Team named finalist for manufacturing leadership award
The Bronco Force entry detailed the collaboration with Urban Alliance to provide supply chain management industry support and training. The WMU team will develop curriculum and operate supply chain management academies that initially focus on warehouse operations and inventory control.
As a part of the initiative, the organizations are working with L.C. Howard Inc. to develop and execute a functioning warehouse and logistics business. WMU Bronco Force will provide its design, layout and operation. This will give top-performing WMU ISM students the opportunity to learn how to operate and manage a warehouse-logistics activity and supervise a workforce, all in a true employment setting.
"The integrated supply management program at WMU excels at developing innovative, nontraditional ways of educating tomorrow's supply chain professionals," says Ken Jones, director of education and applied solutions for the WMU Center for Integrated Supply Management. "The Bronco Force collaboration with Urban Alliance and L.C. Howard Inc. is just one example of engaging students and providing real-world experiences that go well beyond the classroom."
"We were very impressed with the overall quality of the nominations," says Omri Nevat, CEO of Manufacturing Leaders' parent company, Executive Leaders. "The judges were especially impressed with the good work Western Michigan University has done with L.C. Howard."
These peer-reviewed awards recognize innovative manufacturing organizations and strategies. Finalists are recognized for having attracted and nurtured competition-beating talent, strengthened their position by developing leaders and maintained an engaged and diverse workforce for the future. Winners will be announced and honored at a ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 30 in Boston.
WMU's ISM Program
Ranked in the top 10 nationally, WMU's ISM program has been recognized by several organizations and publications for its leadership in preparing students for careers in supply chain management. WMU's curriculum combines engineering, information technology, logistics, supply chain and business education. The program also requires internships and includes Bronco Force transformation teams, which give students additional hands-on experience addressing supply chain challenges. The WMU Center for Integrated Supply Management was established in 2014 and is housed in the Haworth College of Business.
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