July 10, 2011

U. of Texas Course Takes Students to the Birthplace of Consumer Products

Made in China 2

U. of Texas

At a product-testing laboratory in a Chinese factory, students from the U. of Texas take turns trying to rip apart a stuffed animal that is clamped into a vise.

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U. of Texas

At a product-testing laboratory in a Chinese factory, students from the U. of Texas take turns trying to rip apart a stuffed animal that is clamped into a vise.

By Katherine Mangan

Austin, Tex.

For six weeks this summer, 28 students from the University of Texas at Austin traveled backward through a supply chain to learn how three products—a 26-inch mountain bike, a pair of medium-wash boot-cut jeans, and a Texas Instruments calculator—made their way from three factories in China to a Target store in Texas.

The undergraduate business students, who were enrolled in an operations-management course, started their trek in May at an Austin store, where corporate