Articles by Supply Chain Association

In March, Greg Harnish and Salvador Gala of Mars Snackfood came to campus and hosted a supply chain case study.  The event was attended by about 25 members of the MBA-SCMA and MMM program.  First we had lunch, and then we dug into the case.  They divided us into teams and gave us background information on the situation.  Based on the real-world experiences of a sugar buyer, we were tasked to make five buying decisions, spread out over a six month time frame.  Greg and Salvador had a spreadsheet into which they entered our decisions.  Each team gave their answer, and then explained how they came up with it.  Some of the issues that influenced our decisions were price and availability, and the conversation during the actual decision making periods varied greatly with topics ranging from crop and harvest issues to new supply options.  It was a really good experience to hear what thought process was used to get to each team’s decision.  I was interested to hear the ideas of the others because we all come from different work backgrounds and our experience levels vary.  In the end, my team didn’t win with the lowest budget, but we all won by taking away some new insights.

Marcia is a member of the class of 2009 and throws a mean game of darts.

-Marcia Murphy
MBA Class of 2009

The Center for Supply Chain Research (CSCR) sponsored the annual Spring Career Fair held on Feb 5^th and 6^th. More than 70 companies participated in the event, which was open to both graduate and undergraduate students. Due to the overwhelming response of participant companies, this was the first time that the Career Fair was held for two days. Recruiters from the top Supply-Chain companies in retail, pharmaceuticals, energy, healthcare, technology, logistics, aerospace and virtually every other sector held on-campus interviews. Some of the shortlisted candidates were invited by the companies to either interview at Penn State the following day or to visit their facilities for on-site interviews. Many Penn State alumni were also present as representatives of the visiting companies and shared their industry experiences with the current students. The Supply Chain Career Fair was a tremendous success in offering new career opportunities for supply chain practitioners and has continued to grow over the years.

Rohit Gurtu

MBA Class of 2009

Prior to Smeal, Rohit has worked for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. He has undertaken various roles in manufacturing, purchasing, and procurement with Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel Cars, Delphi Automotive Systems, and Saud Bahwan Automotive, LLC.

“Let me guess, you didn’t tell them about your 15 minutes of fame with the P-Funk,” my wife asked me after I told her the good news. She was referring to an old Andy Warhol comment and my former employment as a musician in LA; I was telling her about the Career Fair we had on campus. Over 50 Supply Chain companies had come to the Business Building recruiting for internships, co-ops and full time jobs. Because of the large number of companies who attend, success comes from knowing what you want and which companies are offering it. I was looking for an internship. I had already scheduled an interview with Dell later in the week, but I wanted one for a different department there as well. I also wanted to talk with ExxonMobil – my Dad worked for them his whole career and so I knew what a great company they are. I went to the Coffee House we had Monday night before the 2-day career fair where several companies each gave a short presentation and then met with students. We rotated through companies every 30 minutes. I met with the ExxonMobil recruiters and I was able to schedule an interview. Two days later at the Career Fair in the atrium, I met with the recruiters for Dell and I was able to schedule the second interview I wanted so much. Recruiters look for so many different things from students that it’s hard to know what they want. The best approach is to talk with other students who have interned or worked there to find out what the company is like. You can also find a lot of information on the web about the operations, locations and cultures of all of the different companies. Alumni are always willing to help also – so don’t be afraid to cold call them and ask questions. Career Services gets you ready for these events so you can hand your resume to potential employers with confidence knowing that they will like what they see.

I spoke with the ExxonMobil recruiters at the Coffee House just after they told the group they would collect resumes, review them that night and then call the people they would like to interview. However, I had done enough research on the company that I knew what to say and how to write my resume so that they would want to interview me. I got to sign up for a slot right then. Dell was no different; I knew exactly how to approach them. What took me by surprise, though, was where the conversation went – I don’t know how, but we got onto the topic of my musician days in LA and the recruiter not only ended up knowing who the Parliament Funkadelic was, but he was also impressed that I had once done a gig with their drummer. Yes, my experiences before coming to Smeal range all over – but I never thought (and neither did my wife) that I would be using that one to sell myself to a company.

I don’t think it matters who you are or what your background is – Penn State has such a diverse group of students and a broad range of companies who recruit here that you will be able to make the most of what is offered and companies will show up looking for you. My wife has teased me for our entire marriage about how nobody knows who the P-Funk is and how playing a gig with their former drummer won’t ever be of benefit to my new career – now when she pokes fun at it, I remind her that it was instrumental (no pun intended) in landing a great internship.

-Sammie Markham

MBA Class of 2009

Sammie Markham is a 1^st year Supply Chain student in the Smeal MBA Program. He has a background in facilities management and funk music.

The Academic and Career Exploration Panel for Supply Chain Management was held on Nov 9. At the outset, Dr. Robert Novack, Associate Professor of Supply Chain and Information Systems, explained how the Supply Chain Portfolio was designed around the concepts of the SCOR model - Plan, Make, Source, Deliver and Return. As a part of the portfolio students also get to work on a Capstone project with companies during the Career Immersion week. Students having a strong interest in Operations can opt to pursue additional courses towards attaining the Master of Manufacturing Management (MMM) degree along with the MBA curriculum.

Later in the event, panelists from Dell, IBM Business Consulting Services, Praxair, ICG Commerce and Mars Inc. shared their post business school experiences in the industry. Some of the relevant topics discussed were - minor portfolios relevant with the Supply Chain major, interview facing tips, skill sets that interviewers are looking for. The panelists also had separate small group sessions with students interested to discuss about the companies in more detail. The daylong event was a great success as it provided students with practitioner perspectives about career options in the field as well as skill sets necessary for professional success.

-Rohit Gurtu, MBA Class of 2009

Officer, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

Prior to Smeal, Rohit has worked for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. He has undertaken various roles in manufacturing, purchasing, and procurement with Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel Cars, Delphi Automotive Systems, and Saud Bahwan Automotive, LLC.

Our latest Executive Presentation Series held on Nov 9 featured Tracy Masson. Tracy Masson, Senior Manager of Americas Business Operations, Dell Inc. Canada, spoke to the SCMA about Dell’s supply chain model. The topic of her discussion was “Leadership and Supply Chain in Dell”. Ms. Masson shared her insight regarding the Global Supply Planning model of Dell and its three major constituents - Demand Planning, Supply Planning and Demand Fulfillment. She also explained the critical role of the Supplier Logistics Center in helping Dell keep only 2 hours of inventory on hand which ultimately helps Dell in absolute synchronization between manufacturing and sales. The event served as a great opportunity to interact and network with a Dell executive and a Penn State Alum. The Smeal community would like to thank Ms. Masson for taking time to give back to the current student body.

-Rohit Gurtu, MBA Class of 2009

Officer, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

Prior to Smeal, Rohit has worked for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. He has undertaken various roles in manufacturing, purchasing, and procurement with Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel Cars, Delphi Automotive Systems, and Saud Bahwan Automotive, LLC.

The Supply Chain Management Association met on Oct 30 and Brad Updegrove shared information about the activities planned in the coming weeks. The Supply Chain Career Panel is scheduled for Nov 9 wherein alumni from leading firms will share their industry experiences and guide the 1^st year students on potential career options in the Supply Chain sector. A facility tour is being planned around early spring. This will be a great opportunity to witness the various elements of Supply Chain in action.

The election for the 1^st Year Officer position was held during this meeting. Candidates had an opportunity to speak extempore for 2 minutes describing their background and what they planned to do in the position if elected. The 1^st Year Officer is responsible to gather the ideas of the 1^st year SCMA members and drive them toward implementation with the help of the steering committee of the association.

-Rohit Gurtu, MBA Class of 2009

Officer, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

Prior to Smeal, Rohit has worked for more than 15 years in the automotive industry. He has undertaken various roles in manufacturing, purchasing, and procurement with Maruti Suzuki, Honda Siel Cars, Delphi Automotive Systems, and Saud Bahwan Automotive, LLC.

On September 27, in a joint event with the Finance and Marketing associations, Sears Holdings sponsored a case exercise instruction series and an information session. During the information session, Jamie Brooks spent time to teach students about the Sears culture, and their model for success. The MBA community would like to extend our gratitude to Mr. Brooks for his commitment to his Alma Mater.

-Preston Charles, MBA Class of 2008

Preston Charles is a second year MBA student majoring in Supply Chain Management and Strategic Leadership. He serves as the acting office manager for Office of Diversity Enhancement. He is also the acting Vice President of Student Affairs for the Supply Chain Management Association.

VP Student Affairs, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

The SCMA sponsored the annual Fall Career Fair held on 17th September. Forty-Eight companies participated in the event, which was open to graduate students and undergraduate students as well. Hiring managers from the top Supply-Chain companies in virtually every sector held on-campus interviews, and many of them invited students to their facilities for on-site interviews. The Supply Chain Career Fair remains among the premier recruiting events for supply chain practitioners and has continued to grow.

-Preston Charles, MBA Class of 2008

Preston Charles is a second year MBA student majoring in Supply Chain Management and Strategic Leadership. He serves as the acting office manager for Office of Diversity Enhancement. He is also the acting Vice President of Student Affairs for the Supply Chain Management Association.

VP Student Affairs, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

Today, the MBA Supply Chain Management Association organized a roundtable discussion over lunch with Ron Schnur from Coors. Ron is a distinguished member of the Smeal College of Business MBA Alumni Advisory Board, and in town to meet with current MBA students.

The conversation was very interesting, covering topics ranging from the Coors supply chain to the malt beverage industry to Penn State football. Most interesting was his discussion of the importance of relationships within the supply chain (and business in general). He shared many examples of good relationships being the deciding factor in many supply chain (and life) decisions. It was great to interact with an executive of Ron’s level on an informal basis and lean many formal and informal lessons from him.

Finally, he shared an article that he wrote for the September, 2007 edition of “Inside Supply Management” magazine regarding supplier collaboration. I look forward to attending additional opportunities like todays…

–Tim Gross
2nd year MBA student, VP Finance, MBA Supply Chain Management Association

The SCMA held its inaugural meeting on September 6. The meeting served to welcome the class of 2009 to the Smeal SCMA and to describe the variety of career opportunities for Supply chain students upon completion of the first year of the program. Brad Updegrove, President of the SCMA, addressed the group and discussed upcoming events. The second part of the meeting consisted of the class of 2008 describing their Supply chain responsibilities and accomplishments during their internships. Smeal students had wide array of experiences. The sample of the Supply Chain internships included participation in the computer, automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, and transportation industries.

-Preston Charles, MBA Class of 2008

Preston Charles is a second year MBA student majoring in Supply Chain Management and Strategic Leadership. He serves as the acting office manager for Office of Diversity Enhancement. He is also the acting Vice President of Student Affairs for the Supply Chain Management Association.

VP Student Affairs, MBA Supply Chain Management Association