A team of Farmer School students beat out 18 other teams from across the U.S. and Mexico to take first place in the General Motors/Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business Supply Chain Case Competition this past weekend.

In the invitation-only competition, students are welcomed to Detroit for an in-depth look at the supply chain systems that support the automotive industry and its vehicles. Competitors are presented with the challenge of procuring advanced technology components while considering global business issues at play like logistics, costs, sustainability and more.

The Farmer School team members were:

• Katelyn Hartings, junior
• Jessica Motley, senior
• Dan Weingart, senior
• Nick Weseman, senior

“This year our case applied to supply chain issues that are currently affecting GM, including microchip supply problems, manpower shortages, and transportation backlogs. Our team was well balanced in skill and we worked very well together,” Hartings said. “This allowed us to divide and conquer in order to deliver our best solutions to this case. Winning this competition still feels surreal. It feels great to know that all of our hard work paid off in the end.”

The competition is judged by retired GM executives. Teams presented in a preliminary round on Friday, and the top four teams made their final round presentations on Saturday. They also attended workshops and took a tour of a GM facility.

“I am truly honored to represent the Farmer School of Business and see how we stacked up against other top-tier supply chain programs. I was on the team last year, but we did not even make it out of our region, so being able to make the finals and win the whole competition this year was special,” Weseman said. “I can say with confidence that we earned that victory as a team, so I am happy we got to bring home the hardware.”

The winning team was announced while the teams were on a riverboat cruise on the Detroit River on Saturday evening.

“When (retired General Motors Executive Director of Supply Chain) Bill Hurles announced Miami University as the winner of the competition I was ecstatic that all the hard work my team and I put in paid off,” Motley said. “I am proud that we were able to bring the win back to Miami and I am looking forward to hearing about the success Miami has at this event in the future.”