What are Integration Projects?
A requirement of all MMM students is they perform a project in
their second year to bring together their management and technical
training in the context of a real-world situation. Working in
small teams under the supervision of a faculty member, students
address problems that integrate business and technology issues.
Most projects involve either introduction of a new product/business
venture or reengineering of an existing manufacturing system.
Students frequently employ the tools of design for manufacture/assembly,
factory physics, strategic operational audits and integrated product/process
design.
- Firms get economical consulting from top manufacturing
management students and faculty.
- Students get to work on a problem of real importance
and apply the manufacturing and management expertise acquired
in the classroom and on the job.
- Northwestern University and firms gain opportunities
to develop long-term partnerships that aid firms in recruiting
and the university in faculty enrichment.
Past projects have included:
- Supplier Park Design. A team of students worked with
a major automobile OEM and several suppliers in assessing the
strategic issues that would arise with building the supplier
park and provided insightful solutions to those issues.
- Customer Resource Management. Working with a computer
manufacturer, the student team provided a recommendation for
how to most effectively synchronize three independent customer
service contact methods (telephone, fax and email).
- International Operations Audit. When a medical devices
manufacturer wanted to open a plant overseas, they counted on
a team of MMM students to provide an operational audit for various
locations and assessed the best way to transition to the new
plant.
- Knowledge Management System. A telecommunications equipment
manufacturer had manufacturing systems worldwide that were all
facing similar issues. Through an Integration Project, a team
of students helped the company design a system that would allow
the various facilities to share data about how factories were
operating and practices implemented to improve efficiency.
How can my organization participate?
Integration Projects are run during the Winter Quarter (January
to March), but many students choose to begin work on their Integration
Projects in the Fall Quarter Operations Strategy course. Therefore,
the MMM Program lines up projects by the middle of summer, allowing
students to work on the project in the fall. Standard cost for a
project running through two quarters and a team of three or four
MMM students plus a supervising faculty member is $25,000. To find
out more, or to discuss variations on the standard format, please
contact Steven Fischer, Associate Director of the MMM Program at
(847) 467-1061 or via email at mmm@northwestern.edu.
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