James Tanoos, clinical associate professor in Purdue Polytechnic’s School of Engineering Technology, won the best presenter award at the 2nd World Conference on Mechanical Engineering (WCME).
The WCME attracts experts, researchers, and professionals in mechanical engineering from around the world, providing a platform to explore new studies, build valuable networks and gain insights into emerging trends.
Tanoos' award-winning presentation focused on the automobile industry’s supply chain in the post-pandemic market. Tanoos addressed particular concerns with national tariff rates, exchange rates and GDP changes on imported vehicles.
Tanoos’ work shed light on how tight production schedules have been disrupted amid the volatile global supply chain landscape. For multinational automobile organizations seeking to optimize production planning and overall performance, an understanding of how the market has changed since 2020 is essential. From Tanoos’ work presented at the conference:
"To precisely forecast production planning, accurate internal vehicle sales estimates are vital … as both overproduction and underproduction can ruin the bottom line if it doesn’t match consumer demand."
Leading up to the WCME, Tanoos accepted presentation invites at four different global conferences in just five days. At two of these conferences, one in Dubai and one in Belgium, Tanoos presented research that originally came from wide-reaching collaborations with Taylor Bailey (a Purdue-based coauthor) and Yangsai Lyu (a Purdue alumna researching at a Canadian university). “Both are relatively new scholars and have bright futures in academics. If it weren’t for Purdue, we would have never met and collaborated. I’m appreciative of Bruce Craig in the statistics department connecting us months and even years prior,” Tanoos said.
As industries continue to forge ahead post-pandemic, Tanoos asserts that research and continued conversation regarding the global supply chain have become more important for local, regional and national economies. “The state of Indiana’s economy stands to gain with increased employee know-how and skillsets in this discipline, since we have [Honda, Subaru and Toyota in-state],” Tanoos stated.
Tanoos wants to give students study abroad opportunities, in part so that they can understand the changing landscape of global markets. “I taught for 5 years at Purdue Polytechnic Lafayette, and the Subaru employees who were pursuing their bachelor’s degree via Purdue Polytechnic stood to gain from their degrees. Similarly, the students studying abroad and in my classes can benefit from insight gained, whether they work for these automakers or are indirectly impacted, like students who work at regional tier-one supply chain organizations,” Tanoos said.
Purdue University placed in the top 10 in American Caldwell’s global university visibility rankings on the day Tanoos was awarded WCME’s best presenter. As Purdue increased in global recognition, Tanoos commented he “reflected [on] that announcement. … I’m just glad to play a tiny role in how people perceive Purdue and its brand internationally.”
Additional information
- Polytechnic students get real-world consultation experience with Purdue's local businesses (Polytechnic newsroom)
- 2nd World Conference on Mechanical Engineering
- Global University Visibility Rankings (American Caldwell)
- Purdue study abroad opportunities (Purdue.edu)