Building the future leaders of supply chain and logistics

It is no secret that robust supply chain management and logistics is important for an economy to prosper. However, these sectors can only power economic growth when they are strengthened by highly skilled and qualified personnel. To fill this gap in India, National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE) in Mumbai, has set up a Center of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management to further augment the quality and capabilities of supply chain and logistics professionals in India.

NITIE, set up in 1963 by the Government of India with the assistance of United Nations Development Project (UNDP) through the International Labour Organization (ILO), is one of the leading institutes for industrial engineering and management education in the country. The institute is especially recognized for its prowess in supply chain and operations.

Mr. Shashi Kiran Shetty, Chairman – Allcargo, ECU Worldwide and Gati-KWE, who is also the Chairman of the Society and Board of Governors at NITIE, has been consistently focusing on industry-academia collaboration to take the institution to new heights and create greater exposure for students, to make them industry-ready.

Such industry-academia collaborations are known to foster innovation and skillsets, creating a win-win for organisations looking for young talent as well as students looking for opportunities with reputed companies. In the past the collaboration between consumer-goods giant Procter & Gamble and the University of Cincinnati birthed the University of Cincinnati Simulation Centre, while J.P. Morgan and Syracuse University collaborated on a Centre of Excellence and the collaboration between the Caltech and leading aerospace player, Boeing, are examples of successful industry-academia collaborations that have yielded results.

Building the next generation of supply chain and logistics

Launched by Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, the new Center of Excellence in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at NITIE is geared to do just that with its proposed cutting-edge programs on the cusp of academia, technology and industry.

These programs will be launched to disseminate advanced knowledge and promote digitisation, analytics, IoT applications, decision-support systems through Artificial Intelligence (AI)/ Machine Learning (ML) applications, digital twin and control towers to strengthen the monitoring and analysis of complex logistics operations.

To provide real-world exposure to students, the Center will encourage actionable research, applied research, and inculcate problem-solving skills in the students. It will carry out research projects to find innovative solutions in collaboration with national and international bodies and industry. For students to learn from industry experience, the Center will also develop sector and industry-specific case studies.

The pedagogy will be designed such that it will help in policy planning and capability building to buttress multimodal logistics services, warehousing, ports and shipping, transportation and packaging and diverse entities of value chain, to augment India’s supply chain and export potential.

From an infrastructure point of view, the Center will support labs for IoT, Machine Learning, AR/VR, robotics, cybersecurity, and for forecasting/operations management.

Industry Connect

Moreover, NITIE is pulling out all stops to create a highly skilled supply chain and logistics workforce, by utilizing its resources to build the capacities of the industry’s existing manpower.

The Center envisions Management Development Programs for various logistics sub-sectors such as ports, shipping, aviation, railways, inland waterways, domestic transportation, smart warehousing, domestic and EXIM cargo movements, last-mile delivery, e-commerce, warehouse fulfilment centers and more.

In addition, the Center will also address the problems and current challenges across different sectors through consultancy assignments.

All of these developments are in line with Mr. Shetty’s vision of building a strong supply chain and logistics sector in India, where there is strong collaboration between academia and industry and where institutes have a global perspective to enable students to be industry-ready disruptors and take on the role of future logistics leaders.

Conclusion

With the consistent dedication and efforts of Prof. Manoj Tiwari, Director, NITIE and his team of staff, faculty members and students, under the able guidance of Chairman Mr. Shetty, the Center truly embodies their collective commitment to nation building and fostering a conducive atmosphere for fruitful public, private and academic partnerships.