A team of three graduate students from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business won the second annual Supply Chain Case Competition for their theoretical applications to a current business problem

A team of three graduate students from Florida Atlantic University’s College of Business won the second annual Supply Chain Case Competition for their theoretical applications to a current business problem.

The team, comprised of Ratnesh Mehta, Akanksha Chawhan and Gaurish Patil, took first place out of five teams in the Florida Atlantic & International Materials Supply Chain Analytics Case Competition, hosted by the College of Business and the Delray Beach-based company International Materials (IMI), for their solution to a real-world business problem for the company.

 “In the Masters of Science in Supply Chain Management at FAU, the core strength is the integration of business and education,” said Steven Carnovale, Ph.D., associate professor of supply chain management in the College of Business.  “Working with our excellent sponsor, International Materials, allows students to enhance their learning with hands-on, practical and relevant projects. These experiences ensure our students hit the ground running day one when they get hired.”

Second place went to Ioannis Ioannous and Vishal Choday, while Roberto Esobar, Joe Ingles and Claude Guillaume took third place.

The competition started in January with all five teams made up of 16 students briefed on the case from IMI to solve. This year, participants were tasked with solving a commodity forecasting problem at IMI Houston location by forecasting three to four commodities and optimizing inventory.

Judges consisted of executives from IMI who evaluated presentations for their proposed solutions and applicability to the IMI. Winners and runners-up were celebrated at an in-person award ceremony following the presentations.

IMI, a global privately owned built raw material trading company, serves customers in the cement, wallboard and steel making industries through delivering cementitious and solid fuels products.

Supply chain management studies the flow of goods and services to and from a company and includes all the process involved in transforming raw materials and components into final products. To address growing interest in the field, FAU launched the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management in Fall 2021. The degree consists of 10 courses that can be finished in 18 months.

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