ONLINE COURSE · 75 HOURS · 30 MODULES · CERTIFICATE
Supply Chain Management: run a real distribution hub, from supplier to customer
From theory to a working hub: purchasing, inventory, warehousing, SQL, AI, S&OP, capacity, quality, transport, risk and procurement, practised on a simulated Italian distributor.
Lessons, quizzes and the simulator are currently in Italian. This page, the course catalogue and the glossary are available in English; the full English edition is in preparation.
How it works
1 · Learn
21 lessons with worked examples, formulas and self-check questions.
2 · Check
A 10-question quiz per module drawn from a bank of 20, explanations after passing.
3 · Practise
Auto-graded exercises with personalised data and a hub simulator with a three-depot network.
4 · Prove it
A 90-day integrated challenge, a final exam and, for the Expert level, a capstone project.
Programme
Module 1 · 2 h
Supply chain management fundamentals
- Tell physical, information and financial flows apart
- Know the SCOR Digital Standard
- Recognise and measure the bullwhip effect
Module 2 · 2 h
The data model: master data and relations
- Read a supply chain entity-relationship model
- Understand primary and foreign keys
- Query master data to make decisions
Module 3 · 2 h
Procurement and the supplier marketplace
- Compare offers on price, lead time, lot size and reliability
- Issue purchase orders
- Think in total cost of ownership (TCO)
Module 4 · 3 h
Inventory management: SS, ROP, EOQ and ABC
- Calculate safety stock, reorder point and economic order quantity
- Classify items with ABC
- Set the hub's replenishment parameters
Module 5 · 2 h
Warehousing and multi-depot distribution
- Receive and put away goods
- Fulfil B2B customer orders
- Understand the distribution network
Module 14 · 3 h
Production and MRP
- Read a master production schedule and bill of materials
- Calculate multi-level gross/net MRP
- Choose make-to-stock, make-to-order or assemble-to-order
Module 23 · 3 h
Capacity and scheduling: from plan to sequence
- Check whether a plan fits the available hours (RCCP)
- Solve overloads with capacity and plan levers
- Sequence orders with FIFO, SPT and EDD and measure the effects
Module 15 · 2,5 h
Warehouse operations and WMS
- Assign locations with ABC slotting
- Size pallet positions and measure productivity
- Manage lots and expiry (FIFO/FEFO), accuracy and safety
Module 24 · 2,5 h
Quality, batches, expiry dates and recalls
- Manage batches and expiry with FIFO and FEFO and the customer's minimum shelf life
- Set up incoming inspection, quarantine and non-conformities
- Trace a batch in minutes and run a withdrawal or recall
Module 16 · 2,5 h
Transport planning
- Calculate load fill and cost
- Choose between groupage and full truckload, and among carriers
- Plan hub-to-depot transfers; know documents and carrier liability
Module 29 · 3 h
Logistics information systems: coding, WMS and shipping documents
- Design item coding with GS1 barcodes
- Manage WMS master data and paperless document flows
- Issue transport documents, check loaded packages and report shipments
Module 17 · 2 h
Returns and the circular economy
- Organise the returns flow (SCOR Return)
- Calculate return costs and recovered value
- Decide between resale, refurbishing and recovery
Module 6 · 3 h
SQL data analysis for the supply chain
- Write SELECT queries with JOIN, GROUP BY, ORDER BY
- Use window functions (DENSE_RANK)
- Compute KPIs from transactional data
Module 7 · 2,5 h
Demand forecasting and artificial intelligence
- Apply moving average, smoothing and seasonal methods
- Understand strengths and limits of Random Forest
- Measure error with MAPE and turn a forecast into an order
Module 8 · 1,5 h
Payments, traceability and blockchain
- Understand hashes, blocks and chains
- Verify the integrity of a ledger
- Assess blockchain and smart contracts critically
Module 26 · 3 h
Business economics and double-entry bookkeeping for logistics
- Read the company as assets and income and know the accounting principles
- Record purchases, sales, payments and collections in double entry
- Link budget, control and incentive systems to logistics figures
Module 27 · 3 h
Purchase and sales cycles: documents, VAT, taxes and banking
- Follow purchase and sales documents from the warehouse to the bank
- Calculate the periodic VAT settlement and know excise and income taxes
- Manage payment schedules, terms and bank operations
Module 28 · 3 h
Physical and book inventories
- Run annual and cycle counts, handling differences and adjustments
- Value inventory with FIFO, LIFO and weighted average cost, including goods in transit
- Record inventory and closing entries
Module 9 · 2 h
KPIs, management control and the 30-day challenge
- Read supply chain KPIs like a controller
- Link inventory and cash flow
- Run the hub for 30 days and beat the benchmark
Module 10 · 2,5 h
S&OP and distribution requirements planning (DRP)
- Run the monthly Sales & Operations Planning cycle
- Build a DRP grid for a regional depot
- Link forecasts, network stock and replenishment
Module 18 · 2,5 h
Distribution network design
- Decide how many depots and where
- Calculate the demand centre of gravity
- Weigh transport, inventory, fixed costs and service
Module 19 · 2,5 h
Supply chain finance
- Read the effect of inventory on the P&L and balance sheet
- Calculate cash-to-cash, cash released and cost of capital
- Assess supply chain finance and inventory budgets
Module 22 · 2,5 h
Supply chain collaboration: VMI, CPFR and consignment stock
- Choose the right form of collaboration with customers and suppliers
- Calculate min and max levels and the quantity to ship under VMI
- Set up the data, messages and KPIs that make collaboration work
Module 11 · 2,5 h
Transport, customs and sustainability
- Choose transport modes and Incoterms
- Calculate the landed cost of a non-EU import
- Estimate shipment emissions; know CBAM and Scope 3
Module 25 · 2,5 h
Strategic purchasing: TCO, vendor rating and supplier portfolio
- Compare suppliers on total cost of ownership, not price
- Build and use a periodic vendor rating
- Segment suppliers with the Kraljic matrix and pick a strategy for each group
Module 12 · 2,5 h
Supply chain risk and resilience
- Map and assess supply risks
- Calculate time to survive and time to recover
- Choose countermeasures with a cost-service stress test
Module 13 · 2,5 h
Strategic procurement, tenders and contracts
- Set a category purchasing strategy
- Run a supplier tender with weighted scoring
- Choose contracts, splits and payment terms
Module 20 · 2 h
Lean and continuous improvement
- Spot waste in the warehouse and in purchasing
- Draw a value stream map; calculate takt and PCE
- Use kanban, 5S, PDCA and DMAIC to improve
Module 30 · 3 h
Warehouse innovation, omnichannel and sustainable logistics
- Assess RFID, voice picking, smart stacking, 3D mapping and vision
- Fill vehicle capacity optimally and use handling equipment safely
- Organise e-commerce logistics and a sustainable warehouse with ISO 14001
Module 21 · 2,5 h
Digital technologies and artificial intelligence
- Find your way among ERP, WMS, TMS, APS and control towers
- Assess technologies (RFID, IoT, digital twin, blockchain) with a business case
- Use AI in the supply chain knowing its limits, data and rules (AI Act)
Levels
Foundation
Knows supply chain flows, SCOR processes and the data model, and can query data with SQL.
3 modules
Practitioner
Manages purchasing, inventory, warehousing, production, transport, returns, forecasting and planning, and measures their financial effects.
15 modules
Expert
Runs the integrated supply chain: risk, strategic procurement, international transport, lean, technology and AI, proven over 90 days of hub and network management, the final exam and a capstone project.
30 modules + 90-day challenge, final exam, capstone project
EQF levels and international syllabi (ASCM, CILT) are used as descriptive references only: they are not an equivalence, formal referencing or third-party certification.
Teacher: Maurizio Gustinicchi. The certificate is issued by the training provider.