Advancing Supply Chain
At the ASCC, industry research and data combine with academic research and theory to generate concrete solutions.
Imagine a partnership where innovative academic research meets practical business solutions. The Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative (ASCC) makes this concept a reality by uniting researchers and industry experts to address critical supply chain issues.
Haslam’s Global Supply Chain Institute launched the ASCC in 2019, and the initiative now collaborates with 10 to 12 industry partners annually. Functioning as a think tank, the ASCC does not shy away from discussing big problems. “We take on big, thorny issues that most businesses confront but don’t have the bandwidth or research skills to tackle on their own and bring these companies together with our researchers to find solutions,” Ted Stank, ASCC director and Harry J & Vivienne R. Bruce Chair of Excellence, says.
Uniting Scholarship and Industry Relevance
Stank explains that the ASCC was born out of a desire to generate business scholarship that is useful to practice and extends knowledge in the discipline. Achieving the initiative’s goal requires more effort at the front end to gain the trust of companies, negotiate through corporate legal systems, and gather current data from business partners instead of collecting student data or purchasing secondary data sets. “For us, it’s not about doing relevant industry research versus academically robust research,” he says. “I believe you can stay on that knife edge and accomplish both goals.”
Twelve companies are on the ASCC’s roster this fall, and all are part of the wider group of more than 70 companies in Haslam’s Global Supply Chain Institute. The ASCC operates with the buy-in of the companies who are members. Participants in the ASCC provide the college with some financial support to cover operating costs of research and appoint a representative to become the point of contact within the collaborative, allowing Haslam faculty to engage with each and gather insights and data.
Each year, faculty and industry members identify projects that are interesting and applicable to multiple companies. Many initiatives continue for several years, such as one on supply planning. Other ASCC projects consider organizational and general supply chain agility, talent retention, digitalization, and inventory modeling.
The majority of the first 10 companies to join the ASCC in 2019 still participate today-a testament to the collaboration’s impact. Bush Brothers & Company, an inaugural participant, continues to derive value from the ASCC. “We’ve been involved with several projects over the years focused on demand-driven supply planning and supply chain agility,” says Ben Belk, vice president of supply chain at Bush Brothers & Company. “We’ve gained new perspectives and ideas on how to run not just our supply chain but our entire business.”
Kenco Group also has been part of ASCC since its inception and has participated in various projects. “All of [the projects] helped us develop internal strategies and specific initiatives,” says President and CEO Denis Reilly.
Jen Kelly, vice president of planning, North America Global Supply Chain at Schneider Electric, says ASCC involvement allows her team to test academic theory against historical data. “The ASCC provides extended resources to solve our real-world business challenges. We can collaborate and experiment in a safe space.”
Boosting Research Output
While adding value to industry partners, the ASCC also enhances faculty research. Lance Saunders, Jerry & Suzanne Ratledge Professor of Supply Chain Management and Vallett Family Faculty Fellow, works closely with the ASCC on researched focused on supply chain planning. “My work with the ASCC has allowed me to obtain a research identity related to supply chain planning, which historically has been an under-researched area within our field,” he says. “The best thing about the ASCC is that we collaborate with industry to discuss challenges and work together to develop solutions.”
Chad Autry, associate dean of faculty and research, Myers Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, and R. Stanley Bowden II Faculty Research Fellow, says the ASCC has transformed how Haslam supply chain faculty and students approach research. “It’s a unique initiative that few, if any, other universities can match.”
