Message from the Director

Key Findings from Recent Projects

Transition to Lead-free Shotgun Cartridge Production: A Supply Chain Study

Dr Ismail Abushaikha, Dr Banu Ekren and Mr Nam Vu worked together on the 6-week study, they investigated the supply chain factors relating to the transition away from lead in shotgun ammunition and identified a practical timeline for the UK cartridge industry to completely transit to lead-free production. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews and site visits to the UK cartridge manufacturers. Employing the Critical Path (CP) method, we developed a model for transition to lead-free production, with an indicative timeline for the whole process from a supply chain perspective.

Fisheries Project

This project was led by Dr Banu Ekren and Dr Hendrik Reefke aiming to assess the state of traceability in the fishery industry in the UK. The project involved a survey of governmental organizations in the UK by applying a questionnaire to understand the control systems implemented to comply with regulatory requirements on fish traceability. The survey also examined IT structure, IT standards, level of automation, and exchange of information between systems. The project is a research cooperation between the University of Cranfield (UK), Iceland University (Iceland), and Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and is financed by the Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management. The results of the survey will contribute to improving the control systems and information exchange between governmental authorities in European countries to ensure sustainable fishing practices.

NHS Secamb

Cranfield Centre for Logistics, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management has been commissioned to review South East Coast Ambulance (SECAmb) Service’s logistics strategy and operations. Dr Nicky Yates and Professor Emel Aktas are currently undertaking the first in a portfolio of activities to improve SECAmb’s logistics operations performance and resilience over the next 3 to 5 years. The team have liaised closely with the Logistics Function, conducted interviews with key stakeholders, and performed data analysis of key procurement and inventory data. Our findings highlight key opportunities to improve their operations by better aligning the processes through which they interact with their key stakeholders to coordinate the flow of information and physical materials. Our recommendations will help improve the efficiency and resilience of the logistics function and underpin the new logistics strategy which will govern the running of the operation over the coming years.

BBSRC new project

Professor Michael Bourlakis is involved with a new project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council entitled “Realigning UK Food Production & Trade for Transition to Healthy and Sustainable Diets”. This project will develop a blueprint for a coordinated set of policy interventions to support the transition to healthy and sustainable diets in the UK. The interventions considered will include fiscal and trade policy measures, supply chain innovations and industry-led initiatives that can facilitate this transition to healthy and sustainable diets. The project will: a) identify the structural changes needed in the supply chain for key agricultural commodities to support consumers, manufacturers and importers for the dietary transition and b) will co-design and evaluate the potential effectiveness of industry-led initiatives to support the dietary transition and assess the consumer responses to such industry-led initiatives.

Events

CLPSCM: out and about on the Conference Circuit

This year has certainly been busy for conferences with the team attending different events between April and May this year starting with the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Conference at the MK Stadium on 20th April. This was well attended with 2000+ practitioners. Noreen Munnelly, Business Development Executive and Alex Iordache, Group Administrator supported this and faculty colleagues also provided presentations on hot topics such as:

Associate Professor Abhijeet Ghadge - Digital transformation roadmap for supply chains.

Professor Aristides Matopoulos - How to Design your Supply Chain

Associate Professor Ioannis Koliousis – Intelligent Process, Automation for Improved Supply Planning.

Dr Lorenzo Prataviera – was a panellist for the discussion around Net Zero by 2050 – The Sustainable, Manufacturing Race is on!

Professor Michael Bourlakis also joined us. He and several of the team were interviewed in the context of the next generation supply chains and why a career in Logistics and Supply Chain Management is important.

Noreen Munnelly, Business Development Executive and Alex Iordache, Group Administrator were back out on the road for the Microlise Transport Conference in Coventry on 17th May. The conference was well attended by 1200+ practitioners, with a full day agenda of presentations and awards. We had several visitors to the Cranfield Stand interested in the SL7+Executive MSc in Logistics and Supply Chain Management Apprenticeship.

Prof Aris Matopoulos and Noreen Munnelly represented the Centre in the Rolls-Royce SME Innovation Challenge 2023 on 25 May at MOD Abbey Wood organised by IBM.

This year’s challenge had four main areas of focus:

Supply Chain Management - Technology applications such as IOT, Blockchain, AI/ML, data analytics to optimise planning, sourcing, manufacturing, and logistics.

Processes - Streamlining back-office functions like Purchasing and Commercial to remove barriers and drop in solutions to connect up systems.

Net Zero - Technology to continually drive in Net Zero tech such as packaging, processes etc.

Collaboration - Technology to bring stakeholders together and resolve issues.

Our proposal was one of the six selected out of over hundred applications for the challenge.

Programmes Update

Company-based MSc Thesis Projects

At Cranfield School of Management, we strongly believe that supply chain excellence is both a desirable and an achievable aspiration for all organisations. As part of our commitment to developing the future leaders in the field, our Supply Chain Management MSc programmes provide students with the opportunity to put the knowledge gained in class into practice as part of their thesis projects.

As every year, students are undertaking a 4-month (May - August) MSc thesis project with industrial sponsors on projects that add value to the sponsoring organisation. This year we are happy to share that more than 70 students are collaborating with a wide range of sponsoring organisations across various industries/sectors, providing these organisations with customised, high quality, low-cost, and objective research into areas covering a broad spectrum of topics in the areas of Logistics, Procurement, and Supply Chain Management.

If you are interested in this opportunity for the next year, please follow the link to our Cranfield University website about the MSc Thesis Projects.

Study tours

At Cranfield School of Management, our mantra is “transforming knowledge into action”. For this reason, every year we organise study tours for students as unique opportunities to experience a supply chain perspective in the real world. This year, we organised nine, four day study tours running over two weeks which enabled our FT MSc students to visit a number of cities across the UK: Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Liverpool, Manchester, and Southampton. Each tour involved both cultural experiences and visits to logistics and manufacturing companies, which opened their doors to provide first-hand experience of their plants, facilities, and offices. This offered students the opportunity to gain valuable insights about the supply chains in practice, further appreciating the diverse nature of supply chain management.

If you are interested in hosting our students for a visit of one of your facilities during next year (April 2024) study tours, please drop an email to Sue Gregory – sue.gregory@cranfield.ac.uk.

Doctoral Scholarship

We are pleased that our colleagues Dr Banu Ekren and Professor Aris Matopoulos have been awarded a new PhD scholarship funded by Cranfield School of Management. This scholarship will focus on supply chain (SC) disruptions which can significantly impact businesses, especially during unexpected events such as pandemics, natural disasters, and cyber-attacks. Recently SC managers have been prioritizing resilient designs that can handle disruptions while also increasing efficiency. One solution is the use of additive manufacturing (AM), which is a disruptive technology that offers greater flexibility in SCs, also resulting in less waste and increased operational efficiency. However, companies still struggle to understand how AM can benefit their businesses, and design engineers often have limited knowledge of AM systems. This research aims to explore the potential utilization of AM in supply chains to enhance resiliency and efficiency. By co-locating 3D printers in hubs, AM can serve as a spare production centre for inventory supply, providing quick customer service. This PhD study will focus on how AM can benefit SCs and provide recommendations for companies to adopt and implement AM technologies in their SC management.

Executive MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Part-time)

This programme meets the requirements of the Level 7 Senior Leader Apprenticeship Standard. Our Executive Logistics and Supply Chain Management MSc offers you the opportunity to study for an internationally recognised master's qualification. This part-time supply chain postgraduate course is designed to nurture your practical business skills and confidence. It also places huge emphasis on real-world challenges and industry best practice which you can apply back to your own organisation. It has been co-designed with senior supply chain practitioners and is delivered by one of Europe's largest specialist logistics, procurement, and supply chain management faculties. Students will benefit from a diverse student cohort and our faculty’s direct involvement with global businesses. On completion, graduates will have a deep understanding of contemporary business issues and a capacity to assume active leadership roles.

The next start date is 16th October 2023, For further information, please visit our website:

Executive MSc Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Part-time) (Live Online)

Our live Online MSc Executive Logistics and Supply Chain Management offers you the opportunity to study for an internationally recognised master's qualification. This part-time supply chain postgraduate course is designed to nurture your practical business skills and confidence.

This new variant of our part-time MSc is aimed at supply chain, logistics or procurement managers who want to enhance their skills, knowledge and confidence to take on more demanding executive roles in the future. This is also relevant to individuals with business or organisational experience in a non-supply chain area who are intending to move into the supply chain field or have recently had a change in career track. It will support ambitious professionals who are keen to develop themselves and want a "real-world" education delivered by faculty who are actively engaged with business and can bring their knowledge to the programme.

The next start date is 26th February 2024.

For more information about this course please contact either Dr Ismail Abushaikha Ismail.abushaikha@cranfield.ac.uk or Noreen Munnelly, Business Development Executive: n.munnelly@cranfield.ac.uk.

A new Sustainable Supply Chain Management Executive Development Course

The Centre has partnered with Inchainge, the leading education solution provider, to offer a Supply Chain Sustainability Masterclass to the winning teams of the Fresh Connection. The event took place at Cranfield School of Management and provided a dynamic learning experience filled with a new simulation, valuable insights and sustainable takeaways.
The Masterclass participants were the winning teams of the Global PRO Challenge – the largest supply chain competition for professionals. Participants were challenged to successfully manage a virtual manufacturing company, The Fresh Connection. The exclusive workshop saw a diverse group of professionals participate, including employees from companies such as Manutan, Mars, JPS, Citwell, Argon & Co, Circular Clarity and last year’s winners, Hitachi.

Some indicative contributions include:

- Sustainable Supply Chain Management
- Sustainability Strategy & Materiality
- Water, Energy & CO2 Sustainability
- People/Social: Diversity, Human Rights, Child Labour, Safety & Work Conditions
- Prosperity, Productivity & True Returns
- Sustainability versus Finance Metrics
- The new “Triple Connection” Game Simulation

Assoc. Prof. Ioannis Koliousis, the Director of Executive Development for Supply Chain Management who also led this programme mentions that “not being sustainable is not an option any longer and we need to focus on improving our supply chains, which starts from training our executives; the Triple Connection is a serious game that significantly reduces the time to master these concepts”.