Team SATA tops CILT case study contest

Team SATA, comprising Anjalika Perera, Sameera Prasani, Thilini Ranatunga and Aravinda Dissanayake, has taken the top spot at this year's Young Professionals Challenge (YPC), a case study competition organised by the Young Professionals' Forum (YPF) under the patronage of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) Sri Lanka, according to a recent announcement.

Per the announcement, "YPC 2014 attracted 17 proposals from young professionals and students from various institutes including the University of Moratuwa (UOM), Colombo International Nautical and Engineering College (CINEC) and Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) and organisations involved in transport and logistics in Sri Lanka. The five teams selected to the grand finale were Aster, SATA and Diligent Diamonds, three teams from the University of Moratuwa, Dynamic Four team from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and the Fabulous Four team from the CINEC Maritime Campus".

Additionally, it was also revealed that teams Aster and Fabulous Four came in second and third, respectively, at this year's competition.

Meanwhile, the announcement also highlighted 2014's objective, which was "proposing a pineapple processing and export operation with funds from an international collaboration partner based in the Middle East. The challenge calls for each team taking part in the competition to act as consultants to the company. The 'consultants' this year were asked to evaluate various options, including location of the processing operations and to address various transport and logistics issues for both local and export sales operations. They were required to address how to speed up the time from farm to market, considering the short shelf life of pineapples and to propose measures to (reduce) postharvest wastage which is as high as 30-40 per cent".

It also noted that the "international collaborator in the case study - a young Middle Eastern investor trying to invest his inheritance - is interested in doing good, not merely earning money from his investment in Sri Lanka. He insists on a thoroughly modern and ethical business, environmentally sound with sustainable business practices. This requirement adds an additional layer of complexity to the task faced by the young professionals. They have to get out of a typical 'profits at all cost' mentality and address environmental, social and sustainability concerns in their proposals". (JH)