Manufacturing excellence

Updated on: Monday, January 09, 2012

Charles Fine, 'Chrysler Leaders for Global Operations' professor, operations management and engineering systems, MIT Sloan School of Management, speaks to Diptiman Dewan on a new programme on manufacturing management being developed in India in collaboration with the Indian School of Business (ISB).

Charles Fine, professor, operations management and engineering systems at MIT Sloan School of Management , and co-director , International Motor Vehicle Programme, MIT, is working on the development of a manufacturing management programme based on the lines of the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) programme at MIT. The Munjal family, promoters of the Hero group, has tied up with MIT Sloan School of Management to develop the Munjal Global Manufacturing Institute (MGMI), which will be one of the four new institutes to be set up at the Mohali campus of the Indian School of Business (ISB), offering the manufacturing management programme from April.

Curriculum design

The curriculum design for the manufacturing major in the management programme will be based on the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) programme at MIT. "The focus will not only be on what goes on inside the four walls of the factory but on managing all the aspects of the manufacturing business, from sourcing, supply chain management, product development , marketing and sales" , says Fine, who is in-charge of developing the new curriculum.

Core focus

The focus, says Fine, will be on both, the small and medium enterprises (SME) as well as the large corporations in India. "We are trying to listen to the 'voice of the customer' and understand the needs of the sector across large manufacturing hubs in India. One of the courses we are developing is called 'operations for entrepreneurs ,' which is for companies that are largely family owned, entrepreneurial in style, and which, after they grow to a certain size and need to expand beyond the family management, struggle to understand and develop the next level of manufacturing leadership. This is one of the focus areas of the curriculum too," he explains .

There will also be courses in supply chain management, global manufacturing management, lean production, operations strategy and project management, and product and process innovations. Fine says that they are also undertaking writing a series of case studies about the challenges that Indian companies face that will be used in the curriculum. "Besides these initiatives, we are also engaging with local companies, both large and small, for the development of six month part-time internship projects for students for hands-on learning," says Fine.

The course can be taken as either a first or a second major in the management programme . Students who have a technical degree at the graduate level and/or have work experience in the manufacturing sector are the primary target audience. However, students who do not have an experience in the manufacturing industry but have the background and interest levels , will have the opportunity to work on a hands-on , company-focused project where they can gain relevant experience required for the programme.

The new programme aims to support the entire manufacturing infrastructure in manufacturing companies and will provide education, research and support that the manufacturing industry requires, which is also philosophy for the LGO programme at MIT, concludes Fine.

Times of India

Manufacturing excellence

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