Photo correction: March 2017 News from Tauber Institute for Global Operations

It's not just game-changing. It's globe-changing.

News for alumni & friends

March 2017

31 team projects at 21 top companies

Students got right to work at the annual Kickoff Dinner to launch the 2017 Tauber Team Projects. The Tauber Institute is pleased to strengthen relationships with 19 returning sponsors, and to begin new partnerships this year with AM General and Target.

More about 2017 sponsors and projects >
EGL student Allison Ward's kickoff blog >

Ross & CoE rank high in 2018

In the U.S. News & World Report graduate program rankings for 2018, the College of Engineering placed 5th among the Best Engineering Schools and Ross placed 11th among the Best Business Schools.

Among master's specialty programs ranked individually by U.S. News & World Report, U-M earned several high rankings, including: Industrial/Manufacturing/Systems Engineering (2nd), Production / Operations (3rd) , and Supply Chain / Logistics (4th). The report also highlighted contributions of institutes such as Tauber and Erb to the Michigan student experience.

Read more about the U.S. News 2018 rankings >

2017 IPD: wearable tech!

Integrated Product Development students are vying for your vote for their brand new wearable technology products! Try out the prototypes at the IPD Trade Show, 6-8pm April 5 at the new STAMPS Gallery in Downtown Ann Arbor, or check out the students' web-based marketing and cast your vote online today.

See IPD products and VOTE NOW >
Learn more about the IPD course >

Congratulate your faculty

Tauber Executive Committee Member and Herrick Professor of Engineering and Professor of Mechanical Engineering Sridhar Kota will receive the 2017 Distinguished University Innovator Award. The award, sponsored by the University of Michigan Office of Research, honors faculty "who have made important and lasting contributions to society by developing novel ideas and insights through their research, and then translating them to practice."

Congratulations also to IOE faculty and Tauber team project advisor Mariel Lavieri on her 2017 Willie Hobbs Moore Award! The Aspire, Advance, Achieve Mentoring Award is curated by the Women in Science and Engineering organization in honor of Willie Hobbs Moore, the first African-American woman to earn a Ph.D. in physics from an American university.

More about Dr. Kota and his Innovator award >
More about Dr. Lavieri and her Mentoring award >

Rate Lean: Fast available on amazon

Tauber Executive In Residence Gene Goodson first described the Rapid Plant Assessment process in 2002 for the Harvard Business Review . Over 1000 plant ratings later, Good son has applied the accumulated data to create Rate Lean: Fast, published by the Tauber Institute. The new workbook describes in detail how to plan a tour, rate an operation, and envision an ideal lean plant based on the concepts of the Toyota Production System.

Buy Rate Lean: Fast >

Meet up with Tauber at INFORMS

Join Tauber Institute at the 2017 INFORMS Business Analytics conference in Las Vegas! Tauber Institute is sponsoring the Executive Forum on April 2. Space is limited - registration required.

INFORMS Conference & Executive Forum info >

A Tauber non-profit partner:
Youth For Understanding

"Having these foreign people coming to the U.S., it's definitely a gift for them, but it's also a gift for us who are living in the U.S. as well."

- Alp Kiremitci (EGL BSE/MSE IOE '16)

Tauber is proud of our connections to global industry leaders, but we are also proud to partner with a non-profit promoting "one-on-one diplomacy." Founded 65 years ago in Ann Arbor, Youth for Understanding (YFU) has become one of the largest intercultural exchange programs worldwide. Alp Kiremitci, pictured above with Tauber's 2015 YFU Project Team, is featured in a recent article about the history and mission of YFU.

Read more about Youth for Understanding >

New change equation that's changing everything

Tauber is proud to sponsor the Positive Links Speaker Series. Join us April 24 to hear influential author and Case Western Weatherhead School of Management Distinguished Professor David Cooperrider speak on "Positive organization development: A new change equation that's changing everything."

Positive Links info and registration >

Vehicle seats that fit today's soldier

Research contributions by IOE and Tauber faculty member Judy Jin are helping the U.S. Military create better seating for personnel driving in body armor and other protective gear. Models developed by her research team can also be applied to other vehicles where protective equipment affects driver seating posture, such as police cars and fire trucks.

Explore Tauber research through Michigan Experts >

Tauber solutions:
continuous improvement

The Challenge: Take advantage of rapid growth in the greenhouse produce industry to create a lean culture where employees are empowered to make changes that drive future success.

The Solution: The 2016 Sunset Tauber Project Team of Max Boykin (EGL BSE/MSE-IOE '17), Eun Jung Shin (MSCM '16), and Vivek Vijayan (MSCM '16) provided a vibrant continuous improvement model by holding three kaizen events and implementing five major changes with the cooperation and support of multiple teams working at the company's largest distribution center.