Global Teams Compete in the Final IB Agility Lab Focused on Supply Chain Management

As part of the #KeepGlobalSmith campaign, the Center for Global Business held the International Business (IB) Agility Lab: Supply Chain Management from April 14-16, 2021. The IB agility labs are a series of short, virtual case competitions that allow undergraduate students to learn from global business leaders, collaborate with international peers, and focus on business resilience. In the last lab of the academic year, about 40 students from 5 universities competed on mixed multinational teams to come up with a supply chain management strategy using reverse logistics for a company in Brazil.

Congratulations to Anton Balthasar Müller (WU), Will Lee Hong Hai (NUS), Perkins Cheung (HKU), Mohamed Momtez Mahjoubi (MSB), Esteban Sanchez (UMD), and Caroline Chu (UMD) for winning the competition. Caroline Chu, class of 2022, said, “working with an international team made for much more intriguing days, and it was so fun getting to learn about both Brazil and my teammates’ home countries. The case competition requires you to tap into a global mindset, which expands your worldview. If you’re looking for applicable work experience and the chance to connect with a global network, participating in the agility lab is a perfect choice.”

Maryland Smith partnered with Legacy Ventures, Green Mining, University of Hong Kong, Mediterranean School of Business, National University of Singapore, and Vienna University of Economics and Business to host the supply chain management lab. The case was delivered by Green Mining, a company based in Brazil whose mission is to develop and use technology to enable them to track recyclable products throughout the supply chain.

Green Mining informed the 10 teams about their two tripod concepts to help them achieve success. The first is called Triangular Benefits, a concept in which they developed circular relationships to impact the recycling supply chain, and the second, Triple Checkpoints focuses on education, availability, and incentive for their program. Using reverse, logistics-based solutions, students recommended ways to encourage people to efficiently sort recyclables, developed ideas for incentivizing the use of Green Mining’s recycling collection app, and offered alternative, low-cost technology solutions to enhance the company’s recycling supply chain management system.

CGB thanks the judges that oversaw this competition. The formal judging panel included Humberto Coronado, lecturer in the logistics, business and public policy department and associate director of the Master of Science in Supply Chain Management program, Julia Barge '12, project manager at Hilti, Larry Legates MBA '04, senior manager of global trade compliance at Danaher Corporation and member of the CGB advisory board, and Grace Tungtisanont, assistant professor in the logistics, business and public policy department.

The IB Agility Lab: Supply Chain Management was the last of a series of six labs during the 2020-21 academic year. Across all six labs a total of 271 students participated from 17 schools in 12 different countries around the world. The labs are part of this year’s #KeepGlobalSmith initiative, highlighting opportunities for students to gain a global mindset in the absence of travel. During these labs, students benefit from exposure to an international company, work on teams with business students around the world, and gain hands-on case experience to build their resumes and CVs. Each lab focuses on a functional area of business and features a live case from a company based outside the U.S. The winning team receives a certificate to honor their achievement.

This event was supported in part by a Title VI grant program known as CIBE (Centers for International Business Education) administered by the U.S. Department of Education. 

- By Jordan Heitzner, graduate assistant, Center for Global Business