Corporations value operations expertise provided by Tauber Institute

Ann Arbor, MI –  The 2023 Tauber Team Projects resulted in $820.3 million in savings and revenue improvements according to sponsoring company calculations, an average of $45.5 million per project over three years. Each summer, teams of Tauber graduate students work for sponsoring companies to uncover savings and champion major improvements in areas such as data analytics, sustainability, supply chain, and strategy – then return to the University of Michigan and present their results to operations leaders at the SPOTLIGHT! Team Project Showcase and Scholarship Competition.

Check out the challenges addressed by four of the eighteen project teams who are presenting at SPOTLIGHT! 2023 – Amazon Robotics, BrandSafway, Target and Washington Gas:

Amazon Robotics

Tauber team of Bruno Nascimento (Master of Business Administration) and Vivien Wei (Master of Business Administration) explored new use cases of its Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) Proteus, aiming to increase efficiency and flexibility in the face of a shift towards a high-mix production. The Tauber team assessed the current capabilities of Proteus and identify different use cases, producing a trade-off analysis, roadmap, and implementation plan for each solution prioritized.

 

 

BrandSafway

The Tauber team Charles Bienert (EGL (BSE/MSE Industrial & Operations Engineering) and Richard Shu (BTS (BBA/Master in Supply Chain Management) were tasked with developing strategies to improve margins within the forming and shoring businesses in Atlanta. The project implemented new technologies (both physical and digital) to reduce costs and streamline processes. Then, the team consolidated lessons learned to apply to other branches across North America. 

 

Target Corporation

The Tauber team of Alexios Avrassoglou (EGL (BSE/MSE Industrial and Operations Engineering), Santiago Currea (EGL BSE/MSE Industrial and Operations Engineering), and Austin Tauber (no relation) (EGL (BSE Chemical/MSE Industrial and Operations Engineering) worked on the Target project. In 2023, Target expects that 17.7M cartons on a weekly basis within RDCs must be processed through automated print and apply technologies to maximize throughput and productivity efficiency. Inbound logistics struggles to meet these throughput goals during peak weeks due to the lack of defined loading criteria and load sequencing in trailers destined for Target from 3PL Consolidator and De-consolidator facilities. This project focuses on developing standardized loading and unloading sequencing criteria for 3PL partners originating from these facilities to meet peak weekly throughput demands at RDCs.

Washington Gas

Washington Gas is a gas utility company looking to transform its focus towards decarbonization, specifically through the development of hydrogen generating technologies and carbon sequestration. Given the favorable regulatory landscape, the Tauber team Gabriel Correa Acosta – BTS (BBA/Master in Supply Chain Management) and Allen Zhao – EGL (BSE/MSE Materials Science and Engineering) has been tasked with developing a framework to drive strategic investment decisions within this space, by assessing current market opportunities and risks for hydrogen.