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Snapshots of success
Pratt & Whitney—Aerospace
In the aviation industry, a substantial amount of time and investment goes into ensuring that the right parts arrive in the right quantity at the right time. Through partnering with the MMA program, Pratt & Whitney aimed to organize data on delays and breakdowns into a tool that could improve operations. “In collaboration with our clients and coaches, we tried and failed several times to develop a predictive tool using machine learning algorithms,” remembers Jessica Zhang, a member of the team of MMA students tasked with the job.
After months of troubleshooting, the team developed a sophisticated search engine that allows users to search for past data on breakdowns and learn from it. They also created a separate dashboard to visualize logistical trends. “Overall, our partnership with Pratt & Whitney provided valuable hands-on experience,” says Jessica. “We learned to work closely with a client and deliver results.”
David Deshaies, business analytics project manager for Pratt & Whitney, was impressed by the way students were able to grasp the complexity of the problem and transform data into a user-friendly interface. “We could hardly believe what they achieved,” he affirms. “As our industry changes rapidly, these students are learning and applying the skills of the future.” According to Deshaies, Pratt & Whitney intends to continue partnering with the MMA program each year. “This partnership has received so much positive internal feedback that our past two presidents have attended the students’ final presentations to see the results for themselves,” he says.
“This partnership has received so much positive internal feedback that our past two presidents have attended the students’ final presentations to see the results for themselves.”
David Deshaies
Business Analytics Project Manager
“Our team involved in supply chain analytics learns a lot from the students.”
George Craigie
Senior Director for Supply Chain, Analytics & Technology
McKesson—Healthcare Logistics
“It’s easy to understand why McKesson is so highly regarded among MMA students,” says Paul-Emile Gras. “They were always willing to answer questions, but they never micromanaged us. They gave us the freedom to create.” McKesson’s analysts had developed complex tools to predict potential disruptions to their supply chain from internal factors, but they turned to the MMA team to analyze the impact of external factors such as weather and economic climate. “My role as a data modeler was to use machine learning and AI models to develop a prediction model," Paul-Emile explains.
His team ultimately created a feature selection process to determine new external predictors and constructed a dashboard for multiple-user scenarios. “The McKesson team wanted us to surprise them with something new and interesting, and we were able to meet that challenge using everything we had learned in the MMA program,” says Paul-Emile. “In the end, we were able to provide insights that McKesson lacked.”
George Craigie, senior director for supply chain analytics and technology at McKesson, affirms the value of exchanging knowledge with the MMA students. “Our team involved in supply chain analytics learns a lot from the students,” he says. “We are highly motivated to helping the students learn from us as well, as it translates to better results for our company and sets them up for success in their future career endeavours.”
Montreal Children’s Hospital—Healthcare Services
After the outbreak of COVID-19, MMA students assigned to partner with Montreal Children’s Hospital leveraged their skills to support frontline workers. In response to the rapid rise of telehealth services, they developed digital questionnaires to evaluate the quality of these services and used a visualization tool to analyze appointment volume and cost impact.
They also addressed the persistent shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE). “If we can help our client order PPE so they have a better, more stable supply for the doctors, nurses, and the other team members, then they’re more able to do their jobs,” says Victoria McKeown, a member of the MMA student team. “We’ll be helping them help the community.” The team identified patterns in PPE usage and developed a model to calculate future usage to maintain an adequate supply.
Dr. Adrian Dancea, the head of the pediatric cardiology division at Montreal Children’s Hospital, marveled at what the students accomplished by the end of their partnership. “In a relatively short period of time, the students were able to gather the information, get comfortable in an area that they’re not very familiar with, and come up with sophisticated solutions that are immediately applicable,” Dr. Dancea says. The partnership between the Children’s and the MMA program “needs to continue and needs to expand,” he concludes. “This should only be the beginning.”
“In a relatively short period of time, the students were able to gather the information, get comfortable in an area that they’re not very familiar with, and come up with sophisticated solutions that are immediately applicable.”
Dr. Adrian Dancea
Head of the pediatric cardiology division
“Partnering with the MMA program gave us the opportunity to access new talent in a way that brought a fresh perspective to the table.”
Aaron Lindstrom
Regional Head of Transformation and Digital Partnerships
Allianz Euler Hermes—Insurance
“Like many companies, we have certain projects that benefit greatly from outside expertise,” explains Aaron Lindstrom, the regional head of transformation and digital partnerships for Allianz Euler Hermes. “Partnering with the MMA program gave us the opportunity to access new talent in a way that brought a fresh perspective to the table.”
Led by Ruben Alba, the MMA student team was tasked with creating an automated system to extract data from financial statements. “None of us had experience in the insurance industry, but we worked hard to get up to speed and go above and beyond what the client expected,” says Ruben. In the end, the team used an expert systems methodology to create an automated process. To the client’s surprise, they also performed a sentiment analysis technique to enhance the final product.
“Without a doubt, the team exceeded our expectations,” says Aaron. “We were so impressed with their work that we would have hired all of them if we could, but we ended up hiring one of the students for her unique ability to use tools that analyze company sentiment.” For Ruben and his team, the experience provided a valuable opportunity to leverage their technical skills and business knowledge in partnership with senior industry leaders. “It was tremendously rewarding to create a tool that will save our client time and money,” Ruben says, “and we were thrilled as a team to have one of our own receive a job offer.”