apics in the news

165 Pages·2015·3.21 MB·English

APICS IN THE NEWS
PRESS CLIPPINGS
2014
MERGER NEWS
Breaking News: Supply Chain Council to
Merge with APICS

By Bob Ferrari
April 29, 2014

A somewhat stunning but not all that unexpected announcement is breaking
today that will certainly capture the attention of our Supply Chain Matters
readership. That announcement is that two premiere professional membership
organizations focused on supply chain management are about to come together.

Both the Supply Chain Council (SCC) and APICS are today each
communicating with their various internal communities that the boards of
directors of both organizations have approved an agreement under which Supply
Chain Council will merge with APICS subject to ratification by SCC member vote.
A formal press announcement is expected sometime tomorrow which Supply
Chain Matters has obtained. That announcement will outline a combined
organizational structure where Abe Eshkenazi will remain as CEO of APICS, and
Joseph Francis, the current Executive Director of Supply Chain Council will serve
in a new role as Executive Director of the APICS Foundation. The announcement
will also outline an expanded transitional Board of Directors involving both
organizations. A resource web page explaining the intent of this merger can be
accessed at this SCC web site.

This combination unites two prominent certification brands, both individual and
corporate in focus. The APICS Certified in Production and Inventory
Management (CPIM) and the more prominent Certified Supply Chain
Professional (CSCP) designations are directed at individual skill certification for
supply chain management professionals across the globe. The SCC SCOR
Framework Model and SCOR-P certifications are corporate process focused,
where organizations adopt framework certification to improve supply chain
capabilities. The combination has the potential to provide cross-selling
opportunities for both focused training and certification programs.

The combination of these two organizations further opens opportunities for added
operational efficiencies in membership support and educational programming.
According to email communication from SCC, voting members of record will
receive an email on May 19th asking them to participate in the voting process,
and the voting period will extend until May 30th.

Obviously, this combination is a powerful one that unites two well respected and
globally focused supply chain management organizations. A closer association
among these two organizations began in 2009 when both organizations agreed
to provide uniform member-discount access to each other’s training and
certification programs.

Last month, this author had the distinct pleasure to interview Abe Eshkenazi, the
CEO of APICS which was shared in a Supply Chain Matters commentary. While
there was absolutely no hint of today’s announcement, a statement from that
interview now has much more meaning: “The final pillar described was being a
globally-driven organization, extending both educational and certification
programs across broader geographic regions across the globe. Today’s supply
chains extend to Asia, Latin America and other countries and the need for skilled
supply chain talent is just as important. “APICS certifications need to be relevant
across the globe” according to the CEO.”

Relevancy of certification and global branding is indeed our interpretation of
primary strategy takeaway for this announcement.

Those of us who have been involved in supply chain management are well aware
that there are many creeping overlaps among the current array of professional
organizations that focus on the various functional areas of supply chain
management. As supply chain business processes have evolved to a much
broader functional umbrella, each of these individual organizations now compete
for mind share. Sponsored training programs, membership meetings and annual
conferences seem to overlap in content. By our lens, this announcement
concerning SCC and APICS will provide added pressures for additional clarity
and perspective.

We will share more details regarding this major announcement as further details
and developments emerge.

Stay tuned.
APICS, Supply Chain Council to merge

April 30, 2014

Two prominent supply chain industry associations to combine forces,
pending vote by members.
Two nonprofit industry associations that serve the supply chain space, APICS
and the Supply Chain Council, announced yesterday that their boards of
directors have voted to approve a merger between the two. The merger is
expected to be completed in July, pending a vote of approval from Supply Chain
Council members.
APICS, a supply chain and operations management professional association, is
well-known for its professional certification programs, such as the Certified
Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) and the Certified in Production and Inventory
Management (CPIM). APICS was founded in 1957 as the American Production
and Inventory Control Society, eventually expanding to include operations
management and the wider supply chain and changing its name to APICS. The
Supply Chain Council was formed in 1996 and made a name for itself based on
its frameworks and methodology for improving supply chain operations, such as
the Supply Chain Operations Reference model or SCOR.
"Our organizations have collaborated on a number of occasions and jointly
determined that, as a combined entity, we can provide greater opportunities to
our members, customers, partners, and employees," Abe Eshkenazi, APICS
CEO, said.
The APICS brand name will remain the same, and Eshkenazi will remain as CEO.
The APICS Foundation, which is a separate entity that is still part of the APICS
corporate structure, will be renamed the APICS Supply Chain Council and will be
run by the Supply Chain Council's current executive director, Joe Francis.
"The APICS Supply Chain Council will focus on advancing supply chain and
operations management innovation through research, educational programs, and
workforce development. It is the research arm of the organization, and Supply
Chain Council's products line up nicely with the Foundation's activities,"
Eshkenazi said.
The SCOR model will continue to be supported under the new organization.
In order to go through, the merger must be approved by Supply Chain Council
members. Members will receive an email on May 19 asking them to participate in
the vote and will have until May 30 to respond.
APICS and Supply Chain Council to
merge

By Jeff Berman, Group News Editor
April 30, 2014

Two renowned supply chain-centric organizations––APICS, a professional
organization for supply chain operations management and provider of research,
education, and certification programs focused on elevating supply chain
excellence, innovation, and resilience, and the Supply Chain Council, a global,
non-profit management organization focused on helping its membership make
significant supply chain process improvements, are set to merge.
APICS and SCC officials said that their respective boards of directors have
formally approved an agreement under which SCC would merge with APICS
upon ratification by SCC member vote.
APICS told LM that the SCC member vote will take place between May 19 and
May 30, and upon affirmation by SCC voting members, APICS will file the
required legal documents, with the expectation that the merger will be complete
by July. The joint organization will be known as APICS and the APICS
Foundation will be called APICS Supply Chain Council, with the SCC brand
being maintained and leveraged post-merger, according to APICS.
The organizations said that this merger brings together two industry leaders with
complimentary offerings to “create the premier global provider of supply chain
research, education, and certification programs and offer a single source solution
for individuals and corporations that want to evaluate and augment their supply
chains.
APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi said in an interview that there were multiple drivers
behind this merger. “APICS and SCC have collaborated on a number of
occasions in the past, during which time our organizations got to know each
other and understand the possibilities that could be created by unification,” he
explained. “This merger not only brings our organizations closer, but also unites
us with an important purpose¬¬––advancing supply chain performance and
developing supply chain talent.” Corporations, said Eshkenazi, want to know that
professional standards are aligned with corporate supply chain competencies
and innovation, and the combination facilitates this alignment. And he said that
with this merger comes significant market opportunity, noting that as this market
has matured, companies, and APICS’ customers, are looking for a single source
for their supply chain education, training and certification programs. “Both SCC
and APICS realized that the ability to distinctly serve our members, customers,
companies and partners through a single-source solution that combined our
highly complementary products was the best option, he said, noting that “this was
the driving force behind our merger.”
One of the primary reasons cited by Eshkenazi for combining the two
organizations was the increased benefits a joint organization would bring to both
APICS and SCC members, explaining that while APICS has individual members
and SCC has corporate members, there are benefits for both types—with greater
access to resources, and more opportunities to learn and network serving as
some of the key benefits.
When asked to offer up some examples of how this merger will provide an
improved portfolio of products to elevate supply chain performance and develop
supply chain talent, Eshkenazi said that SCC SCOR (the Supply Chain
Operations Reference-model, the supply chain management community’s most
widely accepted framework for evaluating and comparing supply chain activities
and performance) is already an important element in the APICS certification
programs, with closer integration and further enhancements anticipated as a
result of this combination.
“APICS powerful network and global presence will enable greater access to
SCC’s SCOR-P and other training programs, and trained professionals who can
use SCOR frameworks to implement improved supply chain processes,” he said.
“Ultimately, this will elevate global supply chain performance. SCC’s strong
corporate relationships with supply chain leaders will increase access to key
decision makers who champion supply chain training programs, leading to more
opportunities to educate and certify supply chain professionals.
This merger takes two industry leaders and joins them together to offer best-in-
class research, education, training and certification for the supply chain industry
– it’s a huge opportunity for existing and new members and customers, added
Eshkenazi.
When the merger is made official, Eshkenazi will continue to serve as CEO of
APICS and SCC Executive Director Joseph Francis will serve as executive
director of the APICS Foundation. And through the end of 2014, APICS and SCC
said that there will be an expanded, transitional Board of Directors with board
members from each organization’s Board.
“This agreement reflects our ongoing efforts to ensure that SCC’s and APICS’
content and capabilities remain at the forefront of our industry, providing our
members, customers and the supply chain community at large the most up-to-
date, relevant and complete body of knowledge in supply chain and operations
management,” said Jason Wheeler, chair of the APICS board of directors, in a
statement.
Supply Chain Council to Merge with APICS

Both APICS and SCC believe that this combination creates a global leader in
supply chain solutions, poised to benefit members, customers, partners and
employees in several ways.

By: Jeff Berman
April 30, 2014

Two renowned supply chain-centric organizations––APICS, a professional
organization for supply chain operations management and provider of research,
education, and certification programs focused on elevating supply chain
excellence, innovation, and resilience, and the Supply Chain Council, a global,
non-profit management organization focused on helping its membership make
significant supply chain process improvements, are set to merge.
APICS and SCC officials said that their respective boards of directors have
formally approved an agreement under which SCC would merge with APICS
upon ratification by SCC member vote.
APICS told LM that the SCC member vote will take place between May 19 and
May 30, and upon affirmation by SCC voting members, APICS will file the
required legal documents, with the expectation that the merger will be complete
by July. The joint organization will be known as APICS and the APICS
Foundation will be called APICS Supply Chain Council, with the SCC brand
being maintained and leveraged post-merger, according to APICS.
The organizations said that this merger brings together two industry leaders with
complimentary offerings to “create the premier global provider of supply chain
research, education, and certification programs and offer a single source solution
for individuals and corporations that want to evaluate and augment their supply
chains.
APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi said in an interview that there were multiple drivers
behind this merger.
“APICS and SCC have collaborated on a number of occasions in the past, during
which time our organizations got to know each other and understand the
possibilities that could be created by unification,” he explained. “This merger not
only brings our organizations closer, but also unites us with an important
purpose”––advancing supply chain performance and developing supply chain
talent.”
Corporations, said Eshkenazi, want to know that professional standards are
aligned with corporate supply chain competencies and innovation, and the
combination facilitates this alignment. And he said that with this merger comes
significant market opportunity, noting that as this market has matured, companies,
and APICS’ customers, are looking for a single source for their supply chain
education, training and certification programs.
“Both SCC and APICS realized that the ability to distinctly serve our members,
customers, companies and partners through a single-source solution that
combined our highly complementary products was the best option, he said,
noting that “this was the driving force behind our merger.”
One of the primary reasons cited by Eshkenazi for combining the two
organizations was the increased benefits a joint organization would bring to both
APICS and SCC members, explaining that while APICS has individual members
and SCC has corporate members, there are benefits for both types—with greater
access to resources, and more opportunities to learn and network serving as
some of the key benefits.
When asked to offer up some examples of how this merger will provide an
improved portfolio of products to elevate supply chain performance and develop
supply chain talent, Eshkenazi said that SCC SCOR (the Supply Chain
Operations Reference-model, the supply chain management community’s most
widely accepted framework for evaluating and comparing supply chain activities
and performance) is already an important element in the APICS certification
programs, with closer integration and further enhancements anticipated as a
result of this combination.
“APICS powerful network and global presence will enable greater access to
SCC’s SCOR-P and other training programs, and trained professionals who can
use SCOR frameworks to implement improved supply chain processes,” he said.
“Ultimately, this will elevate global supply chain performance. SCC’s strong
corporate relationships with supply chain leaders will increase access to key
decision makers who champion supply chain training programs, leading to more
opportunities to educate and certify supply chain professionals.