Whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, the Kelley School’s Center for Excellence in Manufacturing connects you with the resources you need to be a successful leader and build a fulfilling career in the supply chain and manufacturing management industry.
Manufacturing students and faculty consistently seek ways to engage in new learning opportunities and network with the business community.
The Center for Excellence in Manufacturing holds the Gregg Sherrill Manufacturing Case Competition annually. In spring of 2021, 36 students from nine schools in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan presented their analyses to six judges from leading manufacturers with a case focused on “second chance” hiring at a company called Nehemiah Manufacturing.
In 2009, Dan Meyer and Richard Palmer founded Nehemiah Manufacturing to build fast-moving consumer goods brands in Cincinnati, Ohio. Shortly thereafter, Nehemiah hired their first “second-chance” convicted felon, an experiment that has come to define the company. Today, Nehemiah's factory floor, as well as various supervisory and management positions, are staffed by ex-offenders.
Questions the students grappled with included:
• Should Nehemiah grow as fast as its business opportunities, or should it expand only as quickly as it could incorporate second-chancers?
• What is the right balance between labor and automation?
• Can “second-chance” hiring be replicated in other businesses and communities?
The student team from Wayne State University placed first.
IUPUI’s Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Club is a great resource to introduce yourself to manufacturing and supply chain operations, meet other undergraduate students who are studying supply chain management, and attend events to network with Indiana’s top manufacturers.
The IU Center for International Business Education and Research (CIBER), housed in the Institute for International Business, leverages the institutional strengths of Indiana University and the Kelley School of Business to help U.S. businesses compete successfully in the global marketplace. IU CIBER is one of 17 national resource centers funded by a Title VI grant from the U.S. Department of Education.
More than 100 initiatives have led to significant improvements in recruitment and retention of diverse students at Kelley, and we continue to evaluate how we can address systemic racism, prejudice, and privilege, and prepare our students to be anti-racist business leaders.