Its geographic location and excellent accessibility by water, overland and air make Hamburg an important logistical link in world trade as well as Northern Europe’s prime logistics location. Industry experts consider Hamburg as one of the most dynamic locations for logistics in Europe and beyond. The Hamburg metropolitan region is home to more than 12.600 logistics firms, and provides work for 395,000 people in logistics.
Given the importance of the logistics sector, the Bucerius Master of Law and Business (MLB) offers an elective in Logistics and Supply Chain Management to equip students with fundamental knowledge, best practices and current developments in logistics and supply chain management. The course covers both, managerial and legal aspects. The influence of current developments – such as China’s Belt and Road initiative or technology and digitalization – on supply chains are also intensively discussed.
One specific key learning experience was the company visit to Kuehne + Nagel one of the worldwide leading logistics service firms. Prof. Dr. Stephan Wagner took the 2019 students to the logistics hub in Hamburg where they learned firsthand about this major logistics operations – ranging from contract logistics to cross-docking and bonded warehouses. Thomas Gerst, Operations Manager, and responsible for the contract logistics business welcomed the students, spoke about the challenges and how such an operation needs to be managed for efficiency and customer satisfaction. After an excellent presentation and discussion, the students had the opportunity to see how the center works in practice on the floor level.
The site visit to Kuehne + Nagel complemented the lectures, class discussions and case studies worked on in the classroom.
