‘Blue crab’ brought an award

Students Hüseyin Sabuncu, Özkan Öztürk, and Nazım Berktuğ Aşer from the Department of Logistics Management at İzmir University of Economics (İEÜ) won second place in the 21st Inter-University Logistics Case Competition held this year. The young students developed ideas on how to transport the blue-shelled crab, which is frequently consumed in Asian countries, quickly and at low cost, earning the jury’s appreciation with their innovative and practical solutions, ultimately reaching the award.

The Inter-University Logistics Case Competition, organized in collaboration with the Logistics Association (LODER) and Mars Logistics, featured many ambitious projects from across Turkey. The competition took place in three different categories. The students from İzmir Economics competed in Category A, which included students enrolled in bachelor’s programs with the word ‘logistics’ in their titles.

The students, who conducted meticulous work to achieve the award, demonstrated their difference by applying the theoretical knowledge they gained at university to practical solutions. By completing the case study with sensitivity in various areas such as analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, holistic view, supply chain, and warehouse management, the young students brought the award to İzmir.

They Gained Experience and Connections

4th-year students Hüseyin Sabuncu, Özkan Öztürk, and Nazım Berktuğ Aşer from the Department of Logistics Management expressed their happiness at receiving the award, stating, “To be honest, we were expecting first place, and we missed it by a small margin. Of course, second place is not bad either. The competition contributed greatly to us in terms of experience and testing ourselves. Through the competition, we better understood the importance of time management and stress management. This competition was also an opportunity for us to network and enhance our CVs. I believe we made good use of it.”

Prof. Dr. Özgür Özpeynirci, Head of the Department of Logistics Management at İEÜ, emphasized that the need for qualified individuals who will work in logistics management and supply chain is rapidly increasing. He stated, “Making the right decisions in logistics management is extremely important for a business. The effects of the pandemic we experienced recently, the global economic crisis, geopolitical bottlenecks, wars, climate crisis, and natural disasters have reminded us all of the importance of logistics management. Making the right decisions can only be achieved through world-class education in logistics and supply chain. At this point, I believe we are doing our part and that our department is quite successful. In addition to the successes of our graduates, the award our students received is also indicative of this. I congratulate our students who represent our university in the best way and wish them continued success.”