Compared to most college curriculums, Industrial Distribution is a relatively new entrant into the college curriculum. It stems from clearly identifiable forces and events in the history of American business and engineering education. Clarkson University founded the very first ID program in 1954 as part of Engineering and Management. Their effort was to meet industry needs for salespeople who had both technical knowledge and selling skills. In 1956, Texas A&M University followed by introducing ID into the department of Engineering Technology. Both universities offered a balanced engineering or technology/business program of studies. It wasn’t until the mid-60s that these programs experienced a growth spurt.
Dr. Don Envick started the third program in the United States in the Department of Engineering Technology at West Texas State University around 1972. The Industrial Distribution major included a business minor. The program at West Texas State was big in machine tool, mechanical power transmission, and fluid power technologies. ID grads were highly recruited by both manufacturers and distributors in these product segments. Advisory board members came from both the manufacturing and distribution sides such as the CEO of Gates Rubber, Denver and the owner of Cottingham Bearing in Dallas.
Seventeen other universities followed this lead emphasizing an applied approach with “hybrid” technical/business/professional programs of study. These programs were housed almost exclusively in industrial technology or engineering technology departments. This was the traditional ID curriculum model and prepare people for technical sales and wholesale distribution management. In contrast to the above model, there existed other ID programs or options administered in business departments with a focus on logistics, supply chain management and/or transportation. Generally, these programs prepare people for careers managing the movement of goods through the supply chain. Most of these programs eventually changed their names to “Supply Chain Management” as was the trend for such programs in the late 90’s and into the 2000’s. The focus of these programs make up what is now the key fundamental difference that separates university Industrial Distribution programs from Supply Chain Management programs.
In 1989, Dr. Don Envick brought the traditional ID model to the Industrial Technology Department at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. Since its founding, UNK ID serves and supports a broad base of manufacturers and wholesale distributors who need salespeople and/or distributor branch managers. Manufacturers look to hire graduates who have the potential to become effective sales reps or applications “engineers”. The career ladder may lead to district and/or national sales management and even to CEO. Wholesale distributors look to hire graduates who have the potential to become effective salespeople, account managers or branch operations people. Their career ladder can lead to distributor branch management, regional management, vice-president of sales, or president.
Since its inception, the UNK ID program’s focus and orientation has been to prepare students for technical sales and wholesale distribution management careers. It is a hybrid degree that was created at the request of manufacturers and industrial distributors to attract persons with both people skills and aptitudes for technical products. They suggested a curricular program that would develop competencies in 5 categories: (1) technical, (2) business, (3) professional, (4) communication, and (5) social. Although the program’s curriculum has changed throughout its history, it has always incorporated the consultation and assistance of its many company partners and industrial trade organizations in any curriculum change. As at its founding, the program’s mission is simply “to prepare students for technical sales positions and future leadership roles in manufacturing and distribution.”
