Supply Chain Frontiers Issue #29. Read all articles in this issue
Enlightened companies know that economic downturns can be occasions to regroup and prepare for the next new set of challenges, and resources such as the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics’ (MIT CTL) Supply Chain Exchange Program provide the cutting-edge ideas they need to develop new strategies and make needed changes. Four companies have joined the Exchange this year and negotiations are underway with others.
That brings the total number of Exchange members to more than double what it was just a few years ago, said David Riquier, MIT CTL’s Director of Corporate Outreach, adding, “We have experienced phenomenal growth since 2004 when the Center embarked upon a major expansion effort.”
The 45 companies now in the Exchange are from a diverse mix of industries and geographies, but share a common belief that innovations in supply chain management will give their companies a competitive edge.
“As we approach the five-year mark in this growth spurt we are very near our goal of an optimal Exchange membership of approximately 50 enterprises,” said Riquier.
Exchange members enjoy multiple benefits including access to MIT’s thought leaders and the Center’s latest supply chain research.
- Access to the Partner Gateway, a password-protected portion of the MIT CTL web site that provides one-stop access to both publicly-available and partner-only materials.
- Regular research and event updates. Every Thursday the Center sends an email roundup called the Supply Chain Exchange Update. The Update provides brief summaries of news items and upcoming events along with links to more information; it is also the distribution medium for Supply Chain Frontiers.
- Preferred attendance at MIT CTL events and deep discounts on executive education courses. CTL’s conferences, roundtables, and symposia are a rich source of new thinking in the supply chain field as well as great opportunities to network with leaders from a wide range of organizations.
- A free subscription to the industry-leading monthly publication Supply Chain Strategy. Exchange members receive one PDF of each issue, site licensed for 10 copies. They can distribute nine additional copies of the PDF internally in any way they choose. When purchased directly from the publisher, IOMA, the newsletter costs $595 for one annual subscription
- CTL’s Education Partners Program (EPP) is open exclusively to Exchange members. The EPP matches company proposals for specific research topics with students of MIT CTL’s Masters of Engineering in Logistics (MLOG) degree program.
- An inside track to recruiting MLOG students.
MIT CTL has a new series of events lined up for 2009 as well as research projects in various areas such as supply chain carbon efficiency, risk management, and freight transportation. “At a time when many companies are tempted to cut back their research and development budgets, market leaders recognize that programs such as the Exchange are more important than ever to their future growth plans,” said Riquier.
Membership in the MIT CTL Supply Chain Exchange costs $ 25,000 per annum. For more information contact David Riquier. A full list of Exchange members can be found on the MIT CTL website.