During her time studying MSc Supply Chain Management at the University of Birmingham, Nameera completed a Company Project to enhance her employability.
During my time at Birmingham Business School, the part of the programme I probably learned the most from was my Company Project with N Brown Logistics, where I worked on improving picking efficiency in the warehouse.
I wasn't handed a brief and left to work on it from behind a desk. I was actually out on the warehouse floor, working with a multifunctional team and following a product's entire journey, from receiving stock through to picking and dispatch. Thanks to the opportunity given to me by the company and Alex, I got to see just how much coordination sits behind something as ordinary as a parcel landing on your doorstep.
A lot of my time went into digging into where the bottlenecks actually were. I ended up identifying an issue with the picking trolleys and led a small refurbishment project around it, sourcing red sorter boxes and skateboard trolleys, negotiating with suppliers, and handling the purchase orders myself.
Alongside that, I built Excel trackers to monitor stock levels and damage counts, put together awareness posters for the floor, and rolled out feedback forms so operators could flag issues directly. I also presented my findings to senior stakeholders, which was nerve-wracking the first time but taught me a lot about communicating recommendations clearly.
My project genuinely changed how I see deliveries now. I don't think I've complained about a late parcel in quite the same way since. Every time something arrives at my door, I think about everyone and everything that had to work together to get it there.
MSc Supply Chain Management
Nameera is an MSc Supply Chain Management graduate from the University of Birmingham
