Participants will explore sourcing strategies, inventory management, and risk mitigation while gaining insight into how supply chain decisions impact cost, lead time, and overall business performance. Through interactive instruction and discussion, attendees will learn practical frameworks for collaboration with supply chain teams and suppliers, improving design decisions, planning, and resilience across global networks.

• Design and development engineers
• Project managers
• Manufacturing engineers
• Technical leaders who work on cross-functional teams
• Professionals collaborating with supply chain leaders

• Explain core supply chain terminology, frameworks, and performance drivers.
• Describe sourcing strategies and vendor selection.
• Classify inventory types and apply principles of inventory management.
• Identify common supply chain risks and outline approaches for resilience.
• Apply ethical and sustainability considerations in supply chain decisions.

Module 1: Supply Chain Management Overview

Module 2: Supply Chain Sourcing Decisions

Module 3: Inventory Management

Module 4: Supply Chain Disruption and Risk

Module 5: Supply Chain Planning and Forecasting

Module 6: Logistics and Distribution

Module 7: Case Studies on Scale and Agility

Module 8: Sustainable Supply Chain Management

"The course gave a deeper dive into Supply Chain Management than I've experienced in my job."
— Matthew Gehrke, Sales Director, inpro

"The discussions around inventory, sourcing, risk planning, forecasting, logistics, and strategy helped show how interconnected the entire supply chain really is."
— Stephen Austin, Supply Chain & Manufacturing Professional

"Instructors had real life experience and lots of real world examples to share."
— Mike Taylor, Portfolio Growth Navigator, TitletownTech

Jake Dean

Jake Dean is an expert in supply chain and demand planning, and has a passion for delivering personalized education and attention to the next generation of leaders in the field. Jake has more than 14 years of supply chain analyst and management experience at Cisco and Canadian Tire. In his role as Director of the Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, he is responsible for the design and delivery of all supply chain educational programs at the University. Jake taps extensive industry connections to ensure his students' success as future supply chain leaders. He has a bachelor of business administration from Wilfrid Laurier University and an MBA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

James Rink

Dr. Rink brings over 35 years of experience in manufacturing, advanced technology, and operational excellence. Throughout his career, he has led global teams in China, Europe, the US, Mexico, and India, driving collaboration, enhancing manufacturing competitiveness, and achieving exceptional results. His tenure at Caterpillar spanned 31 years, concluding in roles as General Manager and Multi-site Operations Manager. Over the past five years, he has successfully managed his own consulting firm, Integrity 360 Leadership, delivering strategic manufacturing insights to companies such as Oshkosh, McNeilus Truck, and L&T Technology Services (LTTS).

Additionally, Jim has served as an adjunct faculty member at Bradley University, teaching manufacturing processes, and currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Colllege of Business' Organizational Leadership department at Lewis University.

Jim has a diverse educational background, holding a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and a master's degree in manufacturing systems engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, an MBA from Northern Illinois University, and a doctorate in Interdisciplinary Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship from Governors State University.

Beyond his professional achievements, Jim is actively involved in his community, serving on the advisory board for the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies at the Unviersity of Wisconsin–Madison, and holding director roles on his local Workforce Investment Board and regional economic devleopment organization.