On Jan. 24, the Department of Supply Chain Management hosted its inaugural SCM Practitioner Conference at MSU’s Kellogg Center. The one-day event brought together more than 120 leading practitioners, Broad College faculty, students and alumni to discuss industry challenges and opportunities.
Vedat Verter, chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management, spoke at the conference.
The conference served as the perfect platform for collaboration, with practitioners and academics sharing their expertise through panel discussions, roundtables and sessions. The day was structured to enable the exchange of experiences and ideas among the participants in addition to the more traditional presentations and panel discussions.
High-level executives from Intel Corporation, Truck-Lite, Spectrum Health, Caterpillar, FedEx and Allstate served as featured speakers throughout the day.
“It was great to present with the other companies,” David McKean, executive vice president of Truck-Lite, said. “It was very informing to see how others view the industry and approach the challenges they face.”
The speaker presentations were complemented by brief commentary from a group of professors from various Broad College departments, including supply chain management, marketing and management.
The conference offered four discussion topics:
- Digitization of the supply chain
- Incorporation of sustainability goals in supply chain management
- Making trade-offs among local and global factors in shaping strategy and structure
- Tackling the lack of well-educated talent in the field
“We are delighted by the level of interest in the practitioner conference among our industry partners,” Vedat Verter, chairperson of the Department of Supply Chain Management, said. “We have every intention to continue this conversation in the form of an annual event.”
