University Team Wins Prestigious Supply Chain Contest with Innovative Louis Vuitton Sustainability Solution
Columbia University, New York City, NY – The Master of Science and Engineering (MS&E) program at Columbia University IEOR is celebrating a significant achievement as their Operations Consulting course team secured a prestigious win in the "Ultimate Supply Chain Contest" (USC2). The team was assigned Louis Vuitton (LV) as their client and successfully designed a groundbreaking sustainability solution that may soon be implemented by the luxury fashion brand.
In an engaging challenge presented by the USC2 competition, four universities from across the globe competed to address a critical issue: tracking the impact on sustainability and sell-through of manual stock movements across North America for Louis Vuitton. The competing universities included institutions from France, Spain, Hong Kong, and the United States, with Columbia University representing the U.S. in this challenging contest.
The team of second-year MS&E students worked diligently to identify, propose, and execute a mechanism that LV could utilize to track the sustainability and sell-through impact of manual stock movements across North America. Their solution was designed with adaptability and extensibility to other regions in mind, employing standard programming languages and tools such as Python and Power BI.
Their main objective was to create a simple, intuitive, and robust analytics dashboard that could facilitate decision-making processes within LV's supply chain. The dashboard allowed LV's Supply Chain directors to assess the direct impact of manual movements across various categories, including price, CO2 footprint, sell-through rate, and individual movement analysis.
The outstanding team members who worked on this innovative project included:
- Juan Martin Velez
- Yatharth Saxena
- Yuanqing (Jennifer) Guo
- Guillaume Sichel
- Xiaoke (Jerry) Deng
- Michelle Zhou
- Saipan Saneevong Na Ayuthaya
Overseeing the team's efforts as the engagement manager was Ms. Marion Bekhouche.
Their dedication and hard work paid off as the IEOR team delivered their solution for the contest by March 2023. Their innovative solution made them the victors of the USC2 competition, with the opportunity for their solution to be implemented within Louis Vuitton.
The team's remarkable achievement was commemorated with a special gift from Louis Vuitton, a gesture of gratitude for their hard work. Team members Juan Martin Velez, Yatharth Saxena, Yuanqing (Jennifer) Guo, and Marion Bekhouche were featured in a picture, displaying the gift as a symbol of the fruitful collaboration.
The entire team came together for a group photo, showcasing the dedication and teamwork that led to this impressive victory.
Columbia University department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, is incredibly proud of the MS&E students' remarkable accomplishment, as they continue to demonstrate their commitment to innovation and excellence. This win not only solidifies their reputation in the field of operations consulting but also highlights their potential to make a significant impact in the world of supply chain sustainability.