Developing Future Talent

For the fourth consecutive year, Cummins Corporation have partnered with the University of Huddersfield to provide an opportunity for first year Logistics and Supply Chain Management students to partake in a Supply Chain Continuous Improvement Training course.  

Cummins and the University of Huddersfield’s Logistics department have successfully seen over 100 students complete this module. The module, which is based around a manufacturing project, requires students to analyse data, apply their knowledge of value stream mapping, propose and present a viable solution to Cummins management team.

This early involvement with industry provides the students with a significant advantage. By offering them the opportunity to lead a real life project, they are able to apply their knowledge and develop creative solutions to complement their academic learning. The process was initiated and designed by Joanne Gwilliam, Tommy Goldstein & Chris Batley, who have delivered engaging training using Lego and other interactive exercises.

For many of the students, this has been their first real insight into a manufacturing operation and it has opened their eyes to the many and varied opportunities for careers within the sector. “Having exposure to a global manufacturing company at this stage in their studies, and developing an understanding of the importance of continuous improvement in a competitive market, is invaluable to the students’ educational development, and opens up opportunities for their future careers” commented Christine Jordan (Course Leader, Transport and Logistics).

The highlight of the program for Cummins is the presentation day, where the students present their learnings to the extended Continuous Improvement leadership team.  David Ormond Cummins Operations Excellence - Director  “The standard of presentations across all teams really was impressive, it was clear that they had all taken the material and applied the tools very effectively to solve a problem. The level of enthusiasm and engagement was a credit to all involved.”

This year, yet again, the students have proved that they can take on the challenges faced by a major global manufacturing organisation.  The students were split into four teams each presenting to a high standard carefully considered, comprehensive and professional presentations.

We wish to congratulate all teams. Cummins identified two teams that shone. 

Women in Logistics, Isobel Allan, Bethany Mapp, Sarah Seaborn, and Georgia Gibson demonstrated strength in collaborating with employees and sustaining change. “The involvement with Cummins allowed me to gain practical experience and knowledge of key material that I will be faced with in the world of work. The presentation allowed me to develop my confidence as well as identify my strengths and weaknesses.” (Bethany Mapp, Women in Logistics) 

The team identified as overall winners were Continuum Consultancy Harry Todd, Rachel Thornton, Andy Biggs, Matt Flello, Dom Knowles as they demonstrated depth of knowledge in Supply Chain and the ability to provide a solution that aligned with the scope of the project.  "The Cummins project was a real eye opener into continuous improvement that put academic theory into professional practice. There is no question that I will be able to use these experiences in any future endeavour,” (Dom Knowles, Continuum Consultancy).

Andy Kaye CEO of Bis Henderson Group and Chair of NOVUS Trust commented “Cummins have played a huge part in the development of the Novus scheme since its launch in 2013 and I can’t thank them enough for the time and effort that they put into the delivery of this exercise. Having seen many consultancy presentations over the years I can honestly say that our students handled the challenge fantastically well. The quality of the analysis and presentations was very high and they coped admirably with the barrage of questions levelled at them. Unfortunately only one team could win but I do believe all of the students will take some important learning and development from the experience.”

A huge thank you to all the team at Cummins for their involvement in this successful project.