The Center for Excellence in Logistics and Distribution (CELDi) in the Department of Industrial Engineering is working on a new project with a major medical device manufacturer. The manufacturer offers industry-leading surgical, respiratory and monitoring, and vascular therapies solutions along with a comprehensive line of patient care products. They are interested in analyzing how their current CPR (continuous replenishment planning) model compares to best-in-class VMI (vendor-managed inventory) or demand-driven solutions and business processes. Additionally they wish to analyze the cost and activity differences between CRP and non-CRP customers.

Manuel D. Rossetti, the principal investigator for this CELDi project, is a professor in the industrial engineering department at the University of Arkansas. Rossetti has published more than 85 journal and conference articles in the areas of transportation, manufacturing, health care, inventory modeling, forecasting, and simulation and he has obtained more than $4.5 million in research funding. His research sponsors have included the Pine Bluff Arsenal, the Arkansas Science and Technology Authority, the Defense Logistics Agency, the Naval Systems Supply Command, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the Transportation Research Board, U.S. Department of Transportation, and the National Science Foundation. 

Shengfan Zhang, the co-principal investigator for this CELDi project, is an assistant professor of industrial engineering at the University of Arkansas. Her primary areas of teaching and research are in mathematical and statistical modeling of stochastic systems, decision and risk analysis, and data mining and data analytics for complex systems. 

Ed Pohl, the co-principal investigator for this CELDi project, is a professor and department head of industrial engineering at the University of Arkansas. His primary areas of teaching and research are in reliability, engineering optimization, supply chain risk analysis, decision making, systems engineering and quality. Pohl is a Fellow of IIE, and a senior member of IEEE and ASQ.

CELDi is a National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center. At this center, engineering faculty from the University of Arkansas, Clemson University, Virginia Tech, the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Missouri collaborate with members of industry to identify and carry out research projects in the area of logistics and distribution that are the most relevant to industry needs. CELDi's 15 member organizations come from commercial, military and government sectors of the economy.

For more information on the research project, contact Manuel D. Rossetti, principal investigator and professor, rossetti@uark.edu, 479-575-6756, Shengfan Zhang, co-principal investigator and assistant professor, Shengfan@uark.edu, 479-575-3571, or Ed Pohl, co-principal investigator, professor and department head, epohl@uark.edu, 479-575-6029.  For more information on CELDi, contact Rossetti, CELDi director, at rossetti@uark.edu or 479-575-6756.