That 3D printing can help you print locally using a design sent to you from a far-off location is no longer news. Scientists have developed prototypes of printers that could change the way people produced things. The $10-trillion supply chain management industry has begun to wonder how this new IT revolution could change its fortunes.
Indian IT major Infosys has tied up with University of Southern California (USC) to address challenges like this the supply chain management (SCM) industry is facing. The IT firm has joined a global alliance that is being built to understand the rapid changes the industry is witnessing.
The global SCM industry accounted for about 14 per cent of the gross world product. “3-D printing, big data analytics, disruptive technologies, Internet and cloud computing have been bringing rapid changes in the industry. But there is a severe shortage in the availability of human resources to address these changes,” Ravi Kumar S, Executive Vice-President of Infosys, has said.
“3D printing helps us in turning a concept into a tangible reality. You can print a mobile spare part using a printer at home. It will play a major role in manufacturing, medical and biotech industries. And this change could have a powerful impact on SCM industry,” he said.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday with Nick Vyas, USC’s Director of Global Supply Chain Management centre, he said the supply chain undergraduate placements were in the range of up to 85 per cent to 100 per cent. Quoting a Gartner study, he said the entry level salaries were higher than compared to some other streams.
“You need to re-skill the existing staff, while building new talent to meet the huge demand unfolding,” he said.
Infosys will work with USC’s Centre of Global Supply Chain Management (CGSCM) at Marshall School of Business to build thought leadership in SCM industry and to bridge the talent gap in the industry. The two organisations held a roundtable at the Infosys campus to discussing the issues.
Stating that there was a huge shortage of manpower in the SCM sector, Nick Vyas said that the US alone would require 10 lakh qualified professionals by 2016. The University was in talks with a few Indian academic institutions to forge tie-ups and offer some certificate courses.