NYU Shanghai held a customized executive training program developed in close collaboration with Scania, the 135-year-old Swedish world leader in providing sustainable transportation solutions including trucks, buses, engines, and services across over 100 countries. Designed for more than 30 Scania senior managers from production, logistics, and IT the program strengthened shared fluency in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and data-informed decision-making - capabilities increasingly central to operational excellence in complex industrial environments.
The program was delivered on-site at Scania Industrial Hub in Rugao, Jiangsu Province. NYU Shanghai professors Guo Li and Wang Shengjie of the NYU Shanghai Center for Data Science lectured over three sessions in March and April.
Totaling 14 hours of training, the program was designed to be delivered in an active learning format combining faculty-led instruction with collaborative workshops, peer exchange, and structured opportunities for participants to connect key concepts to real-world managerial decisions. Throughout, Scania executives were encouraged to engage in small-group discussions designed to connect lessons to their own work contexts. Hands-on activities included prompt drafting exercises, chatbot coding, and designing a multi-agent system.
Feedback from participants was overwhelmingly positive. "This training has been an outstanding experience for our production, logistics, and IT leadership teams, making AI key concepts accessible and highly relevant for non-technical leaders,” said Arthur Takaki, a production & logistics digital transformation group manager from Scania. “What truly stood out was the quality of the professors and the material. They managed to strike an excellent balance between theory and practical application, presenting complex topics in a clear, engaging, and business-oriented way.”
The program was co-designed between NYU Shanghai and Scania over several months. “Working with Scania has been a truly collaborative process, and we are grateful for the trust and partnership their team has brought to the table,” said Eric H. Mao, assistant vice provost of NYU Shanghai’s Non-Degree Programs.
Scania’s Rugao plant is its third global industrial hub, after its main Sweden site and a second site in Brazil. The plant covers 800,000 square meters with a licensed production capacity of 50,000 vehicles a year and will serve both the Chinese market and selected export markets in Asia and beyond. Scania is the first western OEM to be granted a full production licence for a wholly owned truck plant in China.
About NYU Shanghai Custom Programs
NYU Shanghai works with domestic and overseas companies, non-profits, and other organizations across sectors to design customized educational programs that combine academic teaching with applied relevance. Drawing on interdisciplinary expertise and a global perspective, NYU Shanghai’s faculty and non-degree education teams develop group learning experiences that are grounded in careful co-design with partner organizations.
For more information about customized education and partnership opportunities at NYU Shanghai, visit the Office of Non-Degree Programs (ONDP) website or contact the ONDP at shanghai.nondegree@nyu.edu.