MSC IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND LOGISTICS (SCML) – OLD

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services, which includes the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-progress inventory, and finished goods from points of origin to points of consumption.

SCM is a broad and dynamically evolving field. For this reason, its definition varies and continually evolves.

The Global Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, CSCMP, states that SCM “encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.”

The dictionary of the American Supply Chain Management Society, ASCM, which originated from the American Production and Inventory Control Society, APICS, defines SCM as “the design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of supply chain activities with the objective of creating net value, building a competitive infrastructure, leveraging worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand, and measuring performance globally.”

CSCMP states that “Logistics management is that part of supply chain management that plans, implements, and controls the efficient, effective forward and reverse flow and storage of goods, services, and related information between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet customer requirements. Logistics management activities typically include inbound and outbound transportation management, fleet management, warehousing, materials handling, order fulfillment, logistics network design, inventory management, supply/demand planning, and management of third-party logistics service providers. To varying degrees, the logistics function also includes sourcing and procurement, production planning and scheduling, packaging and assembly, and customer service. It is involved in all levels of planning and execution—strategic, operational, and tactical. Logistics management is an integrating function that coordinates and optimizes all logistics activities and integrates them with other functions, including marketing, sales, manufacturing, finance, and information technology.”

In Greece, the term “Logistics” is often translated as “Eφοδιαστική” (formerly “Eπιμελητεία”). Law 4302/2014 for the regulation of Logistics issues defines that Logistics is the set of processes necessary for the planning, implementation, and control of the flow (transportation, transshipment, and storage) of goods and merchandise from any point of origin to any point of destination and vice versa, as well as for the planning, implementation, and control of the provision of related services and relevant information.

CSCMP states that Logistics Management activities typically include inbound and outbound transportation management, fleet management, warehousing, materials management, order fulfillment, logistics network design, inventory management, supply/demand planning, and management of third-party logistics providers. To varying degrees, the logistics function also includes sourcing and procurement, production planning, packaging and assembly, and customer service. It is involved in all levels of planning and execution—strategic, operational, and tactical. Logistics Management is a unifying function that coordinates and optimizes all logistics activities, while also integrating logistics activities with other functions such as marketing, sales, production, finance, and information technology. In contrast, SCM is a unifying function with primary responsibility for linking major business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model. It includes all Logistics Management activities mentioned above, as well as manufacturing operations, and drives the coordination of processes and activities with and through marketing, sales, product design, finance, and information technology.

In conclusion, SCM is broader than Logistics Management, which it encompasses.

The MSc in SCML is aimed at business executives, entrepreneurs, and graduates of undergraduate university programs who wish to be trained in the principles, methods, and practices for the effective management of people, resources, and information involved in the supply chain of procurement, production, storage, transportation, and distribution of products.

The purpose of the program is to prepare scientifically trained professionals who are capable of addressing demanding business, managerial, and financial problems in the design, planning, operation, and control of all supply chain activities, including Logistics.

The program began operating in the academic year 2018-19 and is a development of the “Production Organization & Industrial Management” specialization of the MP “Modern Methods of Design and Analysis in Industry,” which was offered by the department from 1998 to 2018.

Many studies from professional bodies in Greece and abroad conclude that professions related to Supply Chain Management and Logistics have significant growth potential in the coming years.

A study by SEV (Hellenic Federation of Enterprises) titled “The Supply Chain Sector” (2013), conducted as part of the Business Needs Diagnostic Mechanism for Professions and Skills, notes that significant growth opportunities are emerging in the Supply Chain Sector in Greece due to:

• The increase in the provision of value-added services to customers by major companies in the sector and the expansion of the degree of vertical integration of provided services, aiming to offer comprehensive solutions,
• Customers becoming aware of the cost-reduction potential that supply chain management offers,
• The further development and rationalization of the sector due to the liberalization of transportation, and
• The emergence of Greece as a transshipment hub.

The same study identifies the 12 most important of the 20 key professions in the Supply Chain Sector up to 2020, recognized using professional lists for the sector from Greek, European, and international sources, as well as contributions from expert groups and executives in the Supply Chain Sector. These professions are:

1. Supply Chain Manager
2. Transportation Manager
3. Logistics Manager
4. Logistics Coordinator
5. Distribution Manager
6. Export Manager
7. Warehouse Manager
8. Logistics Engineer
9. Demand Planner
10. Purchasing / Procurement Manager
11. Warehouse Coordinator
12. Customer Service Manager

For each of these professions, the study specifies the work tasks and the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

A more recent SEV report titled “Professions and Skills of the Future in the Supply Chain” (2018), compiled by SEV’s Employment and Labor Market sector in collaboration with SEV’s Supply Chain Committee, notes that the value of production in the Supply Chain Sector increased to 7.2% of GDP in 2016. In recent years, there has been a redistribution of activity in the sector among its sub-industries, primarily involving the strengthening of activities in storage and transport-related operations, while there has been a decline in land transport activities. This development has also impacted the qualitative characteristics of employment in the Supply Chain Sector, as employment in high-skilled professions increased from 16% to 21% of total employment in the sector between 2009 and 2016, while employment in low-skilled professions decreased from 58% to 53%, and employment in medium-skilled professions remained relatively unchanged at around 26%.

To maintain the international competitiveness of the sector’s companies and respond to these changes, it is deemed necessary to implement a human capital development strategy. This strategy includes creating modern and comprehensive Supply Chain Management programs at the university level.

At the international level, a recent survey titled “The Supply Chain Talent Gap: From Gap to Crisis,” conducted on behalf of DHL, studied more than 350 supply chain and operational professionals across five major global regions and found a significant talent shortage in the supply chain field. This shortage is partly due to the high demand for the profession but mainly because the existing talent pool does not meet the evolving requirements, as technology is reshaping the industry. The study concluded that today’s ideal supply chain executive should have experience at the tactical/operational level and professional skills such as analytical capabilities, while tomorrow’s ideal executive should also possess leadership, strategic thinking, innovation, and high-level analytical skills.

Based on the findings of the above study, there is a significant opportunity for growth in Supply Chain Sector professions in the coming years but also a significant challenge in terms of the skills and abilities required for new professionals entering the field.

Along with supply chain and logistics management professions, related professions in operations management and operations research also show significant growth potential. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, professions in general management and operations management, as well as management analysts, are among the “20 occupations with the highest projected numerical change in employment for 2018-2028” with the 3rd and 4th highest median annual earnings in 2018, respectively, while the profession of operations research analyst is among the “20 occupations with the highest projected percentage change in employment for 2018-2028” with the 8th highest median annual earnings in 2018.

In relation to these prospects and challenges, the MSc in SCML offers the following competitive advantages:

• It was designed based on the needs of businesses in Supply Chain Sector professions and the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.
• It emphasizes advanced quantitative analysis methods, particularly operations research, operations management, and data analysis methods combined with the use of modern IT tools to prepare scientifically trained professionals capable of meeting tomorrow’s demands and challenges.
• It exposes students to modern practices and technologies in supply chain management and logistics through seminars conducted by industry professionals.
• It features high-level instructors with significant international presence, recognition, and practical experience in Supply Chain Management and Logistics.
• It has the scientific approach and academic prestige of an engineering school.

Graduates of Engineering Schools, Schools of Natural Sciences, Business Administration Schools, and Schools of Economics from domestic universities or recognized equivalent institutions abroad, as well as graduates of relevant TEI departments, are eligible for admission to the MSc in SCML. Candidates who are not graduates of Engineering Schools may be accepted if they successfully pass a set of undergraduate courses determined by the Steering Committee, based on the qualifications of the candidates.

In the middle of the spring semester of each academic year, a call for applications for the MSc in SCML for the next academic year is published. Interested prospective students submit, within the specified deadline, an application on a special form provided by the Secretariat of the Mechanical Engineering Department. Along with the application, candidates must submit a copy of their degree, a certificate of equivalence from DOATAP (formerly DIKATSA) (for graduates of foreign institutions), an academic transcript, a certificate of English language proficiency, a CV, and two letters of recommendation.

The selection of prospective students for the MSc in SCML is based on a personal interview, taking into account the following main criteria:

1. 1. Overall degree grade,
   2. Grades in undergraduate courses related to the MSc in SCML,
   3. Performance in the undergraduate thesis, if applicable,
   4. Research activity,
   5. Relevance of undergraduate studies to the MSc in SCML,
   6. Professional experience relevant to the MSc in SCML,
   7. Adequate knowledge of the English language,
   8. Possession of other postgraduate degrees.

The Steering Committee of the MSc in SCML determines the implementation details of these criteria, taking into account the overall academic/professional career of the candidates after obtaining their undergraduate degree, and/or proposing that they take selected courses in their preferred field, the results of which are considered in the selection process.

The maximum number of admitted students to the MSc in SCML is set at 30 per year.

The MSc in SCML awards a Master’s Degree (MSc) in “Supply Chain Management and Logistics.”.

The minimum duration for completing the MSc in SCML with full-time attendance is 3 academic semesters, while with part-time attendance it is 5 academic semesters. The total number of credits (ECTS) required to obtain the MSc in “Supply Chain Management and Logistics” is 90.

The successful completion of the MSc in SCML includes:

1. Attending and successfully passing eight (8) courses,
2. Conducting and successfully defending a master’s thesis.

Αdditionally, the program offers the opportunity to attend seminars on modern practices and technologies in SCML, organized by the program.

The structure of the program is as follows:

All courses are core/compulsory. The MSc in SCML does not have any specializations/tracks.

The tuition fees for the MSc in SCML are 3,600 euros. In the case of full-time attendance, the fees are paid in installments of 1,200 euros per semester for 3 semesters, while in the case of part-time attendance, the fees are paid in installments of 720 euros per semester for 5 semesters. For each additional semester of extension, with a maximum of two semesters, the graduate student is required to pay 330 euros.

Students whose individual income, provided they have the same income, and the family disposable equivalent income do not exceed independently, the individual being 100%, and the family being 70% of the national median disposable equivalent income, according to the most recently published data by EL.STAT., are exempt from tuition fees. In any case, the exempted students do not exceed 30% of the total number of students admitted to the program. If the eligible students exceed the 30% threshold, they are selected in order of ranking starting from those with the lowest income.

Additionally, there is the possibility of providing scholarships to excellent graduate students from the program’s resources, as well as paid work for good full-time graduate students on funded research projects of faculty members teaching in the program, provided that the program’s finances and the availability and terms of the projects allow it.

The instructors in the MSc in SCML are primarily the professors of the Production Management and Industrial Administration sector of the Department of Mechanical Engineers. The main instructors are as follows:

• Costas Ampountolas (Dipl. ’99 Production Engineering & Management, MSc ’02 Business Research and PhD ’09 Mechanical Production & Administration, Technical University of Crete) Associate Professor of Automatic Control in Mechanical Engineering

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 2019, he served as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer at the James Watt School of Engineering at the University of Glasgow, UK (2013-2019), where he was also Deputy Director of the related Urban Big Data Centre (2018-2019). He was a Research Fellow at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland (2012-2013), a Visiting Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, USA (2011), and a Postdoctoral Researcher at the National Centre for Research and Technological Development (IMTL/KEETA) (2010). He was a Short-Term Visiting Professor at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Israel (2014), at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden (2016), and at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil (2016, 2019). His research interests include automatic control and optimization theory and applications in traffic and transportation systems, large-scale networks.

• Thanasis Ziliaskopoulos (Dipl. ’84 Chemical Engineering Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, MSc ’91 Oper. Res. Dept. Mech. Eng. and PhD ’94 Transp. Syst. Dept. Civil Eng., The University of Texas at Austin, USA) Professor of Optimization of Production/Transport Systems and Director of the Systems Optimization Laboratory

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 2003, he served as Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Ohio State University, USA (1994-1996) and as Assistant Professor and Luis Burger Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at Northwestern University, USA (1996-2003). At the same time, he worked at the Transportation Research Center and collaborated with the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences of the same university. From 2010 to 2015, he served as President and CEO of TRAINOSE and from 2013 to 2015 he was a member of the Board of Directors of the Hellenic Logistics Society. Since 2020 he has been the President of the Development and Competitiveness Council of Logistics. His research interests include equilibrium patterns and network optimization, optimal path algorithms, information technologies, control systems, logistics, traffic management, and freight transport routing.

• George Kozanidis (Dipl. ’97 Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly, MSc ’98 Manufacturing Engineering, Boston University, USA, MSc ’02 Oper. Res. and PhD ’02 Industrial Eng., Northeastern University, USA) Associate Professor of Optimization Methods in Production/Services Systems.

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 2007, he worked as a Contract Lecturer in the same department (2004-2007). For the past nine years, he has collaborated with a software development company, responsible for creating specialized optimization algorithms (column generation, branch and price, assignment, etc.) aimed at effective management of airline operations (crew scheduling, fleet assignment, flight scheduling, tail assignment, commercial planning, vacation planning, preferential bidding, disruption handling, etc.). His research interests focus on operations research/management science. His research activity focuses on developing specialized optimization algorithms for the analysis and management of transportation and supply chain systems.

• George Liberopoulos (BS ’85 and M.Eng. ’86 Mechanical Engineering, Cornell University, USA, PhD ’93 Manufacturing Engineering, Boston University, USA.) Professor of Stochastic Methods in Production Management and Director of the Production Management Laboratory

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 1996, he worked as a Lecturer in the Department of Manufacturing Engineering (now Mechanical Engineering) at Boston University, USA (1993) and as a Research Fellow at the Laboratoire de Méthodologie et Architecture des Systèmes Informatiques of CNRS and Université Pierre et Marie Curie (Paris 6) (now Laboratoire d’Informatique (LIP6) of CRNS and Sorbonne Université), France (1994-1996). From 2011 to 2017 he was a member of the Regulatory Authority for Railways. His research interests focus on the design, scheduling, and control of production-inventory systems, supply chain management, and energy market design. Since 2018, he has been the Director of the MSc in SCML.

• Dimitrios Pandelis (Dipl. Naval Engineering ’87, National Technical University of Athens, MSc ’90 and PhD ’94, Electrical Engineering, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, USA) Professor of Stochastic Models in Operations Research in Industrial Management

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 2008, he worked as a Research Engineer at ERIM International (1994-2000) and Tellabs Operations (2000-2001), USA, and as a Contract Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly (2003-2008). His research activity focuses on applied probability theory and stochastic control, with applications in flexible manufacturing systems, scheduling problems, and resource allocation, and supply chain management.

• Giorgos Saharidis (Dipl. Mechanical Production & Administration ’01, Technical University of Crete, DEA ’02 Industrial Engineering and Logistics and PhD ’06 Oper. Res and Prod. Manag., Ecole Centrale Paris, France) Associate Professor of Operations Research Methods in Industrial Management.

  Before joining the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly in 2013, he worked as a Researcher at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, USA (2007-2010) and as a Postdoctoral Researcher and Contract Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineers at the University of Thessaly (2010-2013). His research activity focuses on developing mathematical programming models with applications in organizing and managing transportation systems aiming to protect the environment.

• Stamatis Andrianopoulos (Dipl. Electrical Engineering, National Technical University of Athens) Founder of the consulting company PLANNING S.A.

  During his over 25-year career, he has developed more than 400 projects in Supply Chain Management and general business reorganization in Greece and abroad. He has extensive teaching experience in Supply Chain and Logistics as a scientific collaborator at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. He has significant educational contributions as a speaker at numerous seminars, conferences, etc. His seminars have been attended by more than 25,000 executives from Greek companies.

• Stelios Koukoumialos (Dipl. ’97 and PhD ’03 Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly) Professor of Operations Research and Operations Management, General Department, University of Thessaly

  He served as an Assistant Professor and Associate Professor at the Department of Business Administration of the Technological Educational Institute of Larissa (2004-2019). Since January 2020, he has been a Professor at the Department of Business Administration of the University of Thessaly. After obtaining his PhD, he worked as a Contract Lecturer at the University of the Aegean (2004-2009) and at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Thessaly (2009-2019). His research interests focus on stochastic analysis and simulation of production/inventory systems and supply chains.

• Thanasis Lois (BSc in Physics ’91, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, MSc ’05 and PhD ’10 Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly), Research Associate, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Thessaly.

  He works as a researcher in the System Optimization Laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Thessaly, and as a manager at the University of Thessaly’s Network Center. From 2010 to 2015, he served as an IT consultant for TRAINOSE on optimization issues. He specializes in the development of static and real-time transportation algorithms. He has extensive experience in computer programming and works on software development based on the integration of algorithms for multimodal transportation systems as well as in web technologies.

In addition to the above instructors, students of the MSc in SCML have the opportunity to attend seminars by established professionals in modern practices and technologies related to SCML.

The language of instruction is either Greek or English, and the literature is almost exclusively in English. The thesis can be written in either Greek or English.

Classes for the MSc in SCML are held in the afternoon and are supported with distance learning resources to facilitate working students and those residing outside Volos. The existing infrastructure of the Department of Mechanical Engineering is utilized for the operation of the program, particularly the infrastructure of the System Optimization Laboratory and the Production Management Laboratory of the Division of Production Management & Industrial Administration.