On October 25, Conestoga’s Magna Centre for Supply Chain Excellence (MCSCE) hosted the college’s first Supply Chain Excellence Symposium at the Doon campus -- a full day event to share knowledge and insights from industry experts who presented practical solutions to help organizations deliver increased customer value, improved productivity and improved operational and financial performance.
Brian Watson, director of Conestoga's Magna Centre for Supply Chain Excellence, welcomed guests to the college's first supply chain symposium on October 25.
The Magna Centre for Supply Chain Excellence launched in 2017 and works with government and industry partners to address Canada's productivity challenge and the urgent need for skilled supply chain specialists to meet current and emerging business needs.
“A lag in productivity hurts each one of us in terms of our future standard of living,” explained Watson during his opening remarks. “Productivity, and more importantly how to improve it, is a dynamically complex matter with no simple solution.”
Attendees included representatives from the logistics, transportation, healthcare, warehousing, manufacturing, distribution and education sectors who heard presentations on system thinking, understanding variation, organizational knowledge creation and innovation, as well as a panel discussion on human behaviour and effective leadership.
During the symposium, Watson extended thanks to Magna and Darren Stewart, a Conestoga Business Administration - Materials Management graduate and general manager of Karmax Heavy Stamping, a division of Magna International, for their vision, leadership and support for the MCSCE.
“Magna is passionate about improving productivity across all sectors in Canada and we at Conestoga College value the longstanding relationship that we have with Magna,” said Watson.
Conestoga's supply chain management programs have a proven track record in developing skilled supply chain specialists. Program graduates are well-positioned to add value to firms that hire them, contributing to improved productivity, operational and financial performance.
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