Supply Chain & Logistics InstituteEngineering Tomorrow’s Supply Chains

Seminar in Global Supply Chains

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ISyE 6340

January 9, 2012

Class leaders

• Dr. John Bartholdi– ISyE 202– John.Bartholdi@gatech.edu

• Pete Viehweg– ISyE 202– pviehweg@bellsouth.net

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• Course purpose• Course description• Introductions• Course requirements• Discussion

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Agenda

To broaden our understanding of many different supply chains and their components through tours, presentations and in-depth classroom

discussions.

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Course purpose

To aid you in focusing on areasthat interest you for further study or

future employment.

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Secondary Benefit

To learn how to gain meaningfulinformation when walking through

an industrial operation.

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Also…

Course Description

• M W (F) 10:00–11:30, IC 213• MS SCE course; letter grade• Check the class website often for changes

• http://goo.gl/Z9NLv• Tours

– Sites of key players in North American or global supply chains

• Seminars– Professionals, faculty

• Class discussions• Project

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• Origin• Background, academic & otherwise• Interests• What you hope to gain from this course

• Name tags

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Introductions

Tours (information updated on web)

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Jan. 11 Wal-mart SuperCenter

Jan. 26 Currey & Company

Feb. 1 Snapper (Briggs & Stratton)

Feb. 6, 8 MODEX

Feb. 13 Kia Manufacturing

Mar. 5 Walgreen’s

Mar. 7 Ciba Vision DC

Mar. 28 Wal-mart food DC

If a picture is worth a thousand words…

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A tour is worth a thousand pictures

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Complementary to other classes

• In class, you learn abstraction, modeling, thinking and theories

• In tours, you see flows, processes, clutters, human issues, complex relations

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Challenges

• Distractions– Movement: Forklifts, conveyors, trucks– Noise

• Space limitations• Attitudes• Appearances• People from the same tour get very different

perceptions

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What one should do

• Dress appropriately– “Corporate casual”– Long pants– No open-toed or high-heeled shoes

• Representatives of Georgia Tech

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What one should do

• Stay alert and pay attention• Make sure everyone can see and hear• Keep an open mind

– Do not limit yourself to your own or guides’ perspectives

• Keep criticism constructive or keep it within the class.• Most companies do something right to stay in business.• Each has room for improvement. Do not think the

status quo is the “best” way, as some hosts might argue.

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Tour process

• Tour leader assignment– Selected student leaders for each tour

• Pre-tour activities• Tour activities• Guided discussion• Follow up process

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Pre-tour responsibilities

• Everyone– Review company website for basic familiarity

• Tour leaders– Communicate pickup time to the class (from Joene

Owen)– Pick up gifts for host(s) from Joene Owen or Meka

Wimberly in SCL

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On tour

• Everyone is expected to participate– Help with the logistics, note-taking

• Leaders:– establish contact with host on site– get host’s business card or other contact info– coordinate note-taking– represent the group in thanking the host and presenting

SCL gift• Everyone: be focused, punctual, and considerate

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After the tour

• Usually in the next class period: – Leaders coordinate discussion in class– Find other supporting information such as journal articles,

books, etc. to enhance discussion

• Within a week after the tour:– Leaders send a letter to thank the host.– Consolidate any further questions for the host.

• Deliver to instructors, not to the host

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Guided discussion

• Very important to help everyone to understand better• The audience: fellow students on the same tour• Objectives:

– Review, digest and enhance learning– Capture everyone’s impressions and ideas– Understand strengths/weaknesses, niche in the supply

chain

• Everyone must participate !!!

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Visiting speakers

• Industry and academic representatives presenting interesting and pertinent information about particular supply chain areas

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Presentations (information updated on web)

• Currey & Company

• Rail & Intermodal

• Container shipping

• Industrial real estate development

• Global food supply chains

• Corporate transportation

• Supply chain IT

• UPS in Asia

• Cotton farming & Mitumba

• Logistics consulting

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Project

• Same groups as last semester

• Listen to presentation to help identify problems

• Pay attention for improvement opportunities during tour

• Each group pick an element of their supply chain needing improvement

• Follow-up visit(s)

• Recommend improvements (BRIEF report, possibly a presentation)

Currey & Company

Visiting speakers

Questions:• Ask lots of pertinent questions• Make sure they concern the issues at hand

– Want presenter to be able to finish

• Save questions about other issues for the end of the presentation

• They’re not here to recruit !!!

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Grading

• 50% participation in tour and discussions– Every tour, every class– Opinions, your experiences, etc.– Includes coordinated reading, etc. from syllabus

• 10% professionalism• 30% technical merit of project• 10% report writing

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Activities in the near future

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Wednesday, 11 January• Tour Wal-Mart Super Center

• Bus departs at 9:15 AM from Hemphill Avenue• Preparation: Read Wal-Mart material from syllabus,

calendar

• Pickup times will vary for subsequent tours !!!

Tour pickup point

27You are here

Bus pickup – 9:15AM, Hemphill Avenue- John Patrick Crecine Residence Hall

Tour pickup point

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9:15 AM ! ! !

Wal-mart

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Wal-mart

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Our Purpose:

We Save People Money So They Can Live Better

Wal-mart

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Wal-mart

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Wal-mart

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Michael T. Duke

• BS in Industrial Engineering, GA Tech, 1971

Potential Wal-mart Questions

• What is the annual sales volume of this store vs. others?– (Is this considered a small, medium, or large store)?

• How many SKUs in the store?• Are they all delivered via Wal-mart trucks?

– If not, what other methods?– What frequency?

• For Wal-mart deliveries: – From where?  (Wal-Mart DC?  Which one?  Others?)  – As pallets?  How many?  Any mixed pallets?

• What are the receiving hours?• How many trucks per day? • How long to unload a truck?• What is the schedule for Wal-mart truck deliveries?

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Potential Wal-mart Questions

• When do you restock the shelves?• How long from receipt until product is on the shelves, available

for sale?• Does the store have any responsibility for inventory

management (SKU ordering, etc.)?– If so, what is the time from order submission to receipt? – What sort of seasonalities most affect you? – What do you do with discontinued/obsolete SKUs?

• Is any inventory kept in the back room? • Any local input to the store plan-o-gram? • Who decides on special promotions - what items, displays? • How often does the product offering change?

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Potential Wal-mart Questions

• Do all items have Wal-mart specific labels/barcodes prior to arrival, or do some have to be labeled on-site?

• Any use of RFID within store?• How are you experiencing the economic slow-down?  How

are you dealing with it?• How large is the workforce?• What is the turnover?• How do you schedule? • How do you track worker productivity?

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Questions, comments?

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