The Laboratory for Extended Enterprises at Purdue (LEEAP) is an interdisciplinary research group focusing on the design and management of extended enterprises and the associated supply chain networks. Much of the Laboratory's research is driven by the need to understand the effects of the recent developments in information technology, especially those related to the Internet, in designing better supply chains and managing them more effectively. This involves novel mechanisms of collaboration and competition between firms and groups of firms, as well as a wholistic view of the entire supply chain from raw materials to the delivery of goods to the final consumer. The faculty and students involved in LEEAP are currently working on a number of projects aimed at developing a better understanding of the potential value of collaboration and information sharing in these systems, as well as different ways in which to exploit the information sharing capabilities of the new information technology to improve the effectiveness of the extended enterprise. The group is also active in research into fundamental aspects of distribution systems such as crossdocking and LEEAP currently involves eight faculty members from Industrial Engineering (Uzsoy, Ryan, Lawley and Stuart), Chemical Engineering (Pekny), Management (Iyer) and Agricultural Economics (Dooley and Preckel). The group began collaborating in August 1999 in response to the NSF Scalable Enterprises Initiative, in which it successfully competed for funding. Seed funding was provided by the UPS Foundation and the Deans of Engineering and Management. Since then the group has won research projects from Eli Lilly, General Motors and the National Science Foundation, as well as a Purdue Academic Reinvestment grant funded in May 2001. The total funding level currently is approximately one million dollars.

The long-term objective of the Laboratory will be to create a world-class teaching and research environment for the design and management of extended enterprises. The specific focus will be to develop a theory-based understanding of the behavior of the complex supply chains found in today's extended enterprises and use these results in software tools to enhance management decision-making. Rather than performing research in the technology of e-commerce and the related information systems aspects, which are being extensively addressed through other efforts on campus such as ????, the Laboratory will emphasize exploiting the improved quality and availability of information from customers, competitors and suppliers to make the extended enterprise more responsive to market conditions. An important element in LEEAP's activities is maintaining close links with industry, which is critical to pursuing a relevant research agenda and transferring the results into use. The LEEAP Industrial Advisory Board is an important element of this process. The members are leading practitioners in the area of supply chain management and logistics in a number of different industries. The affiliations of current members include Intel, IBM, UPS, General Motors, Gartner Group and Cummins Engine. (Web page for advisory board will list names, affiliations and short BIOS)

LEEAP is also actively involved in curriculum development activities, funded by UPS, which have supported the development of two new courses (IE590S Design of Distribution Centers and IE590B Modeling and Analysis of Supply Chains). The latter course will also be offered as an executive education course in May 2002. Another important activity is the LEEAP Lecture Series, cosponsored by LEEAP and the Operations Management group from the Krannert School of Business. This seminar series has brought leading researchers as well as prominent practitioners to Purdue.

LEEAP also sponsors workshops aimed at bringing together researchers and practitioners to discuss different aspects of the design and control of supply chains. The First Annual LEEAP Workshop was held at Purdue in February 2001 to present an overview of LEEAP activities to industrial partners and discuss future directions for LEEAP. The program, a list of attendees, and presentations made at the workshop can be found on the web page.