Supply Chain students get hands-on experience at Under Armour and CSX

Smith School students had the opportunity to take a field trip unlike any other when they visited the Under Armour Distribution Center and Total Distribution Services Inc. (TDSI), a CSX subsidiary, on Oct. 7, 2016.

The Supply Chains Management Fellows Program, funded by the Intermodal Association of North America (IANA), made the tour possible for students. The program allows students to go on tours to get an authentic experience of day-to-day life in a corporation.

“When people come into the business school, they know what a finance job looks like, they know what an accounting job looks like, but supply chain has gotten more mainstream. Most people know what it is, but they don’t know what the actual job looks like,” said Dianne Fox, supply chain program manager.

Students got a sneak peek into the workings of Under Armour, where they visited the Lighthouse, UA’s manufacturing and design studio located in Port Covington in Baltimore, Md.

They saw a demonstration of a modeled avatar, which is used to design apparel for different body types. They also saw how the company is taking technology to the next level by using 3D printed shoes. The sports clothing and accessories retailer recently bought Port Covington for $70.3 million to expand its headquarters.

Smith students had the opportunity to visit the CSX subsidiary located in Jessup, Md., too. The subsidiary showed them where cars are transported to the East Coast before being shipped to their dealers.

The experience was one to remember for Smith students. “You can just see the students’ eyes light up,” said Fox.

- Makayla Johnson, Intern, Office of Marketing Communication