Steve
Tracey

Professor of Practice in the Department of Supply Chain and Information Systems

Expertise:

Business

Focus Areas:

Supply Chain and Information Systems

In The Media:

Request

About

Steve Tracey is available to comment on the latest innovations in supply chain and how both domestic and global events impact various supply chain processes in the public and private sectors.
Tracey can provide an expert point of view on supply chain strategy, strategic procurement, supply chain management, blockchain technologies, and related applications in various supply chain processes. He is also an expert on the textile industry, and manufacturing operations, specifically in that industry.
Tracey serves on the advisory boards of StorytellerFx, Chainparency (innovative blockchain technologies), and the Penn State Center for Medical Innovation (CMI). He also serves on the Strategic Procurement Transformation executive steering committee for the university and, on the Advisory Council for DISCOVER (Diversity & Inclusion in Supply Chain). DISCOVER is a cross-industry organization that serves as a catalyst for the advancement of people of color in the supply chain. He was recently appointed to the strategic core team for the newly formed Industrial Biotechnology Institute.

Steve Tracey is a professor of practice for the Supply Chain and Information Systems Department within the Smeal College of Business and former executive director for the Center for Supply Chain Research ®. Tracey also served as the executive director for Penn State Executive Programs at Smeal from 2017-21 and has delivered award-winning open enrollment and customized executive education programs both in the classroom and on leading-edge virtual platforms.

His technical expertise is in supply chain strategic planning and implementation; blockchain; distribution/fulfillment, operations, and supply chain planning (both demand and supply) including S&OP. His research interests and publications tend to focus on the intersection of emerging technologies and how they enable a firm’s supply chain strategy.

He sits on both the management and leadership committees for the Smeal College of Business.

He recently served as co-chair for the Health Resources Task Force, a group responsible for designing and implementing the University’s testing and contact tracing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the very early days of the pandemic, he was one of the leaders of the Manufacturing and Sterilization for COVID-19 (MASC) initiative at Penn State.

On the Web

Faculty profile page

stevetracey

In The Media

Non-UPS packages could also go undelivered if workers strike

from WGAL October 23, 2023

"Things are going to get delayed. And it'll eventually cause a backup in the entire small package ground system."

America’s biggest ports handled a record 50.5 million shipping containers last year

from MarketWatch March 23, 2022

“You can’t really speed up container ships, you can’t speed up trucks over the road, you can’t speed up the rail lines, so the only thing you can do is add more of them.”

Empty grocery shelves frustrate shoppers

from Fox 43 February 12, 2022

"You've got men and women who liked their job and were still doing their job and then COVID comes along and it makes their job so much more difficult and challenging, and they say 'You know what? I'm just gonna retire anyway.'"

Hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 vaccines haven’t been used in Pa. and N.J. Here’s why, and what’s next.

from The Philadelphia Inquirer January 9, 2021

“My expectation would be if you roll this forward a month, you’ll have more vaccines in distribution, you’ll have more people being vaccinated, and the process itself will work out some of those kinks."

How businesses can learn from pandemic supply-chain breakdowns and better prepare for shifting customer demands and disruptions

from Business Insider December 8, 2020

"Diversifying your supply-chain strategy also helps businesses adapt to disruption. For example, organizations whose supply chains focused on the commercial sector, such as restaurants, may need to change their production to be able to also service the consumer market, based on whichever is busiest at a given time."

Don't expect to see disinfectant wipes or sprays in stores anytime soon, experts say

from CNN News April 29, 2020

"So the answer to the question is how rapidly can companies like Lysol and Clorox and the people that make hand sanitizer increase their production capabilities to meet that demand?"

7 Industry Experts Weigh In On Blockchain and the Fresh Food Supply Chain

from Global Trade October 6, 2020

“Another great use case is chain of custody in the food business. Being able to track and trace chain of custody from point of origin to point of use."