Navigating the Complexities of Supply Chain Forecasting

Tejeshwar Singh makes sure the world’s semiconductors have the parts they need

Tejeshwar Singh, a graduate of the Foster School of Business Master of Supply Chain Management, likens his role at Lam Research to a blend of art and science. He is applying the skills he learned in the supply chain management program to help forecast the need for semiconductor components worldwide. It’s a high-stakes exercise in modeling based on the best available—albeit incomplete—information.

Semiconductors are an essential component of the modern economy, necessary for our cars, phones, computers, and more to function.  The machines that produce semiconductors are highly complex and expensive, with thousands of unique individual components.

“Our job is to make sure the necessary parts are available to the customers anywhere in the world,” he says. “If a customer needs something in the next hour, we want to ensure the part is already there. We anticipate the customer’s demand and place parts across the world so that they can use them as needed.”

Singh explains that the challenge lies in knowing which parts and how many to source when to meet demand without having an excess of extremely costly inventory. For this, he must factor in everything from usage rates to geopolitical considerations.

Inventory supply can change overnight

Tejeshwar Singh's supply chain courses included real-world exercises in inventory management.
Tejeshwar Singh’s supply chain courses included real-world exercises in inventory management.

“You need to keep in mind macroeconomic trends,” he says. “Semiconductors are a global industry. Government sanctions or embargoes can heavily influence inventory supply.” A change in leadership at home or abroad can suddenly free up or cut off a vital component of Lam Research and its customer’s semiconductor supply chain.

It’s a role for which Singh is particularly well suited. He was trained in forecasting at the Foster, including real-world exercises in inventory management. “We were taught forecasting techniques and how they are integral to your supply chain planning process. In the supply chain management program, I learned the logic behind forecasting and why some methods are better than others. It was very beneficial and one of the program’s highlights for me.”

As a Master of Supply Chain Management alum, Singh took the opportunity to return to campus for a business networking event with current students.
As a Master of Supply Chain Management alum, Singh took the opportunity to return to campus for a business networking event with current students.

At Foster, Singh and his supply chain classmates played a variation of the “beer game,” which teaches the interconnected nature of supply chains and how limited data sets influence decision-making. In addition, it also emphasizes that while mathematical modeling is the foundation of the industry, the human factor is essential.

“My professors taught me there is always room for negotiation, and that’s stuck with me to this day,” he says. “There is always something on the table every time you go into a conversation.”

A supply chain management role that incorporates a love of technology

"I chose Foster specifically because it offers a holistic curriculum and its brand value." Tejeshwar Singh, Spares Planning Business Operations Analyst at Lam Research.
“I chose Foster specifically because it offers a holistic curriculum and its brand value.” Tejeshwar Singh, Spares Planning Business Operations Analyst at Lam Research.

While supply chain management is essential to everything from a small family business to Fortune 100 companies, Singh’s technical background makes Lam an ideal fit.

He grew up in Bangalore, known as the Silicon Valley of India. “I was always fascinated with technology,” he says. “I am the type of person who, when I get any gadget, I become very intrigued by its capabilities and start deep diving into them.”

He earned his undergraduate degree in Telecommunications Engineering at the BMS Institute of Technology and Management. Upon graduation, was recruited by global consulting behemoth Accenture. One of his clients was a logistics provider, and Singh was intrigued.

“I was fascinated by the whole concept of how supply chains work,” he says. “What seems like just moving products from point A to point B can be completely different from day to day, and just how complex it can get.”

Foster’s holistic Master of Supply Chain Management curriculum

A proud Tejeshwar Singh graduates with a Foster School of Business Masters of Supply Chain Management.
A proud Tejeshwar Singh graduates with a Foster School of Business Masters of Supply Chain Management.

Singh sought formal training in the field, and the Foster School stood out to him for several reasons. “The University of Washington is in Seattle, which is a hub for supply chains. Foster School of Business students have a lot of opportunities to contribute what they learn at major companies in the Seattle area. I chose Foster specifically because it offers a holistic curriculum and its brand value. It’s well known across the world.”

Singh parlayed an internship at supply chain specialists Expeditors, which is headquartered in the Seattle area, into a full-time role, which he says was a great learning experience. With that experience, coupled with the skills he learned at Foster, he was ready to make the leap to Lam Research and combine his love of technological innovation with supply chain forecasting.

It’s not an easy position, but an important one, and it’s a role he finds rewarding. “The number one rule of forecasting is that it is always wrong,” he says. “The goal is to have the least amount of error possible. Because our job is to make sure that these parts are available for customers at the right place at the right time.”

Avatar photo David Fenigsohn

David Fenigsohn is a Producer at the Foster School, and a former editor at MSNBC.com. He strives to be one of the better poker players in local road races or one of the faster runners in a poker game.