In Praise of Many Hats By Andy Beth Miller
The Need to ‘Accessorize’ at a Procurement Startup Recently, I sat down with Jason Huang, the successful VP of Manufacturing and Supply Chain/Business Development at Occipital, a science lab and special computing startup that develops state-of-the-art 3D hardware and software solutions. To fulfill his role, Huang wears a lot of hats, and when I say a lot, I mean…A LOT. This ability to expertly “accessorize,” he explained, is nothing new, as he has apparently been working on his now wide-range of skills, building his wardrobe if you will, since before he even dipped his toes in the waters of the procurement pool. It all started back in Taiwan, when Huang was just getting started, building the firm foundation that would form the building blocks of his successful procurement career in a surprising and equally multi-faceted way, brick by meticulous brick. Originally from Taiwan, Huang went to National Taiwan University and got his Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He then served in Taiwan’s Air Force for one year as a logistics manager. It was there that he got his baptism by fire for his foray into the procurement arena, while arranging missions, scheduling and maintaining 52 vehicles and their drivers, and much more. Again, it was a lot, but it was a challenge that Huang not only faced head on, but that
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actually sparked a curiosity and thirst for more knowledge within him that spurred him onward. He explained of this season in his life, “That really got me interested in the things beyond mechanical engineering, such as operational matters, like how to schedule repair jobs or delivering military supplies. Then, eventually, I started dealing with ordering replacement parts and handling all of the resource constraints from budgets, regarding all repairs, the handling of crews and drivers, etc.” Huang then continued his educational journey at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he received his Master’s Degree in Industrial and Operations Engineering. “We focused a lot on Mathematics, which later turned out to be very helpful in thinking about fulfillment and the best results in shipping, etc,” Huang shared. “These things I found very interesting, and it was during this time that I really stepped from a pure engineering degree into a more operational degree.” Huang then shared how he also took MBA classes at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, which really opened
