Supply Chain Frontiers issue #47
The Graduate Certificate in Logistics & Supply Chain Management (GCLOG) program is now available to all qualifying universities across Latin America. Expanding GCLOG to give it complete regional coverage reflects the program’s success and the evolution of supply chain management (SCM) in Latin America.
Created by the Center for Latin-American Logistics Innovation (CLI) headquartered in Bogotá, Colombia, GCLOG is an innovative seven-month certificate program. The program is unique in that it affords students from Latin America the opportunity to complement their master’s education with a certificate in supply chain management and logistics from the MIT Global SCALE Network. Since its inception five years ago, the number of top students enrolled in the program has grown steadily. The class of 2013 is the largest ever.
“It has proved to be a highly successful model for Latin America,” said Dr. Edgar Blanco, Executive Director, MIT SCALE Network, Latin America. “Students in the region interested in a global view of logistics and supply chain management can obtain a concentration in logistics at the world’s leading university in the field, while continuing a master’s program in their own countries.”
Previously, GCLOG was only available to students from a select group of Latin American universities that worked closely with CLI. The program is now open to institutions throughout the region, greatly expanding its reach.
“Although SCM has been recognized by companies in the region for a decade or more, it is only over the last few years that universities in Latin America have offered master’s programs in the discipline,” said Dr. Roberto Perez-Franco, Academic Director, GCLOG program. “Today, there is much more recognition that a well-run supply chain can give Latin American companies a competitive advantage.”
The wider reach of the GCLOG program will create a larger pool of qualified supply chain professionals in the region.
GCLOG teaches the tools that companies need to design, build, and manage a modern supply chain. Some of these classes – such as supply chain strategy, supply chain finance, humanitarian logistics, risk management, green logistics, and SCM in megacities – are unique to the program, and are based on cutting-edge research carried out at the MIT SCALE centers of excellence.
In addition, “GCLOG students interact with students from other SCALE centers as peers and equals, enabling them to better prepare for global roles within their companies and the region,” said Perez-Franco. This translates into a faster career track for a number of individuals who have completed the program.
Particularly attractive for Latin American companies that are grappling with the challenges of building global supply chains is the practical nature of the program. Every student has to complete a capstone project that involves applying SCM theory to solve a real-world supply chain problem.
Take, for example, a global manufacturing company that last year worked with four GCLOG students from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico on a thesis about building a retail operation in Latin America. The company needed a detailed analysis of the market and associated supply network options to help it decide how to develop the infrastructure to support growth in the region. Another GCLOG project this year that builds on the initial work is looking at the regional trade barriers and related costs that might impact the network.
The 2014 GCLOG program includes two three-week academic sessions at MIT: the first in July 2013 and the second in January 2014. In the intervening months between the sessions, the students receive feedback on their capstone projects and participate in a SCALE-wide supply chain simulation. After the second session, students have the option to join their fellow SCALE classmates in a field trip to Panama or Zaragoza, Spain, or to stay one more week at MIT.
“Companies in Latin America need to learn the latest SCM methods in order to keep pace with the region’s economic growth. To do that, they need the best talent with not only the right skills but also the right global outlook. GCLOG fills this niche,” said Blanco.
For more information on the GCLOG program contact its Academic Director, Dr. Roberto Perez-Franco.