Washington State is home to several major companies who use the most innovative practices in operations and supply chain management, such as Amazon.com, Costco, Paccar, Starbucks, and Boeing. The undergraduate concentration in Operations and Supply Chain Management is designed to address the current market demand in this area

Operations and Supply Chain Management covers concepts related to the design, planning, control, and improvement of manufacturing and service operations. You will be introduced to an innovative blend of analytical and empirical approaches to important problems facing the private and public sectors, including: project management, service delivery systems, product development, business analytics, inventory and supply chain management, among others.

The importance of the operations and supply chain management field has become more apparent in recent decades. Some companies are deriving significant competitive advantage from their operations systems: Dell through its direct-to-consumer model, Zara through product testing, forecasting, and life-cycle management, Amazon.com through its unique distribution system, Toyota and Boeing through lean operations and Just-in-Time concept, and Wal-Mart and Costco through efficient logistics network. Most companies now agree that world-class performance in operations and supply chain management is essential for their competitive success. The demand for these skills will grow as firms continue to recognize that they compete not only with new products, good marketing, and skillful finance, but also with unique competence in operations and supply chain management.