When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted global supply chains, it exposed a reality many people had never considered. Manufacturing is about much more than what happens on a factory floor.
Today, supply chains are an essential part of the manufacturing ecosystem, connecting suppliers, producers and customers in ways that require constant coordination and increasingly sophisticated decision-making. At Arizona State University, Feng Ju, an associate professor of industrial engineering, is helping tackle those challenges through advanced manufacturing research conducted working alongside collaborators.
Now, as the new Avnet Professor in Supply Chain Networks in the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering at ASU, Ju hopes to expand those efforts while creating new opportunities for students and industry partners alike.
“The endowed professor is intended to promote faculty leadership in manufacturing and supply chain research and education,” Ju says. “I’m really grateful for the opportunity, but it also comes with a responsibility to help advance research and partnerships in this field.”
Established through support from Avnet, a global leader in electronic components distribution headquartered in Phoenix, the endowed proffessorship provides resources to pursue innovative research and support student success. While the position encourages engagement with Avnet, Ju says its broader purpose is to help ASU lead advances in manufacturing research across industries.
He describes that evolution as a shift from “small-M” manufacturing, focused largely on production and processes within the factory, toward “big-M” manufacturing, which considers the ecosystem connecting product design, sourcing, production, logistics and supply chains.
“A broader perspective has become increasingly important in industries such as electric vehicles, semiconductors and aerospace, where manufacturers depend on complex networks of suppliers and partners,” Ju says.
That shift has shaped the direction of Ju’s research.
His team collaborates with companies such as Boeing, Honeywell Aerospace and Intel to develop artificial intelligence, or AI, and data-driven tools that improve manufacturing operations, maintenance and supply chain decision-making. The research combines theoretical work with challenges drawn directly from industry, an essential approach as manufacturers adopt AI across their operations.
“A significant portion of this research is user-inspired,” Ju says. “We want to develop solutions that are grounded in strong research but can also make a real difference in industry.”
For Ju, who also serves as chair of the Fulton Schools industrial engineering program, partnerships between universities and industry create benefits that extend well beyond research discoveries. Companies gain access to faculty expertise while helping shape technologies that address emerging manufacturing challenges. At the same time, students have the chance to work on projects that prepare them for careers in engineering and manufacturing.
Those student roles are expected to grow significantly over the coming years as Ju expands his program. His research group currently includes six doctoral students, but he anticipates mentoring many more graduate students as new projects develop, giving them hands-on experience solving complex manufacturing and supply chain challenges.
Ju also views the appointment as an opportunity to continue a legacy established by previous holders of the Avnet Professorship, including industrial engineering pioneers and Fulton Schools Emeritus Professors Dan Shunk and Pitu Mirchandani.
“They both happened to be my mentors,” Ju says. “They helped shape my career in different ways. I really appreciate all their support.”
Ross Maciejewski, director of the School of Computing and Augmented Intelligence, says Ju’s new role is a natural transition between different generations of researchers.
“Feng’s appointment reflects the growing importance of connecting academic research with real-world manufacturing challenges,” Maciejewski says. “His leadership is helping position ASU as a place where new technologies are developed, tested and translated into practice while preparing students to lead the future of manufacturing.”
As manufacturing continues to evolve through AI, automation and increasingly interconnected supply chains, Ju believes universities will play an essential role in preparing both the technologies and the workforce needed for the future.
The Avnet Professorship, he says, provides another opportunity to build those connections, bringing researchers, students and industry together to solve the next generation of manufacturing challenges.
“Industry increasingly recognizes the value universities bring,” Ju says. “It’s not just faculty expertise. It’s also the talented pool of students who can contribute to these projects and become the next generation of engineers.”
