Week 1: Critical Decisions in Logistics Management

Description

Discover ways to make your transportation and facilities network more efficient and effective. Collaborate on a simulation based on common supply chain challenges, revealing methodologies and solutions you apply at your organization.

• Topics & Takeaways
  • Seamless Transportation Networks: utilize a simulation to study the impact of unexpected threats on logistics capabilities, consider factors for evaluating and selecting common transportation modes
  • Inbound and Outbound Logistics: discuss tradeoffs, technological choices, and design considerations for warehousing and the implications for your organization
  • Opportunities in Warehousing: learn about types of distribution centers and common opportunities to improve operations
  • Improving Your Organization’s Logistics Capabilities: review types of ‘picking’ and methods of order picking, then consider that information in the context of multiple case studies

• Business Impact
  • Improved awareness of your organization’s inbound and outbound logistics capabilities
  • Increased knowledge of the types of warehousing and distribution centers your organization utilizes and future options available
  • Competitive leverage gained from addressing warehousing design, technology and financing opportunities

Week 2: Evaluating Opportunities with Third Party Logistics Providers

In this course, leaders look further into supply chain activities that are strategic -- part of an organization core competency— versus those that might be managed more effectively by a partner. They evaluate advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing and begin to understand how services offered by 3PL and 4PL companies can augment internal capabilities to keep pace with change. They learn why these outsourcing arrangements are often embedded into long-term supply chain strategies. In Evaluating Opportunities with Third Party Logistics Providers, leaders see how inbound and outbound logistics and warehousing and distribution center performance all improve when transportation and facilities networks are strengthened.

Week 3: Optimizing Distribution Network Strategy

Description

Take a critical look at distribution network strategy in order to uncover the possibilities in your organization. Join your cohort in exploring the factors and stages of a distribution network strategy and apply possible solutions to a simulated case study, learning what takeaways will be useful in your leadership role.

• Topics & Takeaways
  • Essential Questions: read about managing complexity, research an area of your own distribution network, discuss findings with colleagues
  • Models, Processes, Data Collection & Validation: learn about the economic factors and data that influence distribution networks, study the critical stages of distribution modeling
  • Scenario Planning & Recommendations: learn the key considerations for scenario planning, recognize opportunities and make recommendations for implementation
  • Applications of Distribution Network Strategy:use the course case study to discuss the opportunities and challenges of building a Distribution Network Strategy; draft a Supply Chain Action plan using the provided template

• Business Impact
  • Improved awareness of how improvements in your network could help your organization gain a competitive advantage
  • Creation of value through development of a distribution network strategy
  • Take away a draft mapping of your Supply Chain Action Plan, and reuse and share the supplied Goal Setting Worksheet

• What You’ll Learn
  • Discover ways to make your transportation and facilities network more efficient and effective. Collaborate on a simulation based on common supply chain challenges, revealing methodologies and solutions you apply at your organization
  • Look further into the supply chain activities that are strategic -- part of an organization core competency— versus those that might be managed more effectively by a partner. Evaluate advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing and understand how services offered by 3PL and 4PL companies can create competitive advantage.
  • Learn why these outsourcing arrangements are often embedded into long-term supply chain strategies and see how inbound and outbound logistics and warehousing and distribution center performance all improve when transportation and facilities networks are strengthened.
  • Take a critical look at the idea of a distribution network strategy in order to uncover the possibilities in your organization. Explore the factors and stages of a distribution network strategy and learn what takeaways will be useful in your leadership role.