ISYE 6340 Global Supply Chain Seminar, Spring 2023

Description

The Global Supply Chain Seminar is a core component of Georgia Tech’s MS in Supply Chain Engineering degree program. The course includes site visits where we travel as a group to see first-hand the operations of supply chain facilities of many types. The course also includes presentations on modern supply chain topics by guest speakers, both on-campus and via virtual seminars. Students are immersed in the supply chain domain to observe supply chain practice first-hand.

Readings

Class discussion

The GSC Seminar is designed to encourage discussion and questions so that students can form opinions and critique the state-of-practice in the supply chain domain. Students in the course will be graded in part on participation. Please be prepared to contribute to class discussions; for virtual seminars, it is best if you turn your video on so please dress appropriately for guest lectures.

Site visits

It is very important that you arrive on time for all events, but especially for site visits. The bus will depart ruthlessly on schedule. The loading location will be the corner of Hemphill Ave. and 8th Street, in front of the Crecine Apartments.


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You may not travel separately to the site unless you have made prior arrangements with the instructors.

All of the sites we will visit are workplaces and appropriate dress is business casual. Furthermore, many of these are industrial sites and safety is a concern. Do not wear sandals or open-toed shoes, shoes with heels more than one inch high, or hoodies. Do not wear dangling clothing, such as scarves, or dangling jewelry. If you have long hair, put it up above your shoulders. Students not meeting the dress requirements will not be allowed to join the tour.

Bring a photo ID, a notepad, pen, and camera (but take no pictures until we have asked permission). Leave backpacks, purses, coats, etc. on the bus.

Calendar

Sites or visitors may reschedule on short notice so check this schedule frequently, and especially the morning before a site visit. Additional calendar dates will be released as the schedule becomes more firm. Green rows will indicate days when we meet either in the classroom for a lecture, guest speaker, or for an interactive discussion. Blue rows will be for facility tours, and meeting times will be specified. Yellow rows will be either asynchronous sessions or webinars that can be viewed remotely. Red rows will be days with no scheduled activities.

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Date Mode Topic Notes
Jan 9 In-person MS SCE Spring 2023 Orientation An orientation for the Spring 2023 MS SCE program will be presented, and student questions will be answered.
Jan 11 In-person Introduction Introduction to course. Student introductions. Slides available on course Canvas.
Jan 16 No class Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday We will not hold class today. For those who may not know, Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta in the Auburn Avenue area just east of downtown and he did much of his important work based here. The US maintains a National Historic Park in the area, and it is worth a visit before you leave Atlanta.
Jan 18 In-person Supply chain fundamentals Supply chain fundamentals. Slides available on course Canvas.
Jan 23 In-person Supply chain fundamentals Continuation on supply chain fundamentals.
Jan 25 No class No class meeting
Jan 30 Guest speaker International supply chains Guest speaker Bruce Cutler will deliver an in-person seminnar on furniture supply chains. Domestic and international supply chains are compared with a discussion of the critical issues required for international supply chain execution.
Feb 1 No class No class meeting
Feb 6 Facility Tour: Americold Brick-and-mortar retail We will tour two cold-storage distribution facilities, one relying on automation and the other traditional. Americold serves both food producers and retailers as customers.
Feb 8 Guest speaker Supply chain software Guest speaker Olin Broadway will deliver an in-person seminnar on supply chain software offered by Manhattan Associates.
Feb 13 Discussion International supply chains Class discussion on key issues in the design, planning, and operation of global supply chains. What is changing in the world today influencing the global economy and globalization of supply chains?
Feb 15 Discussion Food supply chains Class discussion on food distribution systems, focusing specifically on fresh and frozen foods warehousing facilities.
Feb 20 No class No class meeting
Feb 22 Facility Tour: Mohawk and GPA International supply chains We will tour a manufacturing facility operated by Mohawk and the Georgia Ports Authority Appalachian Regional Port (ARP). Please note the 7:15 am bus departure.
Feb 27 No class No class meeting
Mar 1 Discussion International supply chains Class discussion on domestic manufacturing and international intermodal transportation.
Mar 6 Facility Tour: ABInbev Consumer goods manufacturing We will tour a beverage production facility operated by ABInbev. Departure will be at 11:30 am from campus.
Mar 8 Discussion Consumer goods supply chains Class discussion on consumer goods supply chains. Traditional retail model versus e-commerce model.
Mar 13 No class No class meeting
Mar 15 Facility Tour: Amazon Retail supply chains We will tour a fulfillment center operated by e-retailer Amazon. The bus departure will be at 9 am.
Mar 20,22 No class We will not hold class during the Georgia Tech Spring Break week.
Mar 27 Discussion Consumer goods supply chains E-retail logistics systems. The Amazon physical goods logistics system; roles of buildings, network structure.
Mar 29 Guest speaker Consumer goods manufacturing Guest speaker George Kurian and colleagues from Michelin will discuss modern supply chain challenges. Two important themes will be supply chain innovation and the role of analytics.
Apr 3 No class No class meeting
Apr 5 No class No class meeting
Apr 10 In-person Freight railroads Background information on freight railroad systems in the US.
Apr 12 Facility Tour: Norfolk Southern Freight transportation We will tour the networks operations center for Norfolk Southern railroad. We will walk from campus around 12 pm; details to follow.
Apr 17 No class No class meeting
Apr 19 Discussion Course wrap up Final discussion on the state of the practice in the supply chain and logistics industry.
Apr 25 MS Supply Chain Engineering Spring Luncheon Course wrap-up We will celebrate the end of the semester with a luncheon. We will begin at 12 noon in the ISyE Main Atrium; see you there!