The Role of Rail in the Supply Chain

Learn more about the role of rail in the supply chain with our latest episode featuring a true industry expert, Jim Pang, Vice President of New Services Development and Innovations at Trinity Rail. In this episode, we explore the pivotal role of rail transportation in the modern supply chain landscape. From cost-effective solutions to sustainability benefits, Jim offers insights into how rail networks drive efficiency and strategic advantages of integrating rail into your supply chain. 
About
Jim has worked in both rail operations and rail car manufacturing. He has led strategic transformations from ideation and innovation road mapping to scaling proven disruptive solutions resulting in enhanced profitability and increased customer stickiness. Transformation initiatives have ranged from Trinsight, a next-gen Shipment Visibility, Exception, and Assist platform; Last Mile industry initiative (AIM); Mobile RailPASS app; Machine Vision Inventory Management; to Touchless Automated Gate system. Jim has a passion for creating extraordinary customer experiences.

Innovations in Supply Chain Technology

Advances in supply chain technology continue to transform businesses worldwide. Paula Natoli, Director, Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Solutions for Google Cloud, joins the Penn State Supply Chain Podcast to discuss the latest tech advancements and trends shaping the supply chain industry – specifically innovations at Google Cloud.
About
Paula Natoli leads Google Cloud’s Supply Chain & Logistics Industry Solutions for the North America and Latin America regions, partnering with customers to deliver exceptional customer satisfaction through supply chain excellence. Prior to joining Google Cloud in 2020, Natoli spent the last 23 years in enterprise supply chain software with Blue Yonder (formerly known as JDA Software) where she most recently served in leadership roles within the product management organization. Natoli is a Penn State graduate and a former CSCR Advisory Board member.

Meet the CSCR Co-Research Directors

Research is vital to identifying organizational challenges and discovering long-term innovation in supply chain models. The Center for Supply Chain Research is committed to advancing the field of supply chain through relevant research and ever-evolving expertise. Brent Moritz and Hui Zhao, Co-Research Directors for CSCR, join us to share more about how the center accomplished that goal. Moritz and Zhao are professors at the Penn State Smeal College of Business in the Supply Chain and Information Systems Department.
About
Hui Zhao is a professor of supply chain management and a Charles and Lilian Binder Faculty Fellow. Zhao’s research applies analytics to the healthcare systems with interests in pharmaceutical supply chains, public policy, and innovative design of healthcare systems. Most of her work looks at the incentive misalignment in the healthcare value chain, seeking solutions to resolve such problems. Her work has been published in the top journals in her field and has received multiple awards including a finalist for the prestigious Pierskalla award by INFORMS in 2015, the runner-up for the Ralph Gomory Best Industry Studies Paper Award by the Industry Studies Association (ISA) in 2018, winner of the SCOR innovation award from Smeal/Penn State in 2018, and finalist for the Industry Studies Dissertation award for her PhD student in 2020. In addition to academic contributions, her work also seeks to help government agencies and industry to make informed decisions. Zhao is also actively involved with industry consortiums such as Xavier Health’s Artificial Intelligence Applications in Healthcare Initiative.
Brent B. Moritz is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management. Brent earned his PhD from the Operations and Management Science Department of the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. He also holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Valparaiso University and an MBA (concentrations in Finance and Entrepreneurship) from the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University. Prior to obtaining his PhD, Brent held positions in operations and supply chain management at BorgWarner, Eaton and Parker Hannifin. This also included international experience working in Mexico, England and Germany.
 

Emerging Technologies: Revolutionizing your Supply Chain

Organizations are always looking to improve their supply chains, whether it’s to prepare for future disruptions, improve the bottom line, or outpace competitors. Anthony Roath, assistant professor of supply chain management in the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University, joins us to discuss how emerging technologies will affect future supply chains.
About
Anthony Roath focuses on understanding how supply chain networks respond to global environments. This study approach explores the interaction of companies as they react to and work with each other to compete and develop sustainable mechanisms, such as technology and innovation. The foundation to this research is grounded in logistics and international business research and practice; the findings and insight from these research studies have been published in outlets including: The Journal of Business Logistics (earning two paper of the year awards) and the Journal of International Business Studies. Subsequent research in these areas have expanded into interest in supply chain sustainability, which was enabled with a Fulbright Scholarship in the United Kingdom and a subsequent grant to help establish a study of supply chain efficiency with a large UK retailer.
Prior to academia, Roath served in the Air Force and in the private sector in management consulting. These experiences are applied to the classroom to help impress upon the students the need to develop a broad understanding of global supply chain challenges to companies and communities and the important role of critical decision-making to help navigate challenges and explore opportunities.  

The Pending Recession: Predictions and Expectations for 2023

With the United States potentially facing an economic downturn, a recession is a looming topic surfacing in many offices, boardrooms, and hallway conversations. Charles Whiteman, the John and Karen Arnold Dean of the Smeal College of Business, shares his economic expertise with us and discusses what the effects of economic uncertainty could mean for business leaders and the supply chain.
About 
The Dean of the Penn State Smeal College of Business oversees all aspects of one of the largest business schools in the nation. Smeal offers highly ranked programs to more than 5,000 students at all levels; supports the research activities of faculty members in six academic departments; is home to a network of leading research centers in business and features an alumni network of more than 95,000 Smeal graduates around the world.  Dean Whiteman, who has more than 32 years of experience in higher education and business, assumed the leadership position at Smeal in July 2012. Prior to joining Penn State, he was senior associate dean for the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa, where he was responsible for undergraduate and graduate degree programs; faculty and staff recruitment; promotion, and tenure; budgetary operations; college facilities; technology operations; and strategic planning for the business school.  During a career that began as an instructor at Iowa in 1980, Whiteman advanced through the faculty ranks to become a chaired professor and served in a variety of administrative roles including chair of the Department of Economics, director of the Institute for Economic Research, and interim dean.  Whiteman holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Kansas. He has conducted research that has been supported by several grants from the National Science Foundation, published dozens of academic papers, written two books, and served as associate editor of several economics’ journals. He has also advised the state of Iowa's Department of Management on economic issues and served as a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Banks of Kansas City, Atlanta, Cleveland, and Minneapolis.