February 17, 2023

This year, students, working in teams of 5, applied their quantitative modeling and analysis skills to data sets from Johnson & Johnson (J&J), Converse, Tempur Sealy, the Port of Amsterdam, among others. Multiple teams addressed each corporate challenge and each company selected a winning team based on innovation, feasibility and technical competency. Finalists then presented their recommendations to a panel of judges consisting of supply chain faculty and practitioners.  This year, the Challenge was sponsored by o9 Solutions. 

The winning team of Julia Fernandez del Valle (MIT SCM), Gianmarco Merino (MIT SCM), Gustavo Rodrigues (MIT SCM), Yumna Tajwar (LSCM), and Khaled Eid (ZLC), was awarded the top prize for their outstanding solution to a challenge facing J&J Medical Devices. 

J&J aimed to reduce costs associated with expedited shipments within the Ethicon Endo Energy Business Unit. The winning team recommended as a solution the development of an approval app to optimize the transportation selection process and reduce transportation costs by 20%. 

The Supply Chain Challenge was overseen by four expert judges: Chris Caplice, Executive Director of CTL; Saikat Banerjee, Engineering Leader at Amazon; Robert Novack, Associate Professor of Business Logistics at Penn State University; and Nehemiah Scott, Assistant Professor/Director of SCM & Corporate Affiliates Program at the University of Illinois. 

“The team did a great job understanding the problem, analyzing the data and coming up with a visual tool, and then implementing a process flow based on the insights captured from the visual dashboard,” said competition judge Banerjee. “This was not an easy task, and required ingenuity to achieve the expected savings while ensuring prompt delivery  and high service levels of critical healthcare products.” 

Reflecting on the results of the challenge, Gianmarco Merino, MIT SCM Student, shared, “When our team met each other, we said we would win. However, you know, working with different profiles and a tight timeframe made the challenge even more challenging (and because we are from MIT, it was more fun). But, as time went on, we started to build something, the app. It was Yumna’s idea; Julia and Khaled set the rules, and Gustavo translated this into a reality. And to make the long story short, finally, we made it. We won; these are the kind of experiences that will remain in your mind forever.”

Julia Fernandez del Valle, MIT SCM Student, added, “The Challenge presented a great opportunity to take on a real supply chain problem. The time limitations and reduced visibility of the data meant that each team member had to contribute a different talent to deliver an effective solution on time. Creativity, focus, collaboration, and communication were all essential to this win!”

Gustavo Rodrigues, MIT SCM Student, reiterated, “Personally, I loved being part of this  challenge! Not only because of the reward, but mainly because of the personal growth it offered me. Looking back, there were three key characteristics that enabled our success. Namely, a clear definition of roles, flexibility to change, and complimentary backgrounds.”

The Supply Chain Challenge is designed to offer students actual hands-on learning experiences and industry exposure. Confronted with real-life supply chain and operations issues provided by top companies, students are able to develop a range of skills to solve intricate challenges. This not only enables students to gain valuable knowledge but also strengthens their practical abilities. Moreover, the challenge serves as a platform for students to establish meaningful connections with supply chain professionals at top companies and seasoned industry experts.

Winning Teams:

1st Place (for work addressing a challenge from J&J – Medical Supply Expedites)

Julia Fernandez del Valle, Gianmarco Merino, Gustavo Rodrigues, Yumna Tajwar, and Khaled Eid

 

2nd Place (for work addressing a challenge from J&J – Pharma Distribution)

Sneha Neversu, Shoichi Ishida, Chandrahas Krishna, Abhinandan Chopra, and Katherine Tabares

3rd Place (for work addressing a challenge from Converse)

Carlos Contreras Silva, Dat Nguyen, Kaitlyn Rakestraw, Morgan Dehaan, and Shobhit Yadav

o9 Solutions Sponsor & Supply Chain Challenge first-place winners. (L-R) Vikram Murthi, VP Industry Strategy at o9 Solutions; Khaled Eid (ZLC); Julia Fernandez del Valle (MIT SCM); Yumna Tajwar (LSCM); Gustavo Rodrigues (MIT SCM); Gianmarco Merino (MIT SCM).

Supply Chain Challenge Judges. (L-R) Robert Novack, Associate Professor of Business Logistics at Penn State University; Nehemiah Scott, Assistant Professor/Director of SCM & Corporate Affiliates Program at U. of Illinois; Saikat Banerjee, Engineering Leader at Amazon; Chris Caplice, Executive Director of MIT CTL.

To kick off the 50th anniversary celebration of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, FedEx Founder and Executive Chairman Frederick W. Smith sits down with MIT CTL Director Yossi Sheffi for a “fireside chat”-style conversation.

An industry visionary, the concepts of package tracking and even overnight shipping were unheard of in 1973, when FedEx began operations. CTL was founded the same year and has since become one of the world’s foremost supply chain and logistics research centers.

Smith and Sheffi reflect on the innovations and surprises of the past 50 years, how globalization and free trade have evolved to make supply chains what they are today, and offer some thoughts about how the industry might shift in the future—including the role of automation.

Check out the recording: HERE 

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Class of 2022 residential cohort of the MIT Supply Chain Management master’s program (MIT SCM) enjoyed stellar career outcomes, as shown in the MIT SCM Program Employment Outcomes Report, released today. At the time of graduation, 97% of job-seeking students had secured a job offer, and the average base salary was an impressive $148,144.

SCMr students got recruited from top global companies like Apple, Amazon, Google, McKinsey & Company, and many more which can be found in the full report.

For three consecutive years, the MIT SCM program has been ranked globally as the #1 supply chain management master’s program by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings. QS also estimates that the program has a 10-year ROI level of $944,478. On top of this, the estimated payback period is only 16 months after graduation.

Recruiting was particularly intense in fall 2021 resulting in more than half the class (53%) securing offers by calendar year-end. By graduation, 97% of the class had received at least one offer; by September 1, 2022, 97% had accepted a position. The class of ’22 was heavily drawn to technology (49%), consulting (43%), base compensation, and signing bonuses and equity grants reached record levels.

“As always, the commitment and engagement of SCM alumni throughout the year contribute mightily to our success and distinguish our program,” says Len Morrison, MIT SCM Manager in Professional Development. “Our 10-month cohort-based MASc Supply Chain program yields an unparalleled ROI for our students and corporate partners.”

The MIT SCM master’s program offers two paths: residential and blended. The Employment Outcomes Report summarizes employment for the residential cohort of the class of 2022.

About the MIT Supply Chain Management Master’s Program (MIT SCM)

Founded in 1998 by the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL), MIT SCM attracts a diverse group of talented and motivated students from across the globe. Students work directly with researchers and industry experts on complex and challenging problems in all aspects of supply chain management. MIT SCM students propel their classroom and laboratory learning straight into industry. They graduate from our programs as thought leaders ready to engage in an international, highly competitive marketplace.

View the full Employment Outcomes Report

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Media Contact: Lisa Kim Lisahuh@mit.edu

MIT’s Supply Chain Management master’s program has been ranked the #1 SCM master’s in the world by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) for the third consecutive year. For its 2023 rankings, QS evaluated SCM master’s programs in 11 countries and ranked MIT SCM #1 based on indicators including alumni outcomes, employability, thought leadership, and value for money, as well as reputation among industry professionals and academics.

Data released by QS in announcing its 2023 rankings highlight the exceptional ROI of MIT’s SCM program. Receiving an overall score of 100 out of 100 on the QS Value for Money indicator, MIT SCM performed among the top 1.5% of programs globally, with an estimated payback period of only 16 months and an estimated 10-year ROI level of $944,478.

QS collected survey responses and nominations from nearly 62,000 global employers, over 48,000 international supply chain academics, and 27,000+ graduate management alumni. MIT SCM earned perfect scores of 100% from domestic and international companies and academics surveyed and performed among the top 1% of programs on alumni outcomes, with an overall score of 100.

MIT’s SCM program combines executive leadership training with an intensive, practical core curriculum focused on building analytical and technical knowledge. In just ten months of cohort-based full-time on-campus study, students develop the structured, logical thinking skills top employers look for. Offered through MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, with cross-registration opportunities at the Sloan School of Management, MIT’s SCM program leads to an engineering degree and offers stellar post-graduate outcomes. A hybrid Blended program option gives students who’ve completed the online MITx MicroMasters in SCM the opportunity to earn their SCM masters in just one semester of full-time study on campus.

“Supply chain challenges are some of the biggest societal threats we face today,” says MIT SCM master’s program Executive Director Maria Jesus Saenz. “Our program prepares its graduates to become global leaders, capable of making data-driven decisions and developing novel approaches to meet these risks head-on. We are humbled that our alumni, MIT CTL partner companies, and global industry and academic leaders continue to recognize us through three consecutive years.”

Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, says, “Whether it is companies seeking to distribute Covid-19 vaccines, or quickly emerging e-commerce startups, companies around the world are responding to times of global crisis by hiring those who can optimize and innovate their supply chains in ever-greater numbers.” QS has ranked top graduate and undergraduate programs since 2004 and added the Supply Chain Management master’s category for the first time in their 2021 ranking of graduate management programs, evaluating 46 SCM programs. For their 2023 rankings, the number of programs jumped to 62, reflecting a rapidly increasing focus on supply chain functions in businesses of all types.

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In addition to the above rankings, the MIT School of Engineering, where MIT SCM is located, is rated the #1 engineering school by US News and World Reports. MIT SCM students can take courses from across the engineering school during their degree. https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-engineering-schools/eng-rankings

Finally, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology was again ranked the number one university in the world by QS Rankings. https://www.topuniversities.com/university-rankings/world-university-rankings/2023

Media Contact: Dan McCool ctl_comm@mit.edu

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jul. 28 – Findings from the State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2022 show that, while focus areas have shifted in the past year, overall attention to supply chain sustainability efforts continues to rise.

The 2022 State of Supply Chain Sustainability report, published today, explores how supply chain sustainability (SCS) practices are being implemented globally and what that means for professionals, enterprises, industries, and the planet. This year’s report indicates that pressure to support SCS has increased steadily since last year, though that pressure has focused on different areas than it did last year. In particular, environmental dimensions of SCS received much more attention than in 2020: Climate change mitigation and natural resource/biodiversity conservation saw the biggest increases in interest from last year. Notably, no one issue area saw a decrease in interest from 2020 to 2021.

The report is founded on a large-scale international survey of supply chain professionals with over 3,300 respondents conducted in late 2021. Survey results are combined with 15 executive interviews and supported by news and social media content analysis from the same year. To attain the broadest audience of practitioners and input from various sectors, the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), a leading, global, professional association, collaborated on data collection. For the first time this year, the survey component of data collection was offered in three languages: English, Spanish, and Mandarin Chinese. This year’s report is sponsored by Avetta, Blue Yonder, C.H. Robinson, KPMG LLP, and project44.

“With now three years of data and observations, our research is uniquely positioned to observe supply chain sustainability efforts over time—in terms of both priorities and practices,” said David Correll, MIT CTL research scientist and lead investigator on the study. “And this year, we’re extremely pleased to have offered our survey in multiple languages, which allowed us to collect and analyze more responses from more parts of the world to gain an even richer understanding of the state of supply chain sustainability.”

“This is an essential read for anyone in supply chain today,” said Mark Baxa, President, and CEO of CSCMP. “Supply chains worldwide are uniquely positioned to be an engine to impact our society positively. The choice of who we choose to do business with, where we do business, and what and how we deliver is essentially in the supply chain’s control. Consumers and businesses alike need—and, in fact, demand—that products we source and deliver meet their environmental and social expectations. You will find in the State of Supply Chain Sustainability 2022 a most important, comprehensive global study that supports your ability to benchmark your company and SCS actions.”

While SCS may enjoy more support as a corporate goal, its growing popularity does not necessarily translate into investment dollars. As in previous years, in every dimension, SCS goals ranked more highly than investment in 2021. Still, the investment picture is not unremittingly gloomy. There are tentative signs that the gap is closing in some areas, particularly human rights protection.

Geographically, the report found notable differences between firms headquartered in the Global North and those in the Global South in terms of which dimensions of SCS they prioritize, which has critical implications for supply chain managers doing business internationally. Read the full report online or in PDF format.

The MIT CTL/CSCMP research team is laying the groundwork for the 2023 State of Supply Chain Sustainability report. Over time, this annual status report aims to help practitioners and the industry to make more effective and informed sustainability decisions. The questionnaire for next year’s report will open in the fall.

What the report sponsors are saying:

“Supply chain management has never held a more critical and influential role in the world than it does today, and organizations are rising to the challenge. To mitigate ongoing supply chain disruptions, the leaders in the space are becoming more conscientious and intentional in their supply chain monitoring. As a result, we’re not only seeing a rise in sustainability tracking, but also, a push for evaluating all risks, including ESG, safety, business risk and much more, in one centralized location for greater transparency.” —Danny Shields, Vice President for Sustainability & Risk, Avetta

“In the face of constant disruptions, leading companies worldwide are urgently redesigning their supply networks and ecosystems to not only address business continuity and resilience, but also to improve their supply chain for sustainability, which is a very high priority for internal and external stakeholders alike.” —Hong Mo Yang, Senior Vice President for Industry Strategy, Blue Yonder

“Supply chains are so complex that no one can tackle sustainability alone. Collaborating with the right partners who have the right technology is essential.” —Rachel Schwalbach, Vice President for Environmental, Social, & Governance, C.H. Robinson

“We see our clients moving towards practices that will improve transparency—notably supply chain mapping and codes of conduct. There is a strong desire to contribute to ESG values, and it goes beyond technology. We believe you have to incentivize the entire supply chain ecosystem to be transparent and open.” —Rob Barrett, Principal, US Supply Chain Advisory, KPMG LLP

“Customer demand is a major driver of supply chain sustainability initiatives. Firms we work with are looking for ways to reduce supply chain emissions and adopt more sustainable practices in response to that customer demand. This is the case even in markets where regulatory pressures are not as ambitious.” —Christian Piller, Vice President for Research and Sustainability, project44

About MIT CTL

The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) has been a world leader in supply chain management education and research for nearly 50 years. MIT CTL has made significant contributions to the field of supply chain and logistics management and has helped numerous companies gain competitive advantage from its cutting-edge research.

About CSCMP

Since 1963, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) has been the pre-eminent worldwide professional association dedicated to the advancement and dissemination of research and knowledge on supply chain management. With CSCMP members located around the world representing nearly all industry sectors, government, and academia, CSCMP members receive unparalleled networking opportunities, cutting-edge research, and online and on-site professional educational opportunities.

Get the report at sscs.mit.edu

Chen, Clark, and ZLC master’s student Nina Anttila talk with host Stacie Immesberger, VP of Product for o9 Solutions, about their career journeys, what they see as the biggest challenges in the future of supply chain, and what they hope to achieve in their respective careers.  The three students were part of the 1st place-winning team in the 2022 SCALE Supply Chain Challenge, held in January as part of the SCALE Connect academic conference. 

Read more and listen to the podcast…

MIT’s Supply Chain Management master’s program has been ranked  #1 SCM master’s in the world by QS Quacquarelli Symonds for the second consecutive year. For its 2022 rankings, QS evaluated SCM master’s programs in 19 countries and ranked MIT SCM #1 based on indicators including alumni outcomes, employability, thought leadership, and value for money, as well as reputation among industry professionals and academics.

Data released by QS in announcing its 2022 rankings highlights the exceptional ROI of MIT’s SCM program. Receiving an overall score 98.5 out of 100 on the QS Value for Money indicator, MIT SCM performed among the top 1.6% of programs globally, with an estimated payback period of only 15 months and an estimated 10-year ROI level of $1,461,510.

QS collected survey responses and nominations from nearly 54,000 global employers, over 42,000 international supply chain academics, and 12,000+ graduate management alumni. MIT SCM earned perfect scores of 100% from domestic and international companies and academics surveyed, and performed among the top 1.6% of programs on alumni outcomes, with an overall score of 100.

MIT’s SCM program combines executive leadership training with an intensive, practical core curriculum focused on building analytical and technical knowledge. In just 10-months of cohort-based full-time on-campus study, students develop the structured, logical thinking skills top employers look for. Offered through MIT’s Center for Transportation and Logistics, with cross-registration opportunities at the Sloan School of Management, MIT’s SCM program leads to an engineering degree and offers stellar post-graduate outcomes. A hybrid Blended program option gives students who’ve completed the online MITx Micromaster’s in SCM the opportunity to earn their SCM master’s in just one semester of full-time study on campus.

“Our program prepares outstanding students to become global leaders, ready to make data-driven decisions and develop novel approaches to relevant and timely supply chain problems,” says MIT SCM master’s program Executive Director Maria Jesus Saenz. “We’re honored and grateful to be recognized as the best by not only our own alumni, CTL partner companies, and instructors, but by global industry leaders, practitioners, and top academics in the field as part of the QS World University Rankings for the past two years.”

Nunzio Quacquarelli, CEO at QS Quacquarelli Symonds, says, “Whether it is companies seeking to distribute Covid-19 vaccines, or quickly emerging e-commerce startups, companies around the world are responding to times of global crisis by hiring those who can optimize and innovate their supply chains in ever-greater numbers.” QS has ranked top graduate and undergraduate programs since 2004, and added the Supply Chain Management master’s category for the first time in their 2021 ranking of graduate management programs, evaluating 46 SCM programs. For their 2022 rankings, the number of programs jumped to 62, reflecting a rapidly increasing focus on supply chain functions in businesses of all types.

Learn More:
MIT Supply Chain Management master’s programs
The MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics
The MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network