Navigating the road to digital supply chain transformation

January 07, 2019 • News
It seems that no self-respecting company can be without a digital transformation (DT) strategy these days. But shifting an organization from an analog mindset to the brave new world of digitalization is a long and challenging journey. Where do you start, how do you prepare employees, and once there, how do you engender trust in digitalized processes?

In Good Company Challenge Announces Winners of 2018 Optimal Aging Challenge

December 18, 2018 • Press Releases

Massachusetts Tech, Innovation, and Aging Service Leaders Award Four Organizations Combatting Loneliness in Older Adults A group of industry, academic and government partners affiliated with Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker’s Council to Address Aging announced today the winners of the In Good Company: The 2018 Optimal Aging Challenge, a global competition designed to ident

Here’s what you need to know about the French fuel protests

December 04, 2018 • News
France is considering a state of emergency to quell some of the worst social unrest the country has seen in over a decade. A Monday appearance at the COP 24 climate change summit by French Prime Minister Édouard Philippe was abruptly canceled. Philippe instead spent the day with political leaders, discussing how to defuse nationwide protests that have increasingly turned violent.

GM thinks layoffs will boost its bottom line. The reality is more complicated.

December 02, 2018 • News
This week, General Motors announced plans to halt production at several of its plants. The move could see over 14,000 jobs lost, 8,000 of which are in North America. GM chief executive Mary Barra told reporters that while the company doesn’t foresee an economic downturn, the cuts are needed to “get in front of it while the company is strong and while the economy is strong.” Wall Street reaction was positive, with GM stock rising sharply.

Drug Delivery, Uncertainty, the Mom and Pop, and More - MIT CTL at INFORMS

November 27, 2018 • News

Why we need operations and management research

From malaria testing to micro-retail stores to global business operations, a clear understanding of what is happening in the supply chain is essential to exist and succeed. Observation of operations and knowledge of human actions alone are not enough. According to W. Edward Demming, "The world is drowning in information but is slow in the acquisition of knowledge." MIT CTL and SCALE researchers take aim at the deluge of information and translate it into working knowledge with their applied research.

Why Define Success In Our Evolution Toward Self-Driving?

November 04, 2018 • News

By: Bryan Reimer

Self-driving Not well understood

The convenience of low-cost on-demand personal mobility has taken our roads by storm. Young and old alike are leveraging ride-hailing platforms at an increasing rate. Driverless taxis may further accelerate the use of personal or shared ride-hailing services as part of an increasingly automated lower cost mobility system. The ramifications for personal vehicle ownership, environmental impact, use of public transport, and congestion are not yet well understood.

MIT CTL's Bruce Arntzen Joins NESCON Hall of Fame for 2018

October 31, 2018 • Press Releases
New England Hall of Fame

The 2018 New England Supply Chain Conference Hall of Fame Award winner is Bruce C. Arntzen, Ph.D. He has contributed in distinctly outstanding ways to the Supply Chain profession. The following summary is an excerpt from the full article.

The Green Lobby’s Misdirected Anger

October 29, 2018 • News
Climate Change and Global Warming

BOSTON – In August, when US President Donald Trump proposed to freeze fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks, environmentalists and their supporters were outraged. Now, the temperature of the debate has risen again, following a special report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that highlights the urgent need to take drastic action to curb carbon dioxide emissions.

Lessons From the Auto Industry on Managing the Next Recession

October 25, 2018 • News

The chorus of warnings that another recession is imminent seems to be getting louder by the day in the business community. The many possible triggers of another downturn include America’s trade dispute with China and rising corporate debt. Can companies draw lessons from the Great Recession of 2008 that will help them weather the next financial storm?

MIT Transit Lab Wins William W. Millar Award in Transportation Research

October 05, 2018 • Press Releases

MIT Transit Lab paper accepted for Millar Award

Comfort is an important aspect of the transit passenger experience. Crowding can significantly decrease passenger comfort, disrupt service delivery and act as a deterrent to public transit usage. A recent paper published by the MIT Transit Lab was the winner of the William W. Millar Award for best paper in public transportation research. The paper sought to measure transit crowding in new ways.

MIT Humanitarian Response Lab - ALAN Award for Hurricane Relief

October 03, 2018 • Press Releases

Humanitarian Logistics Award

The American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) today announced its second annual Humanitarian Logistics Awards at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) EDGE conference. The awards highlight the critical role of logistics in saving lives in times of natural disaster.

Emirati Power Employees Gain Access to MicroMasters

September 23, 2018 • News

Organizations pursue MicroMasters programs 

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) is providing its employees the opportunity to join the online MicroMasters program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA. This is part of DEWA’s strategy to develop the capabilities of young Emiratis and its commitment to continuously develop the skills of its staff according to the highest international educational and training standards.

Profits v. Planet: Can Big Business and the Environment Get Along?

September 07, 2018 • News

Warren Buffett said that in Business, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.” It has been more than two decades now since a 1996 issue of Life magazine depicted a Pakistani boy sewing a Nike soccer ball, reportedly for six cents per hour. After the story, the company lost more than half its market capitalization in just one year – it took Nike six years of demonstrated social responsibility to recuperate.

Don’t Read Too Much Into the Straw Ban Fad

September 06, 2018 • News

Companies and cities in the US are banning plastic straws ostensibly in an effort to curb the huge volumes of plastic waste being dumped in the world’s oceans.

But the real reason for these bans has more to do with corporate image-building than environmental sustainability.

Converting MicroMasters MOOC “Zombies” into “Learners” - Research Award

September 05, 2018 • Press Releases

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, September 5, 2018 – An MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) research project titled “Converting Zombies into Learners: Improving MITx MicroMasters MOOC Learner Retention” has been awarded a grant of more than $ 124,000 by the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative (MITili).    

Fresh MIT Perspective on Current State of 3PL Industry

September 04, 2018 • News

When the 3PL Value Creation North America Summit 2018 convenes in Chicago this October, shippers will hear from a diverse group of industry experts on how to drive the best deals with their lead providers in both the global and domestic arenas.

Guest Voices: Straw Man Solutions for Sustainable Supply Chains

August 22, 2018 • News

The Walt Disney Co. announced late last month it will eliminate single-use plastic straws and plastic stirrers at all owned and operated locations across the globe.

Disney introduced the ban in response to concerns over the amount of waste plastic being dumped in the world’s oceans. The company described the decision as “another important step in our journey of environmental stewardship.”

Bryan Reimer Gives TEDx Talk on Future of Autonomous Vehicles

August 03, 2018 • News

MIT AgeLab Research Scientist Bryan Reimer spoke at a TEDx event in Waltham, MA about the challenges ahead for making vehicles safer and what solutions are most sensible. Road traffic injuries are the 8th-leading cause of death worldwide. Over 1.25 million fatalities and 50 million non-fatal injuries occur per year globally. By many measures, traffic accidents represent a vastly undertreated public health crisis. Are autonomous vehicles the answer?

NSCIIC Successfully Hosted the 11th Annual International Conference of the Chinese Scholars Association for Management Science and Engineering (CSAMSE)

July 25, 2018 • Press Releases

NINGBO, CHINA, July 25, 2018 - The 11th International Conference of Chinese Scholars Association of Management Science and Engineering (CSAMSE) was hosted by the Ningbo Supply Chain Innovation Institute China, a member of MIT Global SCALE (Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence) Network, from July 14-16, with the theme of “Building Intelligent Supply Chains”. The conference arranged 4 keynote speeches, 2 industrial panel discussions, the Young Scholars Colloquium, the Female Scholar Luncheon and 46 technical sessions.

MIT Supply Chain Management Program Ranked No. 1 in the World

July 03, 2018 • Press Releases

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, July 3, 2018 – The Master’s Program of MIT Global SCALE (Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence) Network has been ranked as the world's No. 1 graduate business program in supply chain and logistics by Eduniversal. The Paris-based global rating agency for higher education ranked the MIT SCALE master’s program as No. 1 for the third time.               

Clarifying the Business Case for Green Supply Chain Management

June 20, 2018 • News

For most companies, sustainability is not a simple case of “profits vs. planet” but a more subtle issue of people looking for jobs and inexpensive goods versus others who seek a pristine environment. Here’s how your supply chain can satisfy these conflicting motivations to achieve both economic growth and environmental sustainability.

Read More

Is S&OP in Your Resilience Toolbox?

June 12, 2018 • News

Supply chain resilience has received a considerable amount of attention over the last decade or so, and although companies have achieved much in making their supply chains more resilient, many are still unprepared for disruptions. For example, a 2017 Zurich Business Continuity Institute survey with 400 responses found that 23% of the respondents experienced a supply chain disruption leading to at least $1 million losses and 9% experienced a loss in excess of $100 million.

Human Adaptability Still Needed in an AI-Driven World

June 08, 2018 • News

If you’re one of the countless people wringing their hands over the prospect of artificial intelligence (AI) taking over the world, you might want to take a closer look at the kind of world AI is supposedly inheriting.

It’s a world where human flexibility and adaptability are needed more than ever.

AI can outperform humans in various ways but dealing with unrelenting change is not one of them – especially the fevered variety we are now subject to every day.

MIT CTL Partners with Awesome to Launch Supply Chain Scholarship for Women - First Scholarship Winner to Attend MIT in 2019

May 18, 2018 • Press Releases

CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS, May 18, 2018 – The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics announced a new scholarship in partnership with AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations,  Management and Education), an industry-wide organization for senior-level women in the supply chain field.

Balancing Green: A Practical Guide to Corporate Sustainability

May 08, 2018 • News

Yossi Sheffi, Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, has done it again.