Supply chain internships offer hands-on experience in designing distribution strategies, inventory ordering systems, and supply logistics support. Undergraduates focus on procurement and distribution, while graduate-level internships deal with finding solutions to general problems and making recommendations for improvement. Major companies offer paid internships during the regular school year and summer break.
Supply chain internships are a way for college students to gain hands-on experience designing distribution strategies, inventory ordering systems, and supply logistics support. Major companies offer supply chain internships at both undergraduate and graduate levels, although they primarily recruit MBA students for their advanced assignments. Most of these companies offer paid internship experiences during the regular school year and summer break period.
At the undergraduate level, supply chain internships focus on familiarizing the student with the procurement and distribution process. Interns can work with computer systems that help companies handle replenishing inventory and moving products through the distribution pipeline. Support positions can involve tracking a shipment of product from the moment it leaves the company’s manufacturing facility to the moment it reaches the customer. Supply chain internships for students pursuing a bachelor’s degree can cover topics such as cost efficiency and competitive analysis.
A company’s distribution strategy is never completely set in stone. To reduce costs and keep prices competitive in the marketplace, a company must always be on the lookout for alternative ways to move product. The introduction of computer systems and information technology has made it possible for companies to analyze data and generate reports that can reveal inefficiencies. In addition to identifying gaps in distribution methods, selecting various scheduling and routing designs, inventory control systems can also be selected and updated.
Graduate-level supply chain internships deal primarily with finding solutions to general problems. For example, an intern might work on a team that reviews the way a company stores and distributes inventory. Staff may find that the computer program or system is out of date and the company’s distribution costs can be reduced by upgrading to a system with additional features that save employees time or eliminate unnecessary work tasks. MBA-level internships often involve examining a company’s entire supply chain management process to make recommendations for improvement.
Some of the areas that may need improvement include the number and location of warehouses, fleet routes, and whether the business relies primarily on train, boat, or plane. It may be more efficient for a company to take on its own distribution, employ a third party, or use multiple direct delivery vendors for stores that handle the distribution of a single product line. Inventory storage methods may also be examined by students undertaking graduate-level supply chain internships, including location research, number of days in stock, and moving products from one warehouse to another.
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