In February 2020, 40 GSCM seniors and faculty members traveled to Orlando, Florida to gain supply chain perspectives from a variety of industries. Business visits included the Port of Tampa, Darden Restaurants, Disney, and Deseret Ranches.
Our trip started by taking a trip to Tampa where we had a tour of the Tampa Port scheduled. It was a relatively small port and no ships were coming or going while we were there; nonetheless, all of us were thinking Professor Webb would have been in heaven. Our tour was conducted by the US Coast Guard and didn’t necessarily have the supply chain perspective we would have liked, but it was still a great experience to witness a port first hand.
After our port tour we headed north to have lunch at a country club with the Moscrips, whose generosity made the trip possible. They were so kind and genuine and it was great to have the opportunity to thank them firsthand.
Our day ended at Darden, a multi-brand restaurant operator including brands like Olive Garden and Longhorn Steakhouse. Darden just built a brand new HQ located a few miles from Orlando and being able to tour it was a treat (no pun intended). We were able to see the supply chain from a company that operates tens-of-thousands of restaurants nationwide, which is no small feat. We heard about maintaining food safety, cutting logistics costs, and acquiring/creating new brands; all of which help Darden maintain its competitive advantage in the ever-growing restaurant industry. It was a great company to tour and felt very modern and up-to-date, which would be a contrast to what we saw at Disney the following day.
We started our Friday by meeting with the VP of Strategic Sourcing at Disney who is responsible for the supply chain of all Disney theme parks and cruise throughout the world. Just for some reference, if this was a food chain, it would be the 6th largest in the US. The supply chain for Disney is essential to the company’s mission to creating nothing short of a magical experience for all of its guests.
From a supply chain perspective, this means maintaining exceptionally high service levels for all items, while operating behind the scenes so that the customer finds whatever item they need at whatever time they want it. We walked through one of their many distribution centers (DCs) with a senior manager and witnessed the hustle to prepare shipments for delivery, the majority of which take place after guests have left the parks during the night hours. This DC was one of many and it was over 500,000 square feet.
Takeaways included the fact that Disney employees were absolutely dedicated to creating an incredible guest experience, which meant many late nights and innovative solutions to unforeseen disasters or stock-outs. Most of the managers had worked for the company for decades and were incredibly loyal to the mission of Disney.
Lastly, due to the fact that Disney cares so much about the customer-facing, direct experience, they often take the profits from the efficient behind-the-scenes operations and invest them in a new attraction, rather than refurbishing a DC or investing in new warehousing tech. We got the impression that the building was several decades old, and the new and exciting tech was conveyors for used cardboard. Despite the lack of automation, Disney runs an efficient and smooth operation and maintains an exceptionally clean warehouse.
As Disney executives asked us what we were doing next, we shamefully had to let them know that we would, in fact, be going to Universal Studios. Despite the cold temperatures, it was a blast, and definitely one of the highlights of the trip.
Saturday was our last day, but the trip ended on a high note. We had the opportunity to tour Deseret Ranches, a 330,000 acre ranch owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The ranch has approximately 80 full-time cowboys, 45,000 cows, 1,300 bulls, and 35,000 calves born each year. The land was purchased in the 1950s and has been helping to sustain the community ever since. The property contains orange groves, solar fields, water reservoirs, bird sanctuaries, irrigation fields, and much more. The ranch harvests everything from fossilized shells to alligator eggs and takes none of its resources for granted. Sustainability is one of its top priorities and it is evident by how the ranch is run.
Overall the trip was a huge success. Our gratitude is sent to the Moscrips for being so generous in their donations which made the trip possible, and also Professor Sampson for taking the initiative to plan such a fantastic trip. It will not be forgotten!