain Trends For CEOs.