MIT Students Visit Caterpillar as Part of Prestigious Leadership Development Program

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program is the leading graduate, dual-degree program in engineering and management innovation in the United States. Founded in 1988, MIT LGO is a two-year program in which graduates earn a master's of business administration and a master's degree in one of several engineering disciplines. The program was created to develop technically oriented leaders who would help strengthen the U.S. manufacturing industry in the face of emerging global competition. Over the past two decades, it has expanded and evolved to reflect the rise of service-based companies as well as the increasingly global orientation of operations and manufacturing.

On January 11, 55 current MIT LGO students visited Caterpillar as part of the program's annual Domestic Plant Trek. It was the second consecutive year that students from the program have visited Caterpillar. Every year, first-year MIT LGO students take a two-week tour of manufacturing facilities in different industries around the U.S. to learn about how the companies manage their supply chains and manufacturing operations. The group toured the track-type tractor facility in East Peoria, Ill., and then saw some of the newest and most advanced Cat machinery perform at the Edwards Demonstration and Learning Center.

The program has proven to be a worthwhile investment for both its graduates and Caterpillar. For example, Caterpillar hired six graduates from the program last year, and Vice President Denise Johnson of the Diversified Products Division also graduated from the program in 1997 and spoke to the students during their visit. During her presentation, she described Caterpillar, the industries we serve and why working at Caterpillar is such a great career choice. She also invited a number of current Caterpillar employees who recently graduated from MIT LGO to attend the session and discuss their own experiences.

"The MIT LGO program was extremely beneficial to me personally and professionally," said Johnson. "MIT has an exceptionally strong science and engineering program and draws a very diverse student body and faculty from around the world. I had the opportunity to be taught by leading edge, brilliant professors who were actively researching in their fields. And at the same time, I was able to interact with global professionals who had expertise in very diverse industries and backgrounds, such as pharmaceuticals, high-tech start-ups, industrial, military, etc. In addition, the program's leadership focus was especially helpful to me as I moved from a technical role in product development into a managerial role following completion of the program. It was a wonderful experience."

"The program gave me a high-level, strategic view of how companies make money," added Lou Grillon, a 2012 LGO graduate and Caterpillar Production System Senior Engineering Project Team Leader. "That perspective allows me to better support Caterpillar's Vision 2020."

Caterpillar is an LGO partner company along with more than 20 other leading, global organizations, such as Amazon, Boeing and Intel. These companies sponsor students, host tours and hire interns and full-time employees from the program as a way to train the next generation of leaders with a global perspective and experience in both business and engineering.