Wuest and Bernardes awarded IISE/Joint Publishers Book-of-the-Year Award

WVU professors Thorsten Wuest and Ednilson Bernardes were recognized for their work in the book, "Digital Supply Networks: Transform Your Supply Chain and Gain Competitive Advantage with Disruptive Technology and Reimagined Processes." (WVU Photo)

West Virginia University professors Thorsten Wuest and Ednilson Bernardes have been awarded the Institute of Industrial and System Engineers Joint Publishers Book-of-the-Year award.

Story by Adrianne Uphold, Graduate Assistant

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Assistant Professor Wuest in the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources and Professor Bernardes from the John Chambers College of Business and Economics were recognized for the book, “Digital Supply Networks: Transform Your Supply Chain and Gain Competitive Advantage with Disruptive Technology and Reimagined Processes,” alongside two coauthors from industry, Amit Sinha from Microsoft and Rafael Calderon from Deloitte Consulting.

“The book took a lot of blood, sweat, and tears – it is wonderful that it’s value and contribution is recognized by our peers with this prestigious award,” Wuest said. “This will further broaden the readership and hopefully help students and professionals to better navigate the digital transformation within their organizations and supply networks.”

Digital Supply Networks focuses on examining the impact disruptive new technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, have on supply chain management processes and practices. Wuest explained that by drawing from real world experiences and problem driven academic research, the authors provide an in-depth account of the move towards digital connected supply networks. 

“The book discusses the limitations of traditional supply chains in today’s digital and connected world and derives the underlying capabilities and potential of digitally-enabled supply flows,” Wuest said. “The chapters are filled with insights and real-life use cases, consisting of an essential guide to developing digital supply networks for maximum competitive advantage.”

Wuest began working on Digital Supply Networks alongside his three other coauthors in 2018. It was later published in July 2020.

The book also touches on critical enabling technologies, provides guidance on their deployment and their context, and illustrates their application in designing and building the core DSN capabilities for an organization. 

“Supply chain, supply chain management, data analytics, smart manufacturing, and materials handling are all core areas of industrial engineering today,” Wuest said. “This book contributed to the body of knowledge by providing a digestible way of getting up to speed on key transformational technologies and puts them in a strategic and tactical context to make their application actionable. It includes a playbook and a variety of industrial case studies further increasing its relevance to both industrial practice and academics in the field.”

IISE is the world’s largest professional society dedicated to the support of the industrial engineering profession and individuals involved with improving quality and productivity. The purpose of the IISE/Joint Publishers Book-of-the-Year Award is to recognize one outstanding published book each year that focuses on a facet of industrial engineering, improves education or furthers the profession. 

“What this book aims to do is to first introduce digital technologies and their capabilities and then put it in the context of how to apply it successfully and creates long term value,” Wuest said. “It is framed in a way that everyone within the supply chain business, if they’re tech savvy or not, can understand and benefit from. We wanted to write a book for professionals and students that easy to digest and fun to read.”

The authors also offer a hands-on playbook and several industrial use cases to guide organizations, executives, leaders and operational personnel in their digital transformation process. 

“I am honored that our work received this prestigious award,” Bernardes said. “Personally, it communicates that the work is adding value to education, practice, and the supply chain and industrial engineering professions. It motivates me to keep researching and writing in the area. The award signals the knowledge, expertise, and resources available at the University across different units in an area of tremendous importance for organizations, innovation, competitiveness, and prosperity.”

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