October 14, 2008

Krannert manufacturing conference to focus on transition, challenges

Krannert's Dauch Center for the Management of Manufacturing Enterprises and the Global Supply Chain Management Initiative are sponsoring the daylong operations conference.

Ananth Iyer, center director and the Susan Bulkeley Butler Chair in Operations Management will lead the conference, which is one of two major events sponsored by the centers each year.

Speakers will include Don Foley, director of advanced manufacturing and logistics for the Indiana Economic Development Corp.; Tim Fiore, senior vice president of supply management for Terex Corp.; Tom Kent, director of external manufacturing and sourcing supply management for Kimberly-Clark; and Scott Brown, partner of Katz, Sapper and Miller.

Foley, Fiore and Brown will lead discussions around some of the current challenges and solutions of the changing manufacturing industry, including coping with a tightened credit market, the loss of jobs and availability of skilled workers. Kent will discuss procurement related aspects of transitions in the supply chain. Other presentations by faculty will highlight current research at Krannert.

The conference also will feature the Student Internship Poster Competition, which is open to MBA and undergraduate management students. Students prepare posters describing their summer internship experiences and present them to attending industry executives. Cash prizes will be awarded, thanks to sponsorship from Kimberly-Clark, Eaton, and IBM.

"We think this year's conference will be helpful to both members of industry and our students," Iyer said. "The topics will be of particular interest to companies that are dealing with the challenges associated with the economy. The poster sessions allow our students valuable face time with corporations at a time when the job market is highly competitive."  

The conference is open to the public; however, pre-registration is required. To register, or for information, go to https://www.krannert.purdue.edu/departments/dcmme  or call (765) 494-4322.

Writer: Tanya Brown, (765) 494-2079, tanyabrown@purdue.edu

Source: Mary Pilotte, (765) 494-2860, mpilotte@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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