KLU students secure 3rd place at 4flow Challenge Europe 2024
In an impressive display of skill and innovation, students from KLU secured third place at the 4flow Challenge Europe 2024. The competition, known for its focus on sustainable supply chain transformation, featured 18 teams from 13 leading universities in Germany, France, Spain and England. KLU's team "4ierce" included captain Thanh Phan, Adi Muralidharan, Constantin Crones and Abbas Heider.
This year's 4flow challenge for master students required participants to solve complex problems in sustainable supply chain management. In several rounds, the teams had to develop strategies for sustainable procurement, transportation and distribution. Out of more than 75 participating master students, KLU's team 4ierce shared 3rd place with SynergiX from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. Second place went to Team SusLog, and first place went to Chainwise (both from the Technische Universität Berlin).
Throughout the competition, the teams were supported by consultants from 4flow. 4ierce convinced the jury among others by proposing robust strategies for a sustainable end-to-end supply chain for a major retailer. Their solutions earned them a coveted spot among the six finalist teams, leading them to the final round at 4flow's Hamburg office on June 6 and 7, where they took third place and a prize of €1,000.
STatements from KLU's participants
Thanh Phan (MSc GLSCM, Class of 2025), team captain, on her leadership experience: "It was my first time as a captain, so I was worried about messing it up for everyone. But it turned out to be okay in the end, and I'm grateful for my team. The competition was tough not only because they gave us a lot of data to analyze, but also because it was open-ended, with no restrictions on what actions could be taken. Special thanks to our advisor Prof. Hanno Friedrich and my friend Moritz Kohlhas (GLSCM 2025).
KLU's Adi Muralidharan (MSC GLSCM, Class of 2025) expressed his gratitude for the opportunity, saying, "This has been another wonderful experience I've had since joining KLU. The opportunity to participate in an international competition is something that ambitious and motivated students want when they choose to enroll in a university because of the visibility, experience and networking opportunities that we get during the process."
Constantin Crones (MSc IM, Class of 2025) reflected on the practical experience gained: "I decided to apply for the 4flow challenge because it was an exciting opportunity to apply the concepts learned at university to a realistic optimization problem and to receive feedback from expert supply chain consultants. Working with such a great team made the challenge truly memorable, as it allowed me to not only learn from amazing people, but also form friendships along the way".
Abbas Haider (MSc IM, Class of 2025), another team member, emphasized the educational aspect of the challenge: "The challenge allowed us to apply our knowledge from KLU to real-world scenarios. It helped us with our problem-solving and task-management skills. In addition, I enjoyed working with my KLU colleagues and it was one of the highlights of my first year at KLU".
The KLU team's achievement is a testament to their hard work and the quality of education and opportunities provided by KLU. KLU congratulates all participants on this outstanding achievement.
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