WNY companies are invited to join a supply chain management workshop led by UB expert

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Nallan C. Suresh has traveled the world teaching executives how to better serve customers by examining and reconfiguring their supply chains.

Now, Western New York business leaders have the opportunity to learn from the University at Buffalo Distinguished Professor as he presents a two-day workshop through UB TCIE.

What: Strategic Supply Chain Management.

When: May 18-19.

Where: Ramada Hotel & Conference Center, 2402 North Forest Rd., Amherst.

The workshop focuses on global best practices in supply chain management, as well as how to organize and implement methods to reduce costs, improve quality, provide customized product and service offerings, and more quickly respond to customer needs.

“Competing effectively in the new marketplace requires up-to-date knowledge of best practices in supply chain integration in a variety of areas,” says Suresh, chair of the operations management and strategy department in UB’s School of Management, and an associate director of UB’s Institute for Sustainable Transportation and Logistics.

Those areas include collaborative design of products and services, design for logistics, interorganizational demand forecasting, coordinated inventory management and strategic sourcing.

Suresh has presented to leaders of hundreds of multinational firms such as Philips, Hewlett Packard, Motorola, Chartered Semiconductor, Siemens, Cummins, Tata Motors and Bharat Petroleum. Attendees have included professionals from the retail industry, logistics service providers, shipping companies, freight forwarders and distributors from North America, Europe and Asia.

The workshop is ideal for established companies and startups venturing into the supplier domain. It is valuable for managers involved in business strategy, marketing, sales and distribution, design, manufacturing, engineering, purchasing and materials management, logistics and transportation, production planning and control, quality management, cost and financial accounting, and information systems.

“We’ve heard from various businesses that it’s not uncommon to have issues when dealing with suppliers,” said Timothy Leyh, UB TCIE executive director. “Though this workshop covers much more, participants will be exposed to new ways of partnering with key suppliers and distributors to alleviate difficulties and create better relationships.”

Participants will learn how to minimize uncertainties, disconnects, inventories, delays, resource waste and poor service along the supply chain.

Registration info: To register, visit: http://www.tcie.buffalo.edu/what-we-do/professional-development/. It is on a first-serve basis and the deadline is May 11. For more information, contact Mariah Glass, UB TCIE training program coordinator, at 716-645-8840 or mariahgl@buffalo.edu.

TCIE stands for The Center for Industrial Effectiveness. Part of the University at Buffalo, it is Western New York's bridge to excellence; it provides a dynamic link between UB’s expert resources and the region’s business community. Its core focus on engineering solutions and operational excellence drives continual improvements, and ignites innovation and technological advantages. For more information on how UB TCIE can assist Western New York businesses, visit www.tcie.buffalo.edu or call 716-645-8800.