Industry leaders, faculty, students, alumni, and supporters gathered at the Ann Arbor Sheraton on September 15 for the annual Tauber Institute Spotlight! Team Project Showcase and Scholarship Competition. Initial figures indicate the 2017 Tauber Team Projects resulted in $575 million in savings according to sponsoring company calculations, an average of $18.5 million per project over three years. A distinguished panel of judges recognized the following outstanding Tauber team projects:

At the 2017 United Nations Oceans Conference, Dell pledged to source and incorporate 10 times their ocean plastic usage into their packaging. Dan Partin (MBA/MS Env and Sustainability) and Allison Ward (EGL BSE-MSE/MSE-IOE) adapted Dell's Haiti pilot for ocean plastic sourcing to South Asia to capitalize on regional economic advantages and target the world's leading source of ocean plastic. The team defined a cost-effective supply chain for ocean plastic that could be scaled to meet growing demand, then recommended Dell certify three Indonesian and Indian partners as viable sources of ocean plastic and co-locate packaging manufacturing. The proposed supply chain delivers scalability within production capacity to source nearly 500 times Dell's commitment for ocean plastic usage.

Ryan Colameo (MBA) and Ignacio Estrada Garcia (MSE-ME/Masters of Management) used predictive analytics powered by a neural network to uncover fundamental relationships among a dozen variables that potentially contribute to a frequently recurring but seemingly random manufacturing issue. The results revealed underlying relationships between raw material properties, machine operating parameters, and product design that could reduce the occurrence of defects by 50% and improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness by nearly 18.5%.

William Chen (MBA/MSE-IOE), Tamara Craven (EGL BSE/MSE-IOE), and Shannon Watt (MBA) performed a risk analysis of aluminum and titanium mills in order to re-architect Boeing's supply chain risk assessment process, uncovering an opportunity for increased savings with titanium scrap recycling. The team then broadened the scope of their project to identify specific supply chain areas with costly risks for Boeing, identifying select improvement areas to generate millions in cost savings.

More about 2017 Spotlight! award winners >

2017 Tauber team project on site photos >

2017 Spotlight! event book online >

Tauber Alumni Board president Andrew Burgess presented two students with alumni scholarship awards at 2017 Spotlight!, thanks to the generosity of donors to Tauber Alumni Scholarship Fund. The Alumni Scholarship was especially competitive, with 40% more applicants than last year. Students submitted essays detailing their leadership roles and efforts to help make the Tauber program stronger.

Elizabeth Ettleson (EGL BSE/MSE-IOE) wrote, "For all the learning and development opportunities Tauber has provided me, I have been thrilled to give back to the community in any way I can." Lizzie contributed to Tauber through her work with the Student Advisory Board, Tauber Student Connections , and Tauber Recruitment and Admissions.

Dan Partin (MBA/MS Env and Sustainability) wrote, "I will forever be grateful for my Tauber experience-the education I received, the career opportunities it provided, and the lifelong friendships I developed along the way. I have always believed strongly in giving back, and I was eager to capitalize on the multitude of opportunities that Tauber presented to do so." Dan worked on Community Service Day, Tauber Alumni/Student Connections and Mentorship, Leadership Forum, Tauber Recruitment and Admissions, and the Tauber Buddy Program.

Support the Tauber Alumni Scholarship Fund >

Do you wish you could have gone to Spotlight! - or do you want to introduce a colleague to the event?

Catch up on the latest developments at the Tauber Institute - plus access information and executive summaries for the 2017 Tauber Team Projects in the 2017 Spotlight! event book online.

The William Davidson Institute is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a case writing competition. Entry forms are due September 29.
More info & entry requirements >

The Tauber Institute is proud to sponsor the Positive Links Speaker Series. On October 3, Theresa Glomb of the Carlson School of Management will discuss "Let's make work better: Evidence based strategies for improving your work life."
More info & registration >

Join us to exchange new supply chain ideas at the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals annual conference, September 24-27 in Atlanta.
More info & registration >

Mark your calendar for our Global Operations Conference, November 2-3 at Ross. This year's theme: "Operations in a Dynamic World."
More info & registration >

Rate Lean: Fast

Tauber Executive-in-Residence Gene Goodson applied data accumulated from over 1,000 plant tours to create Rate Lean: Fast. The new workbook published by the Tauber Institute describes in detail how to plan a tour, rate an operation, and envision an ideal lean plant based on Toyota Production System concepts.

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To celebrate our bicentennial, U-M is taking a snapshot of our entire Maize and Blue family with an official Alumni Census. Make your mark on the history books by completing the Census now.
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