More than 125 students from the Department of Engineering Technology and Industrial Distribution at Texas A&M University visited Womack Machine Supply Co. in Dallas in October as part of their Manufacturer Distributor Relations (IDIS 340) class. This class includes an industry project, which culminates with student presentations of their findings to an executive panel of the sponsoring company.
The students gained real-world experience in touring the distribution facility and listening to talks by different executives and managers, which influenced the direction of their projects on a variety of proposed topics.
Students worked on relationship issues between manufacturers and distributors and how they can interact to maximize efficiencies within distribution channels. They also analyzed challenges faced by Womack within the distribution channel and formulated alternative resolutions to these challenges.
The final class presentations were presented to the management team from Womack. Students made recommendations for improvement, outlined a strategy for best practices and explored benefits of the projects to Womack and their suppliers.