MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

7/27/2019 MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

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MIT Center orTransportation & Logistics

The Supply Chain Exchange Thesis Partnership


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MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Through the Thesis

Partnership, spon-

sor companies can

have top supply

chain talent work on

a company-specifc

problem and fnish

beore the end o a

single academic year

WHAT IS A THESIS PARTNER?

The MIT Supply Chain Management Program (SCM) is a masters degree program thprepares graduates or ast-track careers in logistics and supply chain managementA central part o each students degree program is a thesis project an opportu-

nity to conceive and execute an independent research project, under guidance o aaculty supervisor.

Companies that are members o the CTL Supply Chain Exchange are able to proposbusiness problems as a oundation or student thesis work. Matches are made toa student or a team o students. Thesis projects that are undertaken by studentsare completed on the MIT campus within a our- to six-month window. Meetingsbetween student teams and their company sponsors are encouraged and can take

place on campus or at company acilities.

Students make nal presentations o their work on the project and submit a writtenthesis. Participating Supply Chain Exchange partners are able to hear about thesisprojects being done with other partner companies, giving them broad exposure tocurrent issues in logistics and supply chain management.

And the thesis, the presentation, and other materials are available to help partnerscommunicate the students ndings within their organizations. On both sides, its a

great opportunity to learn, grow and produce results!

HOW DOES THE PARTNERSHIP WORK?

Companies that participate are asked to name a mid- to senior-level manager who brie the students, coordinate company involvement, supply data i necessary, partpate in progress checks, and champion delivery o research results to the company

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Transportation & Logi

Designed or students with up to ten years o industry experience, the MITSCM program is the only one o its kind to produce logistics proessionals

with a system-wide perspective who are equally at home with sophisticated

data analysis and with complex management issues.


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MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

BENEFITS OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN THESIS

PARTNERSHIP

MIT Center or


Each sponsorship entitles the Thesis Partner company to the following

One or two graduate students working on the project or 9 months (Sept May) A aculty member or research director with relevant experience as a thesis adviso

A completed Masters Thesis presented in May at MIT CTLs annual Research Fest

A nal presentation to the sponsoring companys management team

A high-quality executive summary appropriate or distribution inside the compa

A key benet to partner companies is having extraordinarily bright young minds

tackle their business problems under the guidance o MIT aculty with access tthe latest developments in supply chain theory and practice. In short, its an opportnity to get an important project completed and documented in less than an academyear.

But beyond that, thesis partner companies enjoy additional benets:

Early and deep exposure to students or recruiting, Networking with aculty, researchers, and other companies, A way to energize their staf by teaming up with bright, enthusiastic MIT graduat

students, A low risk, low-cost, quick-turnaround study ocused on a company problem.


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MASSACHUSETTSINSTITUTEOFTECHNOLOGY

Recent SCM projects

have ranged romdesigning a com-

bined orecasting

and inventory model

or an apparel manu-

acturer to evaluat-

ing the benefts o

employing central-

ized dispatch within

the grocery industry.

The Thesis Partner company is expected to commit to the following:

Payment o $15,000 ee or the project Assignment o an internal project manager to meet regularly with the students, a

range access to key individuals, help collect data, and liaison with company management during the project

Payment o any out o town travel or team members to the company locations

Attendance at MIT CTLs Research Fest (in May) where the thesis results will bepresented

Host a site visit in Oct-Dec to provide context to the students

The partnerhsip ts within a compact yet productive nine-month window. See the

table below or a schedule o key milestones.

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To nd past theses, please visit: http://ctl.mit.edu/pubs

For more inormation on becoming a Thesis Partner, contact:

Dr. Bruce Arntzen, Director SC Exchange Thesis [email protected]

Milestone Timeframe

Partners nalize scope document Early August

Partners present to students on campus End o August

Director assigns students to projects September

Students visit company site(s) October-December

Team schedules regular status calls, October-April

Poster Session January

Thesis Deadline/ResearchFest Event May

Documents

MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics