What does a company's delivery promise mean for the warehouse it needs? Patrick Van Hull and I discuss inventory, distribution, and the operating decisions behind industrial real estate. Patrick taught my supply chain strategy class at the University of Arkansas, and this conversation explores the industry experience behind his teaching.

We talk about the decisions behind a warehouse requirement, what companies can learn from other industries, and how working professionals bring classroom lessons straight back to their jobs. Patrick also explains why AI has brought him back to the industrial engineering questions he started with: how work gets done, where it gets stuck, and what can be improved.

In this conversation:
• How factory layouts, inventory, and financial performance connect
• The link between industrial minerals and iPhone screens
• When an outside distributor may serve customers better than an in-house operation
• What teaching working professionals has taught Patrick
• How everyday processes affect working capital and performance
• Why knowing how to find an answer matters

Hosted by Justin Smith. Recorded October 23, 2026.

Chapters
00:00 How delivery requirements shape warehouses
00:15 Patrick's career and the experience behind his teaching
03:46 From a mine to an iPhone screen
05:26 Industrial engineering in the AI era
07:53 Inventory, delivery, and the warehouse requirement
10:11 Forecasting demand when the signals change
11:50 Executive advisory at SCM World and Gartner
16:50 Build in-house or work with a distributor?
18:23 Joining Arkansas and keeping the program current
21:19 Teaching lessons working professionals can use
24:37 Network design and human judgment
27:59 Salesforce and the workarounds inside everyday processes
30:25 Working capital and underlying processes
33:56 Raising the floor and learning to find an answer
36:39 Mentoring and owning your perspective