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Hafez Ahmed Hafez Shurrab
- Assistant Professor
- Ext: 5291
Dr. Hafez Shurrab is an Assistant Professor specializing in Operations and Supply Chain Management. He earned his PhD from Chalmers University of Technology, where he developed a strong academic foundation alongside practical industry experience. Dr. Shurrab's academic background includes degrees in Industrial Engineering, Project Management, and Information Systems. His research focuses on supply and operations planning, as well as the role of digital technologies in diverse business sectors, including aerospace, automotive, and construction. With professional experience in both academia and industry, including roles at Volvo Car Group and SKF Group, Dr. Shurrab bridges theoretical concepts with real-world applications. He has taught a range of courses, including Logistics, Supply Chain Management, Operations Planning and Control, and Business Analytics. Fluent in Arabic, English, and Swedish, with proficiency in German and Turkish, Dr. Shurrab values diverse perspectives and global collaboration. He has received recognition for his academic contributions, including an Outstanding Dissertation Award and an Early Career Scholarship. Dr. Shurrab has been privileged to work on collaborative research projects with numerous industrial and academic partners worldwide. His ongoing research in tactical planning, sales and operations planning, and supply chain analytics aims to deepen our understanding of modern supply chain complexities.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy, Supply and Operations Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2022.
- Licentiate Degree, Supply and Operations Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2019.
- Master's Degree, International Project Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2016.
- Master's Degree, Industrial Engineering and Management, Karlstad University, Sweden, 2015.
- Master's Degree, Information Systems, Linnaeus University, Sweden, 2014.
Doctor of Philosophy, Supply and Operations Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2022.
Licentiate Degree, Supply and Operations Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2019.
Master's Degree, International Project Management, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, 2016.
Master's Degree, Industrial Engineering and Management, Karlstad University, Sweden, 2015.
Master's Degree, Information Systems, Linnaeus University, Sweden, 2014.
Experience
- Assistant Professor, Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates, August 2024 - Present.
- Assistant Professor, Department of Project and Supply Chain Management, Penn State University, United States, August 2022 - August 2024.
- Research and Teaching Fellow, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, October 2021 - July 2022.
- Doctoral Candidate, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, August 2016 - October 2021.
- Business Marketing Consultant, Development Alternatives Incorporated, Sweden, September 2017 - January 2018.
- Product Development Engineer, IMI Hydronic Engineering, Germany, March 2016 - August 2016.
- New Product Introduction Project Manager, IMI Hydronic Engineering, Sweden, September 2015 - February 2016
- Manufacturing Consultant, Volvo Car Group, Sweden, January 2015 - August 2015.
- Business Development Consultant, SKF Group, Sweden, September 2014 - May 2015.
- Food Production Worker, Academic Work, Sweden, October 2012 - August 2014.
Assistant Professor, Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management, Ajman University, United Arab Emirates, August 2024 - Present.
Assistant Professor, Department of Project and Supply Chain Management, Penn State University, United States, August 2022 - August 2024.
Research and Teaching Fellow, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, October 2021 - July 2022.
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Technology Management and Economics, Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, August 2016 - October 2021.
Business Marketing Consultant, Development Alternatives Incorporated, Sweden, September 2017 - January 2018.
Product Development Engineer, IMI Hydronic Engineering, Germany, March 2016 - August 2016.
New Product Introduction Project Manager, IMI Hydronic Engineering, Sweden, September 2015 - February 2016
Manufacturing Consultant, Volvo Car Group, Sweden, January 2015 - August 2015.
Business Development Consultant, SKF Group, Sweden, September 2014 - May 2015.
Food Production Worker, Academic Work, Sweden, October 2012 - August 2014.
Teaching Area
- Business Analytics
- Data Analysis for Business
- Supply Chain Analytics
- Supply Chain Management
- Operations Planning and Control
- Logistics
- Modeling and Simulation of Production Systems
- Project Management in Supply Chain
- Master's and Bachelor's Thesis Supervision
Business Analytics
Data Analysis for Business
Supply Chain Analytics
Supply Chain Management
Operations Planning and Control
Logistics
Modeling and Simulation of Production Systems
Project Management in Supply Chain
Master's and Bachelor's Thesis Supervision
Research
- Tactical Demand-Supply Planning in Engineer-to-Order (ETO) Environments.
- Material Delivery Schedule Instability in Automotive Supply Chains.
- Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) in Uncertain Demand Conditions.
- Cross-Functional Integration in the Order Fulfillment Process.
- Managing Uncertainty in Sales and Operations Planning in ETO Organizations.
- Supply Chain Complexity in Battery Production.
- Cyber Risks and Management Practices in Supply Chains.
- Demand-Driven Specialist Capacity Planning in ETO Operations.
- Immersive Technologies in Supply Chain Management and Education.
- Navigating Paradoxes in Sales and Operations Planning.
- Impact of Machine Learning in Supply Chain Planning
- Supply Chain Complexity in Maintenance Performance in Lithium-Ion Battery Industry.
Tactical Demand-Supply Planning in Engineer-to-Order (ETO) Environments.
Material Delivery Schedule Instability in Automotive Supply Chains.
Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) in Uncertain Demand Conditions.
Cross-Functional Integration in the Order Fulfillment Process.
Managing Uncertainty in Sales and Operations Planning in ETO Organizations.
Supply Chain Complexity in Battery Production.
Cyber Risks and Management Practices in Supply Chains.
Demand-Driven Specialist Capacity Planning in ETO Operations.
Immersive Technologies in Supply Chain Management and Education.
Navigating Paradoxes in Sales and Operations Planning.
Impact of Machine Learning in Supply Chain Planning
Supply Chain Complexity in Maintenance Performance in Lithium-Ion Battery Industry.
Publications
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JournalAmer Jazairy, Hafez Shurrab, Fabienne Chedid, Impact pathways: walking a tightrope—unveiling the paradoxes of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in sales and operations planning, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Dec 2024, doi: 10.1108/IJOPM-07-2024-0582
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JournalJon Bokrantz, Hafez Shurrab, Björn Johansson, Anders Skoogh, Unravelling supply chain complexity in maintenance operations of battery production, Production Planning & Control, Oct 2024, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2024.2414334
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JournalPatrik Jonsson, Johan Öhlin, Hafez Shurrab, Johan Bystedt, Azam Sheikh Muhammad, Vilhelm Verendel, What are the root causes of material delivery schedule inaccuracy in supply chains?, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Jan 2024, doi: 10.1108/ijopm-12-2022-0806
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JournalHafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Untangling the complexity generating material delivery “schedule instability”: insights from automotive OEMs, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Feb 2023, doi: 10.1108/ijopm-02-2022-0105
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JournalHafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Mats I. Johansson, Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies, Production Planning & Control, Jul 2022, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2020.1837937
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JournalHafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Mats I. Johansson, A tactical demand-supply planning framework to manage complexity in engineer-to-order environments: insights from an in-depth case study, Production Planning & Control, Apr 2022, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2020.1829147
Amer Jazairy, Hafez Shurrab, Fabienne Chedid, Impact pathways: walking a tightrope—unveiling the paradoxes of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in sales and operations planning, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Dec 2024, doi: 10.1108/IJOPM-07-2024-0582
Purpose This research aims to examine the potential tensions and management strategies for adopting artificial intelligence (AI) within Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) environments. Design/methodology/approach We conducted in-depth interviews with eight S&OP professionals from different manufacturing firms, supplemented by interviews with AI solutions experts and secondary document analysis of various S&OP processes, to scrutinize the paradoxes associated with AI adoption in S&OP. Findings We revealed 12 sub-paradoxes associated with AI adoption in S&OP, culminating in 5 overarching impact pathways: (1) balancing immediate actions with long-term AI-driven strategies, (2) navigating AI adoption via centralized systems, process redesign and data unification, (3) harmonizing AI-driven S&OP identities, collaboration and technology acceptance, (4) bridging traditional human skills with innovative AI competencies and (5) managing the interrelated paradoxes of AI adoption in S&OP. Practical implications The findings provide a roadmap for firms to proactively address the possible tensions associated with adopting AI in S&OP, balancing standardization with flexibility and traditional expertise with AI capabilities. Originality/value This research offers (1) a nuanced understanding of S&OP-specific paradoxes in AI adoption, contributing to the broader literature on AI within operations management and (2) an extension to Paradox Theory by uncovering distinct manifestations at the AI–S&OP intersection.
About the journal
Jon Bokrantz, Hafez Shurrab, Björn Johansson, Anders Skoogh, Unravelling supply chain complexity in maintenance operations of battery production, Production Planning & Control, Oct 2024, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2024.2414334
Europe’s emerging lithium-ion battery production sector faces immense challenges with Supply Chain Complexity (SCC). This article explores sources of and responses to SCC within maintenance operations of battery production. Using an engaged scholarship approach within automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and battery cell manufacturers in Sweden, qualitative data were collected and analysed using SCC theory. Our core findings reveal 37 sources of SCC classified by origin and type and 40 responses across four practice clusters. This study offers in-depth insights into the potential impact of SCC on maintenance operations in battery production and provides actionable guidance for managing complexity. It also identifies five future research avenues: investigating complexity interactions, matching sources and responses, exploring complexity-inducing responses, identifying internal-external interfaces and examining social aspects of SCC. In effect, the study sets the agenda for research on battery production maintenance and positions SCC as a versatile theoretical lens for understanding the emerging battery sector.
About the journal
Patrik Jonsson, Johan Öhlin, Hafez Shurrab, Johan Bystedt, Azam Sheikh Muhammad, Vilhelm Verendel, What are the root causes of material delivery schedule inaccuracy in supply chains?, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Jan 2024, doi: 10.1108/ijopm-12-2022-0806
Purpose This study aims to explore and empirically test variables influencing material delivery schedule inaccuracies? Design/methodology/approach A mixed-method case approach is applied. Explanatory variables are identified from the literature and explored in a qualitative analysis at an automotive original equipment manufacturer. Using logistic regression and random forest classification models, quantitative data (historical schedule transactions and internal data) enables the testing of the predictive difference of variables under various planning horizons and inaccuracy levels. Findings The effects on delivery schedule inaccuracies are contingent on a decoupling point, and a variable may have a combined amplifying (complexity generating) and stabilizing (complexity absorbing) moderating effect. Product complexity variables are significant regardless of the time horizon, and the item’s order life cycle is a significant variable with predictive differences that vary. Decoupling management is identified as a mechanism for generating complexity absorption capabilities contributing to delivery schedule accuracy. Practical implications The findings provide guidelines for exploring and finding patterns in specific variables to improve material delivery schedule inaccuracies and input into predictive forecasting models. Originality/value The findings contribute to explaining material delivery schedule variations, identifying potential root causes and moderators, empirically testing and validating effects and conceptualizing features that cause and moderate inaccuracies in relation to decoupling management and complexity theory literature?
About the journal
Hafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Untangling the complexity generating material delivery “schedule instability”: insights from automotive OEMs, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, Feb 2023, doi: 10.1108/ijopm-02-2022-0105
Purpose Changes frequently made to material delivery schedules (MDSs) accumulate upstream in the supply chain (SC), causing a bullwhip effect. This article seeks to elucidate how dynamic complexity generates MDS instability at OEMs in the automotive industry. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory multiple-case study methodology involved in-depth semistructured interviews with informants at three automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Findings Dynamic complexity destabilizes MDSs primarily via internal horizontal interactions between product and process complexities and demand and SC complexities. A network of complexity interactions causes and moderates such instability through complexity absorption and generation and complexity importation and exportation. Research limitations/implications The multiple-case study contributes to empirical knowledge about the dynamics of MDS instability. Deductive research to validate the identified relationships remains for Future research. Practical implications In revealing antecedents of complexity’s effect on MDS instability, the findings imply the need to develop strategies, programs, and policies dedicated to improving capacity scalability, supplier flexibility, and the flexibility of material order fulfillment. Originality/value Building on complexity literature, the authors operationalize complexity transfer and develop a framework for analyzing dynamic complexity in SCs, focusing on complexity interactions. The identification and categorization of interactions provide a granular view of the dynamic complexity that generates MDS instability. The identified and proposed importance of readiness of the SC to absorb complexity challenges the literature focus on external factors for explaining complexity outcomes. The results can be used to operationalize such dynamic interactions by introducing new variables and networks of relationships. Moreover, the work showcases how a complexity perspective could be used to discern the root causes of a complex phenomenon driven by non-linear relationships.
About the journal
Hafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Mats I. Johansson, Managing complexity through integrative tactical planning in engineer-to-order environments: insights from four case studies, Production Planning & Control, Jul 2022, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2020.1837937
Fulfilling customer orders in engineer-to-order (ETO) settings entails customization and, thus, greater complexity: detail and uncertainty. Tactical planning aims at demand–supply (DS) balancing by ensuring cross-functional integration (CFI), which incorporates coordination as one dimension. This study uses a case study approach to identify the key coordination mechanisms applied in the customer order fulfilment processes (COFPs) to mitigate the negative impact of complexity on DS balancing in four ETO-oriented settings. Within-case analyses identify the applied mechanisms, and a cross-case analysis elaborates on how they influence the detail and uncertainty in decision-making and problem-solving activities. Findings suggest a positive effect of formalized activity sequences, balanced team compositions, effective task designs and supportive information systems (ISs); and a positive (but contingent) effect of the other mechanisms. Future research may address other CFI dimensions (collaboration), statistically test the findings, or qualitatively deepen the understanding of the forms and impacts of individual mechanisms.
About the journal
Hafez Shurrab, Patrik Jonsson, Mats I. Johansson, A tactical demand-supply planning framework to manage complexity in engineer-to-order environments: insights from an in-depth case study, Production Planning & Control, Apr 2022, doi: 10.1080/09537287.2020.1829147
The challenging demand-supply balancing in engineer-to-order (ETO) environments is often attributed to complexity. This study expands the understanding of managing complexity to obtain demand-supply balancing, focussing on the tactical planning logic of the order fulfilment process. An in-depth single case study was conducted and data describing the order fulfilment process at a construction company were collected and analysed. Findings suggest a tactical-level planning process framework, incorporating nine key decisions and three crucial activities, and their potential complexity-reducing and complexity-absorbing impact. The study contributes to the theoretical discussion of complexity in management practices, linking demand-supply balancing as a performance measure. The findings guide practitioners in ETO settings on anticipating potential medium-term consequences of key decisions on capacity. This emphasises the need of proper IT support to apply knowledge generated from previous projects and conduct comprehensive and robust scenario-based analyses.
About the journal
Memberships, Awards and Honors
- Early Career Scholarship Excellence Award, Black School of Business, Pennsylvania State University, 2023.
- Ph.D. Dissertation Recognition, ICHCA Foundation for Freight Transport and Logistics Research, 2022.
- Member, European Operations Management Association (EurOMA).
- Member, Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).
- Member, Institute of Industrial Engineering (IIE).
- Member, Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM).