Monthly Archives: February 2011

SCMA Case Competition Sponsored by Chevron

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By Zachary Penrod, MBA Class of 2011

The SCMA held its second annual case competition on February 3rd and 4th.  This year, the competition was generously sponsored by Chevron.  Their sponsorship provided all of the participants with much needed food during the long hours of problem solving as well as cash prizes for the top teams.  The competition drew 8 teams consisting of 1st and 2nd year students in all concentrations.  It provided a great opportunity to practice our skills and to receive feedback from our distinguished judges.
After reviewing the rules and expectations of the competition, the case was distributed at 3:30 on Thursday.  The teams quickly disbursed to begin the challenging case.  The case involved a waste to energy business decision and included aspects of supply Continue reading →

SCMA – Office Depot Visit, Cool Kiva Robots

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By Viswanathan Adinarayanan, MBA Class of 2012

On Friday, January 28, 2011 the Supply Chain Association organized a visit to the Office Depot facility in Newville, PA. Our trip brought us face to face with three Penn state alumni who extended a very warm welcome and a guided tour of the facility. We received an overview of the Office Depot operations and Mr. Zelis explained how the company was in the process of consolidating its supply chain operations. This new facility setup about a year ago is catering to the entire Northeast region – Maine to Virginia – and reduces the need for a cross-dock in Mountain Top, PA and distribution centers in West Hampton, NJ, Baltimore, MD and Boston, MA. The key focus of their supply chain operations currently is to reach a high success rate of 99.3% in their next day delivery and also to convert their retail operations from a Push to a Pull process. Continue reading →