Brother Evan McLaughlin (pictured farthest right), a senior majoring in Operations and Supply Chain Management, was a member of a three-person team to win the fifth annual General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition held Oct. 8-11.
This year’s competition, featuring the 2016 Cadillac CT6, brought 22 teams from universities across the country, as well as three international teams from China, Mexico and Poland, to Detroit for an in-depth look at the supply chain systems that support the automotive industry and its high-tech vehicles.
“The GM/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition is the premier supply chain case competition in the U.S. General Motors executives, and others within the vehicle industry, write and judge the cases that are based on current supply chain challenges within the industry – with a focus this year on Cadillac,” said Margaret L. Williams, Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration. “I am so pleased that, thanks to the generosity of our alumni, our supply chain students had the opportunity to participate in this event and the opportunity to showcase the CoBPA operation and supply chain management major to the auto industry and universities from across the country and around the world.”
The 22 teams were divided into six groups and participated in a preliminary competition. The winning semifinalist teams received a case twist and prepared a second presentation for the competition’s final round. Teams from Bowling Green State University, Colorado State University, Tecnologico de Monterrey State of Mexico Campus, International University of Logistics and Transport in Wroclaw (Poland) and Wuhan University (China) rounded out the field of finalists.
UND earned top honors with its comprehensive analysis of the quantitative factors, determining the right approach based on the factors and addressing the qualitative variables in the case, while presenting the content professionally.
When speaking about the experience, the UND team was proud of how well it competed against other supply chain management students, expressing gratitude for its professors, Dr. (Seung-Hyun) Nam and Dr. (Chia-Hung) Chang, and their dedication to preparing students.
All students who participate in the competition have the opportunity to interview for internships and permanent positions with event sponsors and partners. The four UND students each have a phone interview with General Motors and look forward to starting their careers soon in the supply chain management industry.
