The team from FGV’s Sao Paulo School of Business Administration (EAESP) was the grand winner of the global stage of the ‘General Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chain Case Competition 2017’,held in Detroit (USA), in late September.  The main international competition for cases in the supply chain and logistics field, the American multinational’s project brought together 21 business schools from the USA and countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

The road to win the global stage was a long one. To get to Detroit, EAESP’s team, formed by professor Alexandre Pignanelli and by students Giovanna Bragagnolo, Gustavo Forti, Sofia Cunha, and William Sun, had to surpass 15 Brazilian universities, a hard job that started in July. The global challenge was even greater and EAESP had to surpass some of the best American schools, such as Michigan State University (eliminated by EAESP’s team in the semi-final) and Western Michigan University (runner-up). In the Gartner Group ranking, for instance, these two universities are classified in first and second places, respectively, among the best American supply chain schools.

For this global final, GM presented a very complex case about the Bolt, a 100% electric vehicle being launched by the automaker in the United States in 2017. Along with Tesla’s new Model 3, the Bolt is considered the most innovative and efficient vehicle among electric models that are being released by virtually all automakers. Vehicles powered by electricity seem to be the future of the auto industry.

According to Professor Alexandre Pignanelli, EAESP’s team worked with the development of a series of logistical and supply chain solutions for the Bolt’s battery pack, manufactured by the Korean LG Corporation. As a 100% electric car, this component is the most critical part of the vehicle and is responsible for almost 35% of its cost.

“This victory further enhances the high quality teaching at EAESP and demonstrates the level of excellent training our students receive, able to place them in the spotlight for a challenge as big as this one”, said the professor.