Undergrads Visit Harley-Davidson & Utz Production Plants

Professor Jeff Miller’s students may have wanted to get “on the road” aboard one of the brand new Harley-Davidson motorcycles they saw in York, Pennsylvania, but they settled for a behind-the-scenes tour of how each cycle is assembled instead. On Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016, a group of 32 students from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business took their learning outside of College Park and spent one hour walking along the production floor of the Harley-Davidson Vehicle Operations plant, watching from beginning to end, how each cycle is custom built. They then traveled to witness the making of 14,000 pounds of potato chips per hour at the Utz Snacks’ processing plant nearby.

 “The field trip was an awesome experience that reinforced key concepts in class… It was incredible to see the fast paced supply chain action in real life [at Harley-Davidson] and I enjoyed the ability to ask questions about the operation throughout the day,” said Maxwell Godwin.

"Being able to see Just-In-Time in action at Harley-Davidson was interesting. Having an idea of how it actually works in real life is cool," added freshman Cam Kelley.

“At Utz, it was very interesting to see how the chips were made in such an intricate process. Usually I do not give much thought as to how my food was made, but next time I eat potato chips I will definitely be picturing the Utz assembly line,” said Lindsey Feltoon.

Sophomore Max Rosenthal added: “It is one thing to read about something in a book or hear about it in a lecture but actually seeing it in action is a whole other thing. Being able to witness the production lines in action really gives you such an appreciation for what it takes to not only run a manufacturing business but efficiently run a massive scale manufacturing business. I went on this trip with an interest in seeing how some products are manufactured but in reality came out with a whole new perspective of the industry that only a trip like this would be able to give a student.”

The students are part of two courses taught by Miller: BMGT110 Introduction to the Business Value Chain and BMGT289I Why Good Managers Make Bad Decisions. Some of the course sections are reserved for students in the Freshmen Connection program. Last spring, Miller received the 2016 Undergraduate Faculty Member of Distinction award. Previously, he was the recipient of a Distinguished Teaching Award and the Krowe/Legg Mason Award for Teaching Excellence. With so many accolades already, it is not surprising then, for freshman Tabraiz Ahmed to say, “I really enjoyed Professor Miller leading us because he is very knowledgeable, friendly and just great to learn from.”

This trip “was the first” of what Miller hopes will be many experiential learning opportunities for his students.

For more information about the undergraduate program at Smith, visit: www.rhsmith.umd.edu/undergrad.

- Claudia Donnelly, Undergraduate Programs