News

The Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Charlie Baker visited the AgeLab at MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics on Wednesday, April 12, where he signed an Executive Order establishing the state’s first Governor’s Council to Address Aging in Massachusetts.

What will retailing look like 10 years from now? Will Main Street and suburban shopping still exist?

Recent announcements by household names such as Sears, Macy’s and J. C. Penney of mass store closures, and the unrelenting growth of e-commerce, do not augur well for the traditional shopping experience.

But the death of bricks-and-mortar retailing has been grossly exaggerated. A decade from now people will still be visiting their favorite outlets – it’s just that the environment in which they shop will look very different than it is today.

Single, childless and 68, Steven Gold has begun to think about future mobility and independence. Although in good health, he can foresee a time when he won’t be a confident driver, if he can drive at all. While he hopes to continue to live in his suburban Detroit home, he wonders how he will be able to get to places like his doctor’s office and the supermarket if his driving becomes impaired.

For Mr. Gold and other older adults, self-driving cars might be a solution.

The new 3C program allows students to study on three continents in ten months, gaining a global perspective and an master's degree.

When I was in college, way back in the day, we all looked forward to a semester abroad. It was a chance to experience the world and broaden your horizons as part of your education. With that as backdrop, I was intrigued to read about a new supply chain masters degree program being rolled out by the MIT Global SCALE Network next fall.

Featuring the article "A New Score for Supply Chains" by Chris Caplice

Additive manufacturing, autonomous vehicles, blockchain technology, the Internet of Things and multi-channel retailing are some of the innovations that are driving tremendous change in supply chain management today. Yet the innovative trend that is of most interest to me is already several decades old—the growing importance of service over products.

Technology promises to revolutionize the way supply chains are managed. However, in-depth knowledge and creative problem solving can enable significant supply chain innovations without the need for new technology. 

By Roberto Perez-Franco 

Award Recognizes His Achievements in Supply Chain Risk Management

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 2, 2017 – Jim Rice, Deputy Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), has received the Supply Chain Resiliency Educator of the Year award from the Global Supply Chain Resiliency Council. The award was presented at the Council’s annual conference on March 1, 2017, in Silicon Valley, CA.

Unique Learning Experience in Asia, Europe and North America

CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A., NINGBO, CHINA, ZARAGOZA, SPAIN, March 1, 2017 – The MIT Global SCALE (Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence) Network has launched the MIT-Zaragoza-Ningbo Master of Engineering in Logistics and Supply Chain Management program, or 3C Master’s Program, that gives students a unique opportunity to complete their studies in three continents: Asia, Europe, and North America.

Distribution networks are the conduits that connect companies with their customers, so it is hardly surprising that the way these networks are designed has a critical impact on cost and customer service.

Companies commonly use mathematical optimization models to arrive at the best network design, but this approach is flawed in one key respect — it does not take into account changing market conditions during the several years it can take to complete a design project. This is particularly onerous in developing economies where markets tend to be extremely changeable.

Luxembourg, 15 February 2017 – Registration is open for the new Master in Logistics and Supply Chain Management offered by the University of Luxembourg in collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), with merit-based scholarships introduced for the inaugural cohort of students starting with the winter semester 2017-2018. Registration is open until 1 April 2017.

Politicians are often taken to task for making election promises they fail to keep once elected. Candidates should be held accountable for the policies they advocate when campaigning for votes. However, delivering on the bluster that politicians often espouse during the heat of an electoral battle can do more harm than good.

President Trump’s stance on trade between the U.S. and Mexico is a striking example. During the presidential election, he vowed to stop jobs being exported to Mexico and to correct what he regards as an unacceptable trade imbalance between the two countries.

UPS is the largest delivery company on the planet, flying more than 500 jets in a mission to serve a customer base that topped 8 million last year.

Operating at a similar scale is the U.S. Postal Service, which delivered 154 billion pieces of mail in 2015 using 215,000 vehicles. At that scale, the postal service is one of the largest civilian fleets in the world.

Despite the enormity of their infrastructures and logistical smarts, UPS and the Postal Service haven’t been able to overcome one long-standing obstacle: the last mile from distribution center to doorstep. 

There are many innovations and societal changes such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, and the sharing economy that could shape the future of supply chains. But none of these developments is likely to transform the way manufacturing and supply chains are managed more than additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing.

While the concept of additive manufacturing is not new, the technology has become good enough that it is starting to be applied at scale.

Companies have come a long way in their ability to manage supply chain risk, but they urgently need to step up their efforts in one key area: the threats posed by water scarcity.

The Carbon Disclosure Project’s (CDP) 2016 Annual Report of Corporate Water Disclosure, published in November 2016, provides a wake-up call. A total of 607 of the world’s largest global companies submitted data about their efforts to manage and govern freshwater resources — the largest response in the report’s seven-year history.

When the Massachusetts Institute of Technology piloted its first online master’s degree in Supply Chain Management last year, Danaka Porter thought it was exactly what she needed to boost her career.

"I found that people were a little bit more respected once they had their master's because it was like they had taken that next step to go a little bit further," Porter said.

The 30-year-old business consultant from Vancouver, British Columbia, said she simply couldn't afford to stop working to become a student again.

Strategy + Business Magazine named Dr. Yossi Sheffi's book, The Power of Resilience one of the best business strategy books of 2016.

Why is it that most of the micro and small firms that represent 99% of the businesses operating in Latin America survive for less than a year? One of the main reasons is a lack of supply chain expertise – an issue that has received scant attention from researchers up until now. This knowledge gap is being addressed by a new research project from the MIT Global SCALE Network, that involves on-site research at some 500 enterprises across Latin America in collaboration with at least 14 of the region’s top universities.

The World Health Organization estimates that nearly half of the world’s population is at risk for malaria, a life-threatening, but ultimately curable and preventable disease spread by mosquitos.

Malaria rapid diagnostic tests are an important part of the fight against the disease, but according to new research from MIT, supply chain challenges keep these tests from making it onto clinic shelves, putting patients at risk of misdiagnosis, which over time can lead to antibiotic resistance. 

Companies are presented with many opportunities when they decide to enter a new market. Venturing into unfamiliar territory offers a unique chance to innovate and make changes that benefit the business as a whole. One of PepsiCo’s growth strategies is to proactively adapt to emerging market trends for natural, healthy, and nutritious beverages. The strategy makes the company’s supply chain more global and complex. It also presents new challenges and risks.

In October 2015, MIT launched the MITx MicroMasters credential, which enables online learners to take a semester’s worth of master’s-level courses on the edX platform, then complete a master’s degree in a single full semester on campus at MIT.

Six MIT graduate students, one undergraduate, and a recent alumnus have accepted Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards to conduct independent research projects during the coming year. Humanitarian Response Lab alum Emily Gooding graduated from MIT this spring with an MS in technology and policy.

A widely used method for mitigating supply chain risk is multi-sourcing — using more than one vendor to supply specific items. But there are significant risks to consider. Not keeping all of your eggs in one supply basket is an appealing strategy to increase supply chain resilience. But it’s not always effective.

Every day, automobiles equipped with increasingly sophisticated autonomous driving technologies are coursing onto the world’s roadways. There is a remarkable amount already known about the capabilities of these technologies, even in the face of unpredictable driving situations. But in addition to the road, these systems must interact with something far more complex: the driver, who is rapidly becoming a part-time passenger in his or her own car.

By Chris Creyts and Nora Weisskopf, SCM class of 2016.  In response to the growth of their e-commerce businesses, many retailers are looking for ways to reduce the supply chain costs associated with internet orders. Some retailers are starting to look upstream in their supply chains, and are requesting that manufacturers fulfill orders via drop shipping. The change in delivery practices creates a number of key issues, including the potential for impacting per-unit distribution costs for manufacturers.

Lombard, Illinois USA (June 23, 2016) -- Chris Caplice, executive director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, will receive the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals' (CSCMP) 2016 Distinguished Service Award. He will be presented with the award during the Opening General Session at CSCMP's Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida on Monday, September 26, 2016.