Tell us a little bit about your schedule here at the KLU campus.
Sophie: It was very diverse. We had lectures as well as excursions. And the team of KLU’s Executive Education organized some very nice social events for us.
Urip: The lectures were very interesting. On the one hand they gave us a wrap-up of the whole program. On the other hand they provided us with a guideline to writing our theses. After half a day with Professor Besiou, I now know exactly what to do.
What will your theses be about?
Sophie: I am writing about the corporate restructuring of a subsidiary of IPC. The restructuring process is taking place at the moment, so I can put my knowledge to work right away.
Urip: I am looking at government policies in order to minimize logistics costs in Indonesia. Our country consists of more than 30.000 islands. That’s why everything in Indonesia is inevitably connected to logistics.
Was there a moment of your stay in Hamburg that was particularly memorable?
Urip: I like travelling and visiting new places. On a personal level, I was very happy to come to Germany and to Hamburg. On a professional level, I think the excursions were an excellent part of our stay here. We visited the Container Terminal Altenwerder, one of the most modern terminals in the world. It was very interesting to see this fully automated terminal in action.
Sophie: For me, the visit to the Dow Chemical factory in Stade near Hamburg was very impressive. I wouldn’t have imagined such high security standards. Both the terminal in Altenwerder and the Dow Chemical site gave us some valuable insights. Of course, these concepts cannot be copied 1 to 1 to Indonesia because the circumstances are very different. For example, a lot of families in Indonesia depend on the logistics sector and its job opportunities. If all the terminals were automated tomorrow, these families would lose their source of income. But I think that these examples provide important role models for Indonesia how to improve the logistics sector step by step.
How would you rate the EMBA program you participated in?
Urip: I have been working in logistics and in the port business for quite a while now. So I had heard of most of the topics we were discussing during the program before. But the way in which they were presented gave me a new perspective. I would say that this program not only increased our skills but even more our skills of thinking.
Sophie: I especially liked the case studies. They provided a connection to the real world and were very well selected. And I appreciate the flexibility this program gave us. It is tailored to the needs of working people. For example, we had a block of four days of lectures every month at IPC, with KLU professors coming to Jakarta to teach us.
What strikes you as the biggest difference between Jakarta and Hamburg?
Sophie: The weather! I like the weather in Hamburg. In Indonesia it is usually very hot, but here it is nice and cool. And there is a big difference in the traffic system: Here, the cars wait for pedestrians to cross the street!