Publications & Videos

Subscribe to Frontiers THE LEADING EDGE The Power of Skunk Works to Ignite Innovation Unofficial projects to turn ideas into new products and processes, popularly known as skunk works, can be an important source of innovation with the right support, argues Peter Gloor, a research scientist at MIT’s Center for...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 A one-day executive education course titled From Big Data to Action, Supply Chain Control Towers organized by the Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC), Zaragoza, Spain, will take place on Feb 20, 2015, in Barcelona, Spain. The course includes two sessions on Big Data taught by Professor...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 A new way to deliver freight in congested cities, a revolutionary energy storage system, and a method for driving innovation by harnessing skunk work projects, are some of the developments that supply chain professionals will learn about at Crossroads 2015, March 24, 2015, at the...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 Regulatory change is a two-way street for companies: it can be disruptive while forcing a review of accepted practices that sheds new light on operational efficiency. This is what happened to PepsiCo Brazil when the Brazilian government introduced new rules that limit truck driver working...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 Faculty from the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI) recently presented a seven-day customized executive training program to a group of 44 new Maersk employees. The recruits were embarking on the Maersk Liner Graduate Programme (MLGP). Participants experienced a mix of supply chain management...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 MIT CTL Edgar Blanco Global Logistics Emissions Council (GLEC) U.S. Meeting, panelist, Washington D.C., US, January 14 “Logistics in the City of the Near Future,” Crossroads 2015, MIT CTL, Cambridge, MA, US, March 24. Yossi Sheffi “Logistics Clusters,” Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, US, January...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 MIT CTL Edgar Blanco "Eco-Growth: A Framework for Sustainable Growth," ESD White Paper Series. ESD-WP-2015-03. January. Available at: http://esd.mit.edu/WPS/2015/esd-wp-2015-03.pdf. With Yossi Sheffi. Jarrod Goentzel “Supply Chain Innovation Critical in Ebola Response,” Supply Chain Management Review, Jan/Feb Yossi Sheffi “Why We Need Better Measures of Supply...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 Some 130 masters’ students from more than 25 countries gathered at MIT on January 21, 2015 to present 80 research projects displayed on electronic posters. Research Expo 2015 not only presented research in supply chain management from around the globe – the projects were sponsored...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 China’s logistics industry is gaining in importance and developing rapidly to support the nation’s manufacturing sector. This growth is strongly encouraged by the Chinese government, which aims to develop the country into a premium integrated transportation and logistics hub with supply chain management competence to...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 China’s logistics industry is gaining in importance and developing rapidly to support the nation’s manufacturing sector. This growth is strongly encouraged by the Chinese government, which aims to develop the country into a premium integrated transportation and logistics hub with supply chain management competence to...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 Are you on a mission to turn an idea into reality, and have recruited collaborators within the company to work on the unofficial project? If so, you’re part of an age-old phenomenon that Peter Gloor, a research scientist at MIT’s Center for Collective Intelligence, calls...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 Companies in Europe that are still struggling with the high cost of short-term capital and limited access to bank credit are turning to an unlikely financial ally: their customers. A financial arrangement called reverse factoring (RF) uses the favorable credit rating of large, solid buyers...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #56 The Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC), Zaragoza, Spain, and the International School of Technology and Management, Feng Chia University (FCU), Taiwan, have signed an agreement to offer a dual degree. Students on the program will gain a Master’s in Management Logistics and Supply Chain and an...

Subscribe to Frontiers THE LEADING EDGE When the Heavy Hand of Government is Not a Burden Although people prefer to keep Big Government out of their daily lives, there are situations where governmental involvement is essential. An example is managing the Ebola virus crisis, argues Professor Yossi Sheffi, Director of...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 When a disaster such as a flood strikes, the response can be chaotic as various agencies and sources of supply converge on the stricken area. A humanitarian logistics model developed by the Center for Latin American Logistics Innovation (CLI) improves the efficiency of response efforts...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 How do you make capital-intensive decisions—such as building a production plant, automating a distribution center, or buying a fleet of electric trucks—that you will live with for a few years, when some factors that affect the decision’s outcome are uncertain and difficult to predict? Uncertainty...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 Crossroads 2015 will take place on March 24, 2015, on the MIT campus, Cambridge, MA, USA. The conference is where you will discover how emerging innovations in fields such as automation, energy generation, education, and materials science intersect with supply chain management (SCM). The event...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 On Wednesday, January 21, 2015, in the MIT Media Lab, the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics will host a Research Expo for over 100 supply chain master's students from the MIT Global Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) Network as they showcase their company-sponsored...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 A European Commission (EC) initiative called Horizon 2020 - 2105 Smart, Green and Integrated Transport will facilitate collaboration between logistics clusters on developing supply chain solutions, particularly projects that promote environmental sustainability. In addition to helping companies bring new ideas to fruition, the initiative gives...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 The Malaysia Institute of Supply Chain Innovation (MISI) in Shah Alam, Malaysia, is working closely with InvestKL to promote Malaysia as a global supply chain hub, and to persuade leading multi-national companies to locate their supply chain operations in the country. InvestKL is an agency...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 Professor María Jesús Sáenz has been appointed as the new Director of the Zaragoza Logistics Center, Zaragoza, Spain. She is also Professor at the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program, where she teaches various courses on Supply Chain Management, Warehousing Logistics, and Project Management. In addition to...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 Dr. Shardul Phadnis has joined the Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation (MISI) as an Assistant Professor. His research falls in the area of strategic decision making and long-range planning. Recent projects involved the development of a long-range planning process for the U.S. freight transportation...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 MIT CTL Edgar Blanco “Food for the Future: Achieving Food Security in the Face of Climate Change,” World Bank Annual Meeting, Washington DC, USA, October 10. “Urban Logistics in Mexico City,” Congreso de Distribución Ciudad de México Videoconference, Mexico City, Mexico, October 14. “Megacity Logistics...

Supply Chain Frontiers issue #55 MIT CTL Edgar Blanco “ Closing the Loop on a Circular Supply Chain,” Supply Chain Management Review, September/October. With Ken Cottrill Jarrod Goentzel “ Travel Bans and Stockpiling Can Cripple the Ebola Response Supply Chain,” Humanitarian@MIT blog post, October 20. Jim Rice “ Reshoring: New...