Graduate students from supply chain programs at some of the top business schools in the nation came to the TCU campus to compete, and watched as the Center for Supply Chain Innovation celebrated the last20 years. This year’s competition included prize awards totaling $30,000.
April 05, 2023
By Kelly Kjetsaa
The TCU Neeley Center for Supply Chain Innovation recognized their 20th anniversary as part of the welcome ceremony for the TCU Neeley Graduate Supply Chain Case Competition.
“As we celebrate 20 years of innovation and leadership, we continue to keep the focus on providing students with an unparalleled experience that prepares them to change the future of business for the better,” said Molly Kanthack, director of the TCU Neeley Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
“With a combination of impactful corporate partnerships, innovative faculty and inspiring students, we’re looking forward to the next 20 years,” Kanthack said.
To kick off the 20th anniversary celebration, TCU President Daniel Pullin and TCU Neeley Interim Dean Hettie Richardson welcomed the competitors and spoke about the continuous growth of the Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
Graduate students from supply chain programs at some of the top business schools in the nation came to the TCU campus March 30 through April 1 for the competition. Thanks to the commitment of corporate partners, the supply chain case competition is able to offer students an opportunity to network with successful supply chain executives and industry thought leaders. This year’s competition included prize awards totaling $30,000.
Platinum partner Kinaxis credited the Center for Supply Chain Innovation faculty and staff with hosting a dynamic competition that mirrors a realistic experience.
“Working alongside TCU, our goal was to create a real-world scenario for the students to experience what a supply chain planner is faced with every day – time-sensitive decisions, data-driven analysis, and variability. Featuring our customer, TrinityRail, the competition created an environment where every participant could be challenged and learn something new. It was an outstanding experience to be the platinum sponsor,” said Mary E. Gros, Sr. Director, Industry and Academic Alliances for Kinaxis.
“The students were energizing, and the TCU team flawlessly executes with a spirit of collaboration. I believe the TCU case competition exemplifies how best to prepare students for a future in leadership and supply chain management,” said Gros.
The graduate student teams had 24 hours to respond to the case topic presented by Trinity Industries: How would you manage the impact of changing the production schedule to accommodate a new, highly valued customer order? Student teams worked together and presented their solution the following day to a panel of judges made up of impressive leaders within the supply chain industry.
The first place team was the University of Texas at Dallas (Team BNSF), receiving a $14,000 prize.
Brigham Young University (Team Shoppas Material Handling) won second place and a $10,000 prize.
The University of Wisconsin (Team HEB) won third place and received a prize of $6,000.
Sijo Mathew Varghese, an MBA Candidate at the University of Texas at Dallas and member of the winning team, shared his takeaways from the competition.
“Participating in the case competition was an invaluable experience, offering a fantastic opportunity to hone our problem-solving skills by analyzing mountains of data and presenting our analysis to the leadership team - a true taste of the real world,” Vargheese said.
