Inside a bustling 30,000-square-foot warehouse in Plainfield, Indiana, Lacy School of Business students aren’t just studying logistics – they’re living it. Through a new agreement with the Vincennes University Logistics Training and Education Center (VU LTEC), students in LSB’s supply chain and operations program are gaining hands-on experience in a modern, fully functioning distribution center with the Butler Experiential Logistics Lab.
The facility features everything you’d expect in a professional logistics environment: storage systems, racking, safety equipment, forklifts, power jacks, pick-to-light order fulfillment, truck loading docks, and even industrial robots and cobots (collaborative robots). It’s an immersive space where students can move beyond theory to truly understand how products flow from supplier to customer.
“Professor Siegler and I began working with the VU LTEC team in 2019,” Matthew Caito, a Lecturer in Operations Management, said. “Since that time, we’ve visited their facilities with a few students a couple of times each year, and we’ve noted that students almost always leave excited and with a better understanding of operations and supply chains.”
This collaboration between Butler and VU LTEC was designed to bridge the gap between classroom concepts and real-world logistics. By stepping into the warehouse, students learn to apply what they’ve studied – inventory control, process optimization, warehouse safety, and supply chain technology – in a tangible, fast-paced setting.
For LSB, it’s another step in its commitment to experiential education – ensuring students graduate not only with knowledge but with the confidence to use it.
“It is important for us as faculty to really connect our students with the reality of industry beyond what we read in textbooks and discuss in class,” Professor Caito said. “This program really brings to life the very concepts we discuss in class: the importance of safety, materials-handling equipment, work optimization, learning curves, and storage/retrieval systems. And show me a student who doesn’t want to share a picture of themselves driving a new forklift!”
During their sessions at VU LTEC, students participate in a variety of simulations that reflect the complexity and collaboration of real-world logistics. They might manage an incoming shipment, fulfill orders using pick-to-light technology, or optimize warehouse layout for efficiency and safety.
Some exercises even include a competitive element – challenging students to meet accuracy goals, complete orders faster, or troubleshoot process errors as they go. Afterward, faculty debrief sessions help students reflect on what worked, what didn’t, and how they’d improve next time.
“Our new program is designed to reinforce what we learn in the classroom and give students a greater sense of confidence when discussing what they’re learning,” he said. “Calculating the return on investment for automation, walking through a working distribution center, loading pallets into racks, and seeing trailers secured for loading show students what it takes to design and operate a facility safely and effectively. We’re also working to develop the soft skills these students will need to be impactful leaders in the decades to come.”
The new collaboration with VU LTEC is more than just a learning experience – it’s a steppingstone toward career readiness. Students leave the warehouse with a deeper understanding of supply chain operations and the confidence to enter internships and jobs where they can make an immediate impact.
“I really enjoyed the experience. It provided me with a lot of insight into warehouse management and put our class discussions into perspective,” Mindy Smith, an Economics and Supply Chain major, said. “I was eager to try the equipment and pick-to-light system. My favorite part of the experience was the opportunity to operate the forklift. Overall, I felt like this lab was impactful and applicable to my ambitions as a supply chain major.”
“It was definitely one of the coolest out-of-the-classroom experiences I’ve had at Butler so far,” Will Zander, a senior Finance and Entrepreneurship major, added.
With logistics and supply chain management among the fastest-growing career fields in Indiana and across the country, this kind of hands-on training gives LSB students a competitive advantage. They’re not only prepared to join the workforce – they’re ready to lead it.
