Keeping the Supply
By David Leder
Sara Tompkins (’11) For Sara Tompkins, née Dunn, the pandemic has proven the importance of having people in place at every step of the process. Tompkins works as a business technical analyst and IT project manager for PACCAR Parts. One of the biggest challenges her company has faced in 2021 is finding enough workers to keep US operations churning smoothly. “The pandemic showed us how critical the human element is,” said Tompkins, whose trucking supply company has been manufacturing trucks for companies that deliver inventory to hospitals, grocery stores, and retailers across the US. “You can have all of the material in the world, but if you don’t have the people to move that material, you really can’t function.” Finding personnel to perform the job isn’t only a problem for PACCAR Parts. Labor shortages continue to plague every phase of the global supply chain, and many are expecting the status quo to continue for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s procuring raw materials, finding enough manufacturers to produce parts, or hiring workers to assemble those parts, many businesses are still trying to establish a rhythm for the latter half of the year. “We use a lot of the same raw materials as other industries because they all come from the same root sources,” Tompkins said. “Resource constraints affect everyone, and then when you finally get the supply chain loaded again, you run into the human constraints.” But even with all of the shakeups, Tompkins says PACCAR Parts has managed to come through for its customers. “We played a critical role in the survival of the nation by making sure our trucks could deliver essential products on time,” she said. “We needed to make sure our trucks were working properly so they could move whatever freight needed to be moved. … It has been pretty stressful at times, but we are proud of the job we have done.” In her current role, she manages the relationships between business partners and the technology systems they utilize. “Our success comes down to how we manage our data, use our data, and leverage our data to make sure we get all of the right parts to the right dealerships on time,” Tompkins said. “It can get pretty complicated, but I really enjoy it.”
If there is one thing the business world has learned over the past year and a half, it’s the importance of a functioning global supply chain. The pandemic created disruptions across every industry on every continent, and the effects are still being felt—from manufacturing to distribution to delivery to consumption. Three CB alumni who work in supply chain management for large corporations have been in the midst of this once-in-a- generation quandary, relying on their experience and relationship- building skills to help their companies weather the storm. There’s no telling when the global supply chain will return to pre- pandemic stability, but they say their organizations will emerge stronger and nimbler.
a real-time case study in supply chain
“We introduce the concept of supply chain orientation as part of the core business curriculum,” said Smith, chair of the Department of Finance and Supply Chain Management. “The concept encourages students to consider scope when evaluating business decisions. A decision that improves department performance may adversely affect operations across the rest of the company and beyond.”
Over the past 16 months, the ripple effects of the pandemic have pushed entire industries and national economies to the brink. For CWU Associate Professor Carlo Smith and his colleagues, visibility of these events are helping connect the dots for Central’s business students.
Carlo Smith
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