Keeping the Supply Chain Moving

Syed Abid (MEM '20) was introduced to the idea of working in supply chain management as a student in Northwestern's Master of Engineering Management (MEM) program.

Abid previously worked as a reservoir engineer in Pakistan. Like many people, he heard the term "supply chain," but he never thought about what it takes to operate and oversee a supply chain.

MEM changed that.

Abid took Operations Excellence and immediately began thinking about how a product gets made and delivered to consumers.

"It was among the most enjoyable and eye-opening courses that I took," said Abid, who today is a supply chain solutions engineer at APL Logistics, a global supply-chain solutions company focused on automotive, consumer, industrial, and retail markets. "That experience convinced me to pursue my career in the supply chain world."

Abid held three separate supply chain or operations internships while in MEM.

He was an operations intern at Northwestern Medicine, where he optimized patient flow and resolved bottlenecks to improve flow efficiency of emergency and surgical patients during rush hours. He was a continuous improvement intern at TreeHouse Foods, where we evaluated customer ordering patterns, manufacturing, and transport logistics to help determine a Minimal Order Quantity policy for customers. He also was an exponential technology intern at Anthem, where he organized data from various sources to create a data supply chain to better understand data value.

It was in those internships where Abid learned to understand the value of supply chain specialists.

"Supply chain specialists can be described as the grease that keeps the wheels of the supply chain running with minimal friction," he said. "The specialists' job is to proactively identify and solve any issues that can hamper the supply chain network, and if it does happen, find a resolution quickly."

Abid became a pathways operations manager with Amazon after graduation. In that role, Abid oversaw the inbound department of an Amazon distribution center. His job was to manage a team of 80–120 employees while making sure products the center received were stowed on racks in a safe, accurate, and efficient manner. Abid leveraged lessons learned in MEM to constantly improve the processes and make them safer and more efficient.

Abid frequently hears supply chain described as a consumer-facing industry, and while he doesn't disagree, he thinks it's important for supply chain leaders to think of the field more broadly.

"You must not only think about the end customer but also of each process' direct customer, (meaning) the next department that will touch the product," he said. "Thinking of each section of the supply chain as an individual customer is vital for the supply chain to achieve high efficiency and accuracy."

Today, Abid focuses on that at APL Logistics, where he supports the company's mission to help clients understand and solve complex problems that span systems and processes.

It's a role that excites him — and keeps him on his toes.

"Every small decision made can have large repercussions, affecting departments far down the supply chain," he said. "It can be quite exhilarating to make these important decisions. When all the blocks fall in line for a smooth operation, it is also very satisfying and rewarding."