College students can gain practical experience in designing distribution strategies, inventory ordering systems, and supply logistics support through supply chain internships. Major corporations provide supply chain internships to undergraduate and graduate students, though they primarily seek MBA students for advanced assignments. Most of these businesses provide paid internship opportunities both during the school year and during the summer vacation.
Supply chain internships at the undergraduate level are designed to familiarize students with the procurement and distribution processes. Interns may work with computer systems that assist companies with inventory replenishment and product movement through the distribution pipeline. Tracking a shipment of product from the time it leaves a company’s manufacturing facility to the time it reaches a customer could be part of a support position. Internships in supply chain management for bachelor’s degree students may include topics such as cost efficiency and competitive analysis.
The distribution strategy of a company is never completely set in stone. A company must always be on the lookout for new ways to move product in order to cut costs and remain competitive in the marketplace. Companies can now analyze data and generate reports that reveal inefficiencies thanks to the introduction of computer information systems and technology. Inventory control systems can be chosen and updated in addition to identifying gaps in distribution methods and selecting various scheduling and routing designs.
Graduate supply chain internships are primarily concerned with finding solutions to large-scale issues. An intern, for example, could be part of a team that examines how a company stores and distributes inventory. The team may discover that the computer program or system is outdated, and that the company’s distribution costs could be cut by upgrading to a system with additional features that save employees time or eliminate redundant work tasks. Internships at the MBA level frequently entail examining a company’s entire supply chain management process and making recommendations for improvement.
The number and location of warehouses, fleet routes, and whether the company relies primarily on rail, boat, or air are some of the areas that may need improvement. It may be more cost-effective for a company to handle its own distribution, hire a third-party, or use a number of different direct-to-store delivery vendors to handle the distribution of a single product line. Students pursuing graduate-level supply chain internships may look into inventory storage methods such as location look-up, number of days in inventory, and product movement from one warehouse to another.