The Executive Master's in International Logistics (EMIL) program reached a milestone in 2002 when the members of its first class received their diplomas. After traveling the world together, the class of 2000 overwhelmingly gave the EMIL program an A+. The corporations they work for are equally pleased, so EMIL staff and constituents are moving forward with plans to enhance the program's curriculum.

EMIL was the brainchild of ISyE Professor John Vande Vate. Developed by staff and faculty of The Logistics Institute in the College of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech, EMIL's mission is to help Fortune 500 companies face issues in global logistics. In the expanding economies of South America and Asia, as well as in the United States and Europe, the supply chain is often fragmented and challenged by an environment of outsourcing, lean inventories, and e-business. Eleven companies sponsored students in the first EMIL class, and these 24 individuals broadened their perspectives by visiting major corporate facilities on three continents.

Greg Easterlin, CIO and vice president of Supply Chain Management Worldwide for Millikin & Co., found the program stimulating and relevant. "I thought it had a tremendous variety and mixture of business logistics and supply chain management curriculum," he said. "The program was well rounded. It trained us to be business people as well as logisticians, so that we could communicate with the CEO and the CFO in financial terms to sell our projects."

Millikin was quick to implement newly learned techniques. "We made numerous, numerous changes in our organizational structure," said Easterlin. "Using the analytical tools we gained through EMIL, we found that the company had a predominantly intuitive driven supply chain. We've now become more scientific and analytical. We would have never made these changes in the last 18 months had it not been for this program."

Millikin had four employees in the first class and is sponsoring four in the second class. Easterlin said the company will continue to sponsor as many students as Georgia Tech will allow it to enroll.

The program focuses on practical techniques for decreasing logistics costs and improving supply chain efficiencies through coursework in engineering, information technology, finance, and business strategy. Students are sponsored by their companies and remain fully employed during the program, which consists of five two-week residences in Europe, Latin America, Singapore and Atlanta. Each residence focuses on a unique aspect of logistics: Consumers (Atlanta), European Logistics (Metz, France), Infrastructure (Latin America), Asian Logistics (Singapore), and Manufacturing (Atlanta).

The Class of 2000 was impressive. Fifty percent of the students already had an MBA. Fifteen percent were vice presidents in their companies and 45 percent were directors. They averaged 16 years experience, much higher than the program required of participants, and their job responsibilities included operations, logistics, sales and marketing, material handling, supply chain strategy, distribution, IT, and project management. Most are being groomed for top management within their companies.

While traveling around the world, two weeks at a time, may sound exciting, students found the coursework challenging. Managing Director Terri Herod is grateful that class members were willing to be "guinea pigs," as organizers dealt with their own kind of logistics — hotel rooms, meals, and inter-residence transportation issues. Staff and students agreed that the first residence was the hardest; not surprisingly, since every one and every thing was new.

Feedback from students and faculty is motivating several changes in future classes. The Latin American residence, held in Atlanta, proved difficult to carry off effectively. In the future, that residence will consist of one week in Miami and one in Brazil, so that students can actually be immersed in the culture of Latin America.

There was one disappointment: not all members of the class felt that the Global Business Plan, a team project serving as a thesis, related to their business. It has been restructured as the Global Supply Chain Project, which allows project teams to remove costs, speed cycle time, or enhance revenue within the global supply chain of their sponsor company. Most projects have a target value of $1,000,000.

To ensure that EMIL's curriculum remains vibrant and relevant, faculty and staff are planning to work closer with members of the program's Advisory Board, which includes representatives from the 33 of the world's largest corporations. The Advisory Board agreed to work with sponsoring companies to help them convert their employees' new knowledge in results. EMIL's successful start has staff and faculty looking forward to multiple new opportunities.

Meanwhile, Herod and executive director Dr. John Vande Vate, are a just a little frustrated that the graduating class didn't have much negative feedback. Every single student found the experience rewarding, even those who weren't expecting much. Don Lauer, Chief Information Officer at Hagemeyer, admitted that when he enrolled, he merely wanted a master's degree. "The first residence was really challenging, but it was also a wake up call for me." The new skills he acquired helped him become Global Chief Information Officer for Hagemeyer in The Netherlands.

Ed Rogers, Staff Manager, Corporate Program Management at United Parcel Service, agrees that companies who send more than one student get more out of the program. A district manager when he began EMIL, Rogers had to talk his employer into sponsoring him. Now he has been transferred into the company's Corporate Strategy Group, where his newfound skills are proving valuable to UPS.

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