Leadership through Globalization

While pursuing GLD through the Professional and Civic Engagement pathway, it was also necessary to analyze my professional engagement. My second key insight will directly relate to the professional engagement portion. I say this because here at Carolina, we all know and abide by the commonly used motto “No Limits.” This motto can be applied to almost every facet of life but more specifically college life at Carolina. As a Gamecock, your vision, search, pursuit, concern, determination, strength, innovation, focus, and numerous other things have No Limits. One thing that I found to have No Limits during my time at Carolina has been my drive. I’ve been driven to step outside my comfort zone and try new things that would set me apart professionally, such as studying abroad.

When deciding on a major at the Darla Moore School of Business, the one that stuck out to me was GSCOM (Global Supply Chain and Operations Management). This major has since been revised to Operations and Supply Chain, but the Global component is still widely seen throughout the coursework. During my junior year I was afforded the opportunity to study abroad in Germany during spring break. Prior to actually going to Germany we also took a trip to Greenville, SC in February. On this trip to Greenville we visited the Inland Ports in Greer as well as the BMW facility in the Spartanburg area. During the tour of the Inland Ports we were able to see how the Port of Charleston is now extended inland by about 200 miles. This provides more efficient international transportation between the Port of Charleston and a plethora of companies all over the southeast. During our tour of the BMW facility we saw how the Inland Ports play a huge part in the manufacturing of hundreds of X-Series vehicles every day.

Another experience I have of globalization was my spring break trip to Germany. I had the privilege of going to three different cities in Germany; Munich, Nuremberg, and Regensburg. In Munich we visited the South Carolina Department of Commerce Europe Office, BMW Welt, and BMW Headquarters to meet with BMW sustainability executives. In Regensburg we visited TechBase, as well as toured the BMW Manufacturing and actually saw cars go from the bare metal to a car ready to ship in a day’s cycle. In Nuremberg we were able to visit a smaller tech company, the Fraunhofer Society which is most well-known for the development of the MP3 file. From these experiences I was able to open my mind to a more global, not local, mindset both personally and professionally. Before the trip to Germany, I never had left the east coast, let alone the country. Upon my arrival it was a bit of a culture shock but during my brief time there I got acclimated to the culture quickly and it was astonishing to see the world through a different lens instead of what we’re accustomed to in the US.

While taking IBUS 490: Specialized Study in International Business, I learned several concepts and frameworks, specifically Just-in-Time. This framework suggests producing the necessary items in necessary quantities at the necessary time. It was first adopted by Toyota but has been implemented in many different companies and areas including the Inland Ports and BMW. The Inland Ports aim to have crates delivered from Charleston by rail and either loaded for freight transportation or stored for pick up, just in time. Likewise, at BMW, they aim to produce only what an individual customer or dealer has ordered for production to reduce unnecessary inventory.

My beyond the classroom and within the classroom directly correlate in that, Just-in-Time is concept that is talked about in almost all of my supply chain classes, but I actually got to see it in action and real time. A BMW can be produced in Spartanburg, SC or Regensburg, Germany in just one day, shipped overseas, delivered by rail, and then transported by freight just when the customer has demanded it. This takes efficiency, strategy, logistics, effort, transparency, and the necessary capacity but is the supply chain model that is being adopted by numerous car companies around the globe.