Academy Vision

THE PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Supply Chain developments in the world have undergone many transformations over the last 2 decades. While it longer remains a back room activity or treated merely as a cost center, much still needs to be done in terms bringing the entire industry to a new level of excellence. As a regional body for logistics and supply chain professionals, Supply Chain Asia is embarking on a project to build the next generation Excellence Center that is fully equipped with new logistics and supply development with innovations for faster, more flexible and ecologically sound logistics of the future.

ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia will be unique to the industry here in Asia. The focus is the setting up of a Regional Training Center that provides practical and skills-based training for the professionals in Asia; it will also function as a platform whereby researchers and developers from various parts of the Asia can exchange their knowledge and design practical innovations in supply chain for local and regional applications. The vision is to create synergistic networks for new ideas and accelerate their development from a conceptual to actual implementation.

ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia will also be a place for communication. We intend to encourage and opened up the center to representatives from politics, business or society and investors who can obtain information on the latest developments in the logistics and supply chain sector and experience them directly.

CREATING SOLUTIONS TO BRIDGE A FRAGMENTED STRUCTURE

As Asia continues to transform itself into the world’s leading economy, its infrastructure remains highly fragmented and inconsistent. Such fragmented structures add to the complexity of integrating a regional and globalize transportation and supply chain networks that are changing the regional and global landscape at an ever increasing speed.

Logistics and supply chain will become a crucial factor for securing jobs and the quality of service and life. Our focus is to find innovative answers that have a positive effect on today's business, social and climatic challenges.

With regard to social structure change and the deviating climate change, there is an urgent need to develop socially acceptable, environmentally-friendly and resource-saving solutions for the increasing flows of goods. At the ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia, there will be future prospects for training and implementing intelligent merchandise controlling, for example, avoiding sending incorrect orders, optimized route planning or the use of vehicles with alternative fuels.

Demographic changes in our society pose another challenge. Ageing populations in the industrial nations result in new demands in terms of logistics, too. With innovative products it is worth looking at the needs of the growing share of the ageing population with special service offers, for example to make it easier for them as a customer to participate in e-Business.

CONNECTING THE PAST WITH THE FUTURE

Supply Chain Asia believes that that future of the global economy lies in the success of many countries in Asia. ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia will be created as a place where knowledge is made usable from various areas for the future.

We will pursue regional and global partnerships with research institutes and technologically leading companies that will result in the exchange of modern practical knowledge and academic research results. However, ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia is more than just a research center. Creative directors, developers and users can use it as a meeting place and discussion forum for the latest logistical and supply chain trends. The ACADEMY will have three core focus areas of developmental support for the industry:

Supply Chain Asia Innovation Center

The Supply Chain Asia Innovation Center will be the core structure of the ACADEMY. It will showcase latest logistical innovations and visions and presented as an emotional experience. We envision an entire center that is fully equipped with RFID-controlled handling technology and other logistics applications as and when it developed. We also intend to turn the entire Innovation Center into a training platform to complement our provision of skills-based training to logistics and supply chain personnel in this region.

We are in the midst of finalizing the construction of a 125,000 sq ft facility in Singapore, which is targeted to be ready by end of December 2013.

Training/Conference Center

Besides the usual use of hotels and conference venue for training, we also intend to create our own training and conference facilities within the Innovation Center. Such training facilities must be properly equipped to tap on the use of latest internet and telecommunication technologies.

An example is the setting up of a fully equipped, internet-connected room. This specially designed room will provide a platform for the ACADEMY to host fully interactive, live presentations and discussions of major issues, thoughts and developments affecting the industry today with a regional and global audience.

Supply Chain Research & Development Center

We will set up a Supply Chain Research & Development Center that will enable members of Supply Chain Asia community members from various countries and companies to work together with external partners to research new technologies and innovations. The center's infrastructure will facilitate the promotion and exchange of basic research and practice and offers an initial platform for testing new ideas in the form of prototypes.

INNOVATIVE POWER THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS

The Supply Chain Asia Innovation Center will need to rely on strong partnerships to develop innovative logistical concepts and products. A differentiated partner concept ensures that the most powerful and innovative companies in the world make their latest technologies available to the center.

TRAINING AND ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Unlike most supply chain and logistics courses that are available in the market today, ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia does not intend to focus its training entirely on the academic aspect. Instead, we intend to engage proven professionals who have been in the industry to form a part of the Faculty Team.

ACADEMY @ Supply Chain Asia programs are designed with at least 70% of practical applications to ensure its relevancy to the market place. We do not believe in the idea that “those who cannot do, teach” but instead believe that those who can do, MUST TEACH.

As such, we intend to design and create programs that will engage industry professionals into its entire course curriculum.

Members of the ACADEMY BOARD, a group of seasoned professionals  with extensive experiences in Supply Chain and Logistics, are expected to participating actively as Faculty Member, Mentor and Coach to the trainees.