Supply Chain Frontiers issue #32. Read all articles in this issue.
Dr. Bruce C. Arntzen has joined the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) as a senior research director with special responsibility for developing the ground-breaking MIT Global SCALE Network. An MIT graduate, he brings over 20 years of supply chain experience in corporate and consulting roles to the center.
Arntzen spent most of his early career with Arthur D. Little Inc. and Digital Equipment Corp. designing, building, and managing various aspects of the supply chain. In the late 1990's he founded his own consulting practices, culminating in the creation of supply chain consulting firm Avicon Partners LLC. He received his PhD from MIT and earned an MSE degree from Johns Hopkins and BA and BS degrees from Bucknell University.
Arntzen has gained first-hand experience of the many supply chain problems that companies face, many of which remain largely unresolved, he said. One example is the use of financial benchmarking to connect the supply chain to the board room. Many supply chain managers fail to win board-level support for important change programs because they don’t speak the language of finance. Another example is how to achieve rapid “in-season” manufacturing and replenishment of retail apparel and footwear when the supply points are in Brazil and China. Fashion products are usually built on speculation far in advance of the selling season. As a result, many styles miss the market and are sold-off at bargain prices, often stealing customers from their own product line.
“MIT CTL has a unique, international perspective, and I am looking forward to using the center’s resources to work on some of these seemingly intractable problems,” Arntzen said.
He is particularly interested in achieving demand-driven supply chains in the global environment. “Supply chain problems are viewed very differently across the world, and the SCALE network is uniquely positioned to address these disparities through cutting-edge research,” said Arntzen.
Launched in March, 2008, SCALE is a network of affiliated research centers that spans North America, Latin America, and Europe. Arntzen will work on adding new centers to the network and expanding its slate of research projects.
One of the most important projects will look at supply chain risk in different countries. The aim is to develop a better understanding of the predominant types of supply chain risk, and the mitigation measures that companies use to prevent supply chain disruptions.
“Through the SCALE network we are able to carry out on-the-ground research that up until now has not been available to the supply chain industry,” said Arntzen. “These are exciting times for MIT CTL and the supply chain profession.”
For more information on SCALE and the research mentioned in this item contact Dr. Bruce Arntzen, barntzen@mit.edu .