Ernest L. Nichols, Jr.

ROBERT B. HANDFIELD is Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University. The author of Re-engineering for Time-based Competition, he has published over 25 academic and professional articles on a wide range of issues related to time-based competition, procurement and sourcing strategy, environmentally friendly materials management, and TQM.

Handfield was co-investigator on two National Science Foundation Research Grants: Integrating Suppliers into New Product/Process Development, and Environmentally Conscious Manufacturing: Integrating Environmental Issues into Product Design Planning and Manufacturing. His consulting clients have included Spartan Motors, Newport News Shipbuilding, Mead, Honeywell, Turkish Petroleum, ITT Avionics Division, and many others.

ERNEST L. NICHOLS is Associate Professor of Operations Management, Decision Sciences Area, and Director of FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research at Fogelman College of Business and Economics at the University of Memphis. He is also Faculty Research Associate with the Global Procurement and Supply Chain Benchmarking Initiative at Michigan State University.

Dr. Nichols' research interests and Fortune 500 consulting experiences encompass a wide array of integrated supply chain management issues. He previously served as management consultant with Dialog Systems, Inc., where his responsibilities included consulting in the areas of purchasing and materials management as well as the design, development, and support of customized materials and logistics systems software.

Handfield and Nichols are the co-authors of Supply Chain Management.