Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger is choosing big domestic chip manufacturing investments, including major expansion projects in central Ohio, over short-term shareholder rewards. Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics, says Intel's decision to locate its chip manufacturing facilities domestically will help smooth future supply chain issues like those caused by the pandemic.

The usual Presidents' Day sales at furniture stores could be curbed because of supply chain issues, says Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics.

With its infrastructure, proximity to a large portion of the nation's population and a burgeoning manufacturing boom, experts, including Professor of Logistics Keely Croxton, say central Ohio can play a key role in untangling the global supply chain crunch.

As part of a forum hosted by the Columbus Metropolitan Club, Professor of Logistics Keely Croxton explains the "perfect storm" of events that has snarled supply chains across multiple industries as well as the advantages that Ohio has in shaping and alleviating some of the challenges. 

Before the pandemic, the business of making and moving goods didn’t cross many consumers’ minds. Now, supply-chain snarls have inspired a flood of memes, a new interest in the supply chain industry, says Professor of Logistics Mike Knemeyer, and even the name of Jack White’s concert tour.

W.C. Benton, the Edwin Dodd Professor of Management says, along with customer service and creative thinking, diligent forecasting can help small businesses weather current supply chain disruptions and guard against future turmoil.

In many ways, Intel's selection of the Licking County site highlights the state's strengths during a pandemic that has revealed supply chain weaknesses that has troubled everything from automakers to grocery store chains, says Keely Croxton, professor of logistics at Fisher.

Researchers like Professor of Logistics Keely Croxton have advocated moving away from ‘just-in-time’ supply chain model to more resilient structures that are capable of handling disruption.

WOSU's Matthew Rand speaks with Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics, about how the holiday shopping season is shaping up.

Target, Walmart and Home Depot told investors they have more than adequate inventory to weather the holidays. Associate Professor of Logistics Terry Esper says large companies with technological and transportation options are better positioned to manage the supply chain congestion on the west coast.

Professor of Logistics Keely Croxton explains how “queuing theory” — the mathematical study of waiting lines — can help explain the ongoing supply chain issues plaguing businesses across the U.S. 

W.C. Benton, the Edwin D. Dodd Professor of Management who specializes in supply chain management, said the food supply shortage is impacting all food businesses nationwide including restaurants and other private businesses, but it's more concerning when it impacts schools.

Fixing the broken supply chain will take time and patience, substantial amounts of money, imagination by key leaders in the transportation and logistics industry and significant policy changes. Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics, says he’s encouraged that federal and local officials seek to spend more than $1 trillion on infrastructure to rebuild highways, roads, bridges and ports.

John Gray, professor of operations and an expert on pharmaceutical supply chains, looks at the latest recall impacting one of the largest producers of generic drugs.

Product limits can trigger a "scarcity mentality" for buyers, and that can affect the supply chain even more, says Ken Boyer, the Fisher Designated Professor of Operations and Business Analytics.

Terry Esper, associate professor of logistics, says taking a consumer-centric approach to the supply chain does not mean that companies should abandon their focus on their direct customer. Instead, they should adopt a perspective similar to bifocal glasses, with one lens focused on their customer and one lens on the consumer.

Amazon, Walmart, Walgreens and grocery third-parties like Instacart are investing in micro-fulfillment centers to speed up delivery times, curb final-mile costs and get products closer to consumers. Annibal Sodero, professor of supply chain, said Walmart’s move to more automated micro-fulfillment centers (MFC) usage is about efficiency in the final mile, which can be 27% to 30% of total logistics cost. 

W.C. Benton, the Edwin D. Dodd Professor of Management and a professor of operations and supply chain management, discusses the impact that a hedge fund's $400 million investment may have on the struggling electric vehicle manufacturer.

Phil Renaud, executive director of The Risk Institute, discusses how the persistent drought in the western U.S. is forcing food supply chains to rethink their sourcing strategies, as well as pursue longer-term initiatives for coping with the effects of climate change.

See why Associate Professor of Marketing Terry Esper was one of eight individuals named to DC Velocity's 2021 Rainmakers list, a collection of leaders who are advancing the logistics and supply chain management profession.

Associate Professor of Logistics Terry Esper joins Supply & Demand Chain Executive's podcast for a discussion about workforce development in the industry.

Pandemic shortages have moved beyond toilet paper and into the inner workings of computers.  "I'd say it's kind of a supply chain executive's worst nightmare in that demand seems to have skyrocketed, and I think that's both coming from traditional industries, like the auto industry. And the cryptocurrency and the gaming industries are growing," said Keely Croxton, professor of logistics.

There’s a disparity of women leaders in supply chain, but students like Haley McCrory are closing that gap. Check out her story and the Fisher program that’s helping other female students make inroads into the industry.

For a boycott like this to work, customers need choices. There are other brands but stores have to carry them. Terry Esper, a supply chain expert at Fisher, said if they don’t already, “it may be a touch more difficult kind of getting access to some of those competing brands, especially in a situation like this, where those supply chains are already pretty strapped because of just the way things are with COVID-19.”

Michael Knemeyer, professor of logistics at Fisher, says until companies are able to synchronize supply and demand, the current COVID-19 pandemic will continue to be problematic for global supply chains.