End of third trimester!

We can now look back at another trimester full of new experiences. It was exciting and impressive, and the days just flew by. Two-and-a-half months with various group projects, in-class presentations, and assignments with deadlines challenged each and every one of us yet again. But since we students from all around the world have grown together as one group, we completed all of our assignments successfully – to our satisfaction.

Integration Project

For the first time, we had a management course, called “Integration Project I.” The objectives of this project were to reallocate a shoe production facility and develop a new distribution strategy, while focusing on five logistical planning elements: demand, transportation, warehousing, inventory, and relationship management. Due to the practical focus and the self-elaboration of all the planning elements, we arrived at a complete picture of the development of a new distribution strategy and the interconnections between the different planning steps. We also focused on risk management, discussing real-life examples from different industries in class. In the end, we were able to acquire important, valuable experience in the area of supply chain management.

In addition to “Integration Project I,” we had “Marketing and Sales” as another compulsory management course. And on top of that, we could choose two of the three following elective management courses:

• Operations Management
• Pricing Strategy & Revenue Management
• Macro-Economic Environment of the Firm

Excursion to Leipzig

One of the highlights of the third trimester was a two-day excursion to Leipzig, where we had the chance to visit a very modern BMW plant, the European DHL Air Hub, and the cargo area of Hanover Airport.

Our tour of the DHL hub, which is the most modern, state-of-the-art airfreight hub in Europe, was especially impressive. We visited the 413-meter-long DHL warehouse – the biggest sorting system for parcels and documents in Germany. Afterwards, we took a look at the apron where around 60 aircraft from all over the world land in Leipzig every night, 365 days a year.

During the third trimester, of course we attended various guest lectures and workshops on a regular basis. Companies like Accenture, Deutsche Post DHL, and European Cargo Logistics hold guest lectures at KLU.

Next steps

Directly after the third trimester ends, most of us will start with our internship – whether in Germany or abroad – before spending our exchange trimester at one of KLU’s partner universities. We are looking forward to the many new and exciting experiences the next months will hold!

Elias & Ole

Master in Management 2012-2013
Kuehne Logistics University