CEMS students want to print parts with Maersk

When a tanker stops and a part is needed, it is a costly affair for the shipping company. Unless a part is already on board, the tanker will have to wait for a part to be transported to it.

It is expensive to have the part transported and the cost of having an inoperative tanker is also considerable. The transportation of a part alone can cost up to USD 5,000 said Markus Kuhn, Purchasing Manager at Maersk Group Procurement Marine, to Maersk Post in July 2014.

Therefore a team of students in the CEMS Master in International Management programme have suggested a solution to the problem; 3D printers.

Print on board
In cooperation with Maersk Tankers, the students began an experimental project with Maersk Tankers which is still running. The idea is to investigate the opportunities for a tanker to print its own parts with a 3D printer on board the tanker. Because it is a new technology, there are challenges to be solved before the idea can become reality.

Great learning effect
Peter Ørberg Jensen is Programme Director for CEMS at CBS. He finds the project to be an excellent example of the CEMS Business Project which is a mandatory part of the CEMS Master in International Management programme.

- The idea is for students to imagine that they are a consulting group who is presented with a task and must come up with a solution to real business problems. As this project is scheduled near the end of the programme, it is a welcome opportunity for students to put their skills to the test, says Peter Ørberg Jensen.

In Denmark companies such as A.P. Møller-Mærsk, Coloplast, Novo Nordisk and Arla Foods are among the partner companies.

- We are very pleased with the project collaborations with the companies. We get great feedback from the companies and a great learning effect for the students. It is challenging but very rewarding for them, says Peter Ørberg Jensen.

There are about 64 CEMS students per year at CBS and about 15 Business Projects with teams of 4-5 students of widely varying backgrounds.

CEMS is an educational cooperation between 29 universities and business schools around the world with the purpose of education the business managers of the future.

Read more about the project

Read more about the CEMS Master in International Management programme