AI, automation, robotics, digital twins, control towers, digital orchestration, and next-generation enterprise systems are reshaping how supply chains operate and compete. For supply chain leaders, the challenge is no longer just understanding new tools but deciding which technologies are worth the investment, how to prepare the organization for change, and how to lead implementation in ways that create measurable business value.
To help professionals meet that challenge, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business has launched the Supply Chain Management Technology Academy, an eight-week program offered through the Global Supply Chain Institute. The inaugural edition runs from September 22 through November 22 and is designed for managers, directors, and high-potential employees who want a more strategic understanding of the technologies transforming supply chains.
What distinguishes the SCM Technology Academy is its focus on the executive side of technology adoption: evaluating opportunities, building business cases, governing digital investments, leading implementation, and strengthening cyber resilience.
Participants examine the technologies and systems shaping modern supply chains, as well as how data moves through core platforms such as ERP, WMS, TMS, and OMS to support visibility, analytics, simulation, optimization, and scenario planning.
“Knowing the technology isn’t the same as leading it,” said Alan Amling, assistant professor of practice at Haslam and a former UPS executive who helped develop the academy.
“Plenty of programs can explain AI or robotics. The harder part, and what we built this around, is the executive job: deciding what’s worth the investment, getting the foundations right, bringing your people through the change, and protecting the operation. That’s the difference between understanding supply chain technology and actually running it.”
Across eight modules, participants learn to differentiate among AI types such as machine learning, neural networks, generative AI, and agentic AI, and assess applications in demand sensing, planning, and autonomous decision-making. They also examine digital orchestration platforms, organizational readiness, and investment prioritization using maturity-model thinking. The program addresses automation and robotics across warehousing, manufacturing, and transportation, with emphasis on ROI, scalability, flexibility, and workforce implications.
The academy also addresses the organizational realities that often determine whether digital initiatives succeed or fail. Participants learn how to evaluate governance models, diagnose decision rights and data ownership issues, define vendor criteria, distinguish user requirements from technical requirements, and apply best practices to reduce implementation risk. They also examine change management, communication strategies, training design, culture readiness, and supply chain-specific cybersecurity vulnerabilities, including AI-related risks such as data leakage and model misuse.
Delivered in a synchronous and asynchronous online format, the SCM Technology Academy gives participants the flexibility to build practical technology acumen while continuing to advance in their current roles. It expands Haslam’s broader portfolio of supply chain academies in leadership, finance, planning, and procurement with a first-of-its-kind offering focused specifically on technology leadership.
The program cost is $3,995, and discounts are available for employees of GSCI partner companies. For leaders ready to strengthen their supply chain technology capabilities, the next cohort begins September 22, 2026.
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