ANN ARBOR—The U-M Tauber Institute for Global Operations provides business and engineering students with world-class action-based education and superior leadership training that stresses operational excellence from the executive wing to the plant floor.  As part of the program, all Tauber students tour at least five participating corporations to experience operations management at work.

But when Tauber Institute students visit a facility, it’s much more than a field trip.  Students complete a Rapid Plant Assessment which provides the companies with same-day feedback on how even the best-run plant could improve.  According to Alan Woodliff, Tauber Institute Industry Co-Director and Adjunct Professor at the College of Engineering and Ross School of Business, corporations appreciate the value of hosting Tauber students and providing an insightful tour of their facilities. “They recognize it as not only a chance to gain feedback from these bright students, but also as a chance to fly their own company flag as a recruiting tool,” he said.

Plant managers and other high ranking company executives often accompany the Tauber group through the plants. Following the tours, these officials conduct Q and A sessions and engage in open discussion about what the students have observed and about operations in general. “Our students can vividly see how things like lean manufacturing can work, and hear from plant managers about the challenges they face,” said Woodliff.

Tauber graduate Farhan Qureshi, MEng/Manufacturing ‘13, said he was most impressed by the sheer size of many of the plants, and the volume of work they produce. He also found some plant operations’ precision and accuracy to be remarkable. “The tours helped me to appreciate the fundamental reasons why our training as operations experts is so important in industry. From the supply operations of a supermarket to the dough making of pizza to the complex manufacturing of autos, Tauber plant tours allowed us to visualize and understand the true applications of our newfound knowledge and skill….  The combination of operations coursework and the ability to see its application through plant assessment means that the total amount of operations know-how we retain is much higher as a result,” Qureshi said.

Simon Bank, BS/MS IOE ‘14 said that the integration of material handling technologies made a big impression on him, but added that he expected a different scenario regarding some manufacturing processes.  “I was surprised to see some of the places we visited were not 100% lean and efficient and that much improvement could still be made,” Bank said.

The opportunity for students to explore to a diverse group of industries and assess their operations styles is designed to prepare students for their 14-week Tauber Team Projects, when student teams work on substantive issues for some of the world’s top corporations.  “Our sponsors appreciate that our students have been exposed to different company operations prior to starting their projects. Since our students have had the opportunity to go to different facility tours, they are better prepared when they start,” said Theresa Ceccarelli, Marketing Manager.

The Tauber Institute has developed relationships with a wide range of firms - many within driving distance of U-M in Ann Arbor - to offer students experiences that are simply not available in other regions. During the 2014-15 academic year, Tauber students toured plant operations at  A&O Molding, Arbor Brewing Company, Dominos, DTE, GM, Meijer, Menlo Innovations, Miniature Custom Manufacturing, Steelcase, Stryker, Sunset Produce, Thetford, Walmart, and Zingerman's Mail Order.  This opportunity to analyze how the region’s best corporations run their plant floors is invaluable to Tauber students as they embark on their careers in operations management worldwide.

About Tauber Institute for Global Operations
The Tauber Institute for Global Operations is a joint venture between the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and the College of Engineering, and many industry partners to facilitate cross-disciplinary education in global operations management. In addition to broad array of core and elective courses, the innovative LeadershipAdvantage^SM Program provides students with the tools to ascend to major operations leadership roles. Well-designed and managed team projects form the cornerstone of the Tauber Institute experience and allow students to apply their knowledge to real world settings. The Tauber Institute is an inaugural recipient of the UPS George D. Smith Prize for effective and innovative preparation of students to be good practitioners of operations research, management science, or analytics. http://www.tauber.umich.edu

Contact:
Theresa Ceccarelli 734-647-0308 [email protected]