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Improving Manufacturing Through
Interdisciplinary Research

We believe that improvements within an industry segment, in isolation from the other segments of the supply chain, are unlikely to maintain long-term success. Our view is that employing high performance manufacturing or other technological innovations without understanding their role in a business model will be ineffective. Making a product faster or better does not necessarily mean that it will be appropriate and more responsive to the market. Our aim is to foster cross-disciplinary area research. The center's research projects will require the collaboration of researchers with expertise in business as well as in the forest and wood products industries. Our research efforts will go beyond narrowly defined technical research they will integrate expertise required across the components of the supply chain, both tactically and strategically.

One of the center's research activities will be to create and manage databases and portray them in formats that are of value to industry, government, and academe. These databases will include:

• Consumer and manufacturer panels for the furniture and kitchen cabinet market segments.
• The flow of material from the forest to the consumer and the identification of valueadded activities through the supply chain. This database also can be used to provide a benchmark to assess the quality of a company's supply chain and potential sources of waste and inefficiency.
• Tracking data that allow for the application of data mining techniques to provide market-relevant information.

These databases can be used with assessment tools (e.g., software that uses these databases, GIS, benchmarking) to assess the "effectiveness quotient" of a business. Such measures will give a business feedback on its effectiveness and how it compares to "worldclass" leaders and help it identify opportunities for improvement.

 

Technology Transfer
Executive & Continuing Education

Our center will use multiple strategies to communicate current state-of-the-art research findings to the industry. We will develop conferences that bring together key stakeholders that focus on the center's current research activities. The presentations and discussions will examine technological innovations within current and new business models. The SFFIC will also develop quarterly technology transfer workshops that discuss technology and innovation deployment within the context of a business model. Topics will include lean manufacturing, supply chain optimization, market analysis, and consumer education programs. In addition, the SFFIC conducts executive and continuing education programs at the strategic and tactical level. Programs will focus on the integration of business models and technological innovations. Also, the Center will develop interdisciplinary courses in forest products, supply chain optimization, advanced manufacturing techniques, sustainable business practices, and consumer behavior.

 

Expanding The Industries' Labor Pool

Historically, Sloan Foundation Industry Centers have focused on graduate training to expand and educate the labor pool. A significant challenge for forest industries is attracting a diverse workforce at all levels that is talented, motivated, and well-trained. In our approach to the labor market, we will use strategies aimed at both graduate and undergraduate students. Our focus on joint business/forest industry research will produce technically skilled, business-savvy graduate students who will have "added-value" in the marketplace. Our graduate students who accept jobs in the industry will be particularly qualified for leadership positions because of their technical and business skills. We will also recruit highly qualified undergraduates as student affiliates. These student affiliates, who will be selected based on their leadership and academic skills, will be allowed to enroll in honors courses, participate in industry-sponsored projects, and apply for internships through the center. We will encourage our partners to develop projects that allow students to apply course material to address industry problems. Classes and class projects will bring together business and natural resource students to foster cross-disciplinary teamwork. We will encourage industry and government partners to create internship opportunities for highly qualified students. We will invite industry and government partners into the classroom to provide instruction and guidance about the many challenges facing the industry.