Newswise — DURHAM, N.H. – Christine Shea, associate dean for graduate programs and research, and professor of technology and operations management at the UNH Whittemore School of Business and Economics, is available to discuss supply chain and operations management issues that may develop as a result of the crisis in Japan.
“We used to say somewhat facetiously that in the American automotive industry in the 1950s, coal and steel entered one end of the plant and a car came out the other end. Today’s products and their supply chains are much more complex, with as many as 2,000 to 3,000 vendors being involved in the production of components and subassemblies for each model,” Shea said.
“The impact of the Japan crisis on product availability will depend on the amount and location of inventory and available capacity for each and every component that makes up that product. One semiconductor sourced from a Toshiba semiconductors manufacturing facility that cannot deliver the part can hold up the completion of a complex product. For how long depends on the firm’s foresight and planning for such breakdowns in its supply chain,” she said.
The University of New Hampshire, founded in 1866, is a world-class public research university with the feel of a New England liberal arts college. A land, sea, and space-grant university, UNH is the state's flagship public institution, enrolling 12,200 undergraduate and 2,300 graduate students.
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