CARY, NC – Graduates of Wake Technical Community College's Global Logistics program will wield analytics to streamline complex supply chains and retail operations. A collaboration with business analytics leader SAS, which is contributing retail analytics software and instruction, will empower graduates to plan product placement, reduce supply chain inefficiencies and manage supply and demand to boost profits and reduce losses.

The Global Logistics program teaches advanced technical skills to manage order fulfillment, purchasing, warehouse operations, and domestic and international transportation services. The degree program, a talent pipeline for the state's more than 200 retail distribution centers, looks to the leadership of such firms as Caterpillar on its advisory committee. Caterpillar recognizes that analytics talent can improve its complex supply chain.

"Companies are pressed to create more efficient inventories throughout their supply chains and to respond more quickly to customers. The demand for optimization software and people who can use it strategically is increasing," said Dwight N. Hendrickson C.P.M., CPIM, Supply Chain Strategy Manager, Caterpillar. "Done well, this process reduces the cost of inventories 30 to 50 percent."

SAS collaborates with colleges and universities worldwide to create degree and certificate programs that produce graduates who are ready to apply analytics to solve business problems. Spurred by growing opportunity, more than 200 students have declared for Wake Tech's Global Logistics major since its launch in fall 2010.

"The industry is quickly adopting the most up-to-date software for everything from order placement to delivery. Pen-and-paper records are a thing of the past," said Natalie Aman, Operations Manager, Sparta Polymers. "The skill sets and hands-on software training Wake Tech students gain through the Global Logistics program are turning qualified candidates out into the workforce."

Students study under a SAS retail analytics expert who herself holds two certificates from the Global Logistics program. Using solutions such as SAS® Space Planning, SAS® Pack Optimization, SAS® Size Profiling and SAS® Forecast Analyst Workbench, students learn to optimize supply chains and inventories, whether for a traditional retailer or a worldwide construction equipment manufacturer.

SAS has worked with education institutions for more than three decades, and SAS solutions are used at more than 3,000 educational institutions worldwide.
About Wake Technical Community College

Wake Technical Community College serves more than 66,000 students annually with five campuses, two training centers, multiple community sites, and a comprehensive array of online learning options. Wake Tech is fully accredited and offers more than 180 associate's degrees, diplomas and certificates that prepare students for university transfer or immediate employment. Wake Tech also offers noncredit continuing education programs: customized workforce training, small business support, public safety officer training, basic skills courses such as English as a Second Language and high school equivalency preparation, and other courses for personal enrichment. For more information, visit www.waketech.edu
About SAS
SAS is the leader in business analytics software and services, and the largest independent vendor in the business intelligence market. Through innovative solutions, SAS helps customers at more than 60,000 sites improve performance and deliver value by making better decisions faster. Since 1976 SAS has been giving customers around the world The Power to Know® .