Bailey Whitman, master's student in industrial engineering and management (IEM), placed first in the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) South Central Regional Student Conference Competition at Texas A&M University on March 3rd.
The South Central region includes Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas with student chapters at 16 colleges and universities and six professional chapters.
She will compete in the national competition in Orlando on May 19-22.
Whitman developed a mathematical model to determine an optimal inventory mix for a regional manufacturer. Her work reduced the number of stock bar types by 33 percent, yield loss from 12 percent to 6 percent, and the number of die changes. It also allows the company to make additional sales. All these changes have the potential of generating new revenues and cutting expenditures for a total value of $427,800 annually.
IEM students have placed in the top three in the regional competition in seven of the past nine years. At the national level, IEM students have won the top prizes in three of the nine years. The work done by IEM students help the bottom line of for-profit and non-profit organizations alike. They help companies be more productive, efficient, and effective.
