Supply Chain Frontiers issue #7. Read all articles in this issue.
This January CTL Master of Engineering in Logistics (MLOG) and MIT-Zaragoza Master of Engineering in Logistics (ZLOG) students got a taste of international logistics with a transatlantic student exchange and visits to the trenches where they saw globalization in action.
"The field of supply chain management is constantly evolving to meet the demands of an increasingly global market," said Dr. Caplice MLOG Executive Director. "We want our students to experience that evolution firsthand--on a global stage."
This thinking led to collaboration between the MLOG program and its sister program in Spain - the MIT-Zaragoza Master of Engineering in Logistics (ZLOG) Program. Started this fall, the ZLOG program is also a nine-month professional degree program in supply chain and logistics, but the course of study takes place in Zaragoza, Spain, an emerging international hub with its massive, new PLAZA logistics park. Together, Caplice and his ZLOG counterpart Dr. Jarrod Goentzel planned an international exchange.
"The two programs have similar curriculum but are taught in very different settings," said Goentzel. "Bringing the two programs together allows the students to expand their supply chain knowledge not just on a geographic level, but also on a personal level by interacting with their peers overseas."
For two weeks, the entire ZLOG class left its temporary home in Spain for the academic corridors of the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During that time, the MLOG and ZLOG students participated in a number of activities to include classes in System Dynamics, lectures from leading practitioners, and on- site tours of facilities operated by Reebok, UPS, and Boston Scientific. Additionally, the MLOG and ZLOG students took the first half of an International Logistics course featuring a month long interactive supply chain simulation game with teams made up of both MLOG and ZLOG students.
Students said the tours allowed them to translate their fall semester academics into real-world applications. "We were able to see some cutting edge, high velocity operations first hand, and learn how some of the leading companies operate their supply chains," said MLOG student Matt Harding.
With the experiences at MIT serving as a foundation, students from both programs then traveled to Zaragoza, where they heard from a host of international speakers and completed their International Logistics course. The classes also toured the Barcelona port and numerous companies located in and around PLAZA to include the Inditex Distribution Center (the parent company of Zara) and an Opel auto manufacturing plant.
"It was nice to have a chance to look up from the books," said student Tim Russell. "We were able to see one of the largest logistics centers in the world in its early stages of development." Student Marguarette Dau echoed his sentiment, "Visiting the logistics hub in Zaragoza physically shows the importance of logistics worldwide. It takes the lesson beyond the classroom."
And the value the students took away from the international exchange extended beyond the site tours and course work. Not only did students in the individual programs grow closer, but they found the collaboration with their overseas counterparts to be equally valuable. "We worked with some great people from the ZLOG program," said Harding. "It gave us a chance to really extend our professional network." Added Dau, "It was a great and irreplaceable experience."
For more information contact Becky Schneck at: bschneck@mit.edu