September 23, 1998 Contact: Lew Harris (615) 322-2706 Lewis.G.Harris@vanderbilt.edu

Vanderbilt hosts symposium on supply chain management

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Automotive representatives from Nissan, Saturn and Mercedes-Benz as well as faculty members from Vanderbilt University and three Japanese universities are among those who will make presentations at an international symposium hosted by Vanderbilt Oct. 9.

The symposium, titled "Supply Chain Management and Information Technology: Lessons from the Automobile Industry," is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the University Club on the Vanderbilt campus. It is sponsored by the Vanderbilt Association for Technology Management (VATMAN), the Management of Technology Program at the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering and the Owen Graduate School of Management.

"This symposium will focus on supply chain management, electronic data interchange, electronic commerce and agile manufacturing in the automotive industry," said Sam Kurokawa, chair of the event and a Vanderbilt research associate professor of management technology. "Our discussions will target both technologies and managerial practices."

Kurokawa said the symposium is particularly recommended for managers and engineers in the automobile, electronics and related industries. It will also be of interest to academic researchers and consultants, he added.

The keynote address will be delivered by Kouhei Shimokawa, professor of business administration at Hosei University in Tokyo. His topic is "Supply Chain Management in the U.S. and Japanese Automobile Industries: Past, Present and Future." All told, there will be 12 presentations plus a panel session titled "An Outside Perspective: Learning From Other Industries."

Registration is $195 per person. For more information about the symposium, call (615) 343-0697.

-VU-

Vanderbilt University is a private research university of approximately 5,900 undergraduates and 4,300 graduate and professional students. Founded in 1873, the University comprises 10 schools, a public policy institute, a distinguished medical center and The Freedom Forum First Amendment Center. Vanderbilt offers undergraduate programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education and human development, engineering and music, and a full range of graduate and professional degrees.

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