Newsletter

Our first CSCP Instructor-lead course was a terrific success. Our instructors received an excellent performance rating from the students and of the 13 attendees, 12 went on to take the certification exam that followed two weeks after the course. The attendees and instructors celebrate completion of the class below. We plan to offer another CSCP instructor-lead course this fall.

The Southern Nevada Chapter launched a new round of Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) public instructor-lead courses in March 2008. These five course modules are being held on Saturdays based on the majority of “Preferred Day” responses from our Members Survey. As if to re-emphasize the value of listening to the Voice of the Customer (VOC), the large number of responding registrants for the course led us to provide two qualified instructors and the training room is filled to capacity.

In early April, the Student Case Study Competition and District Meeting were held in Buena Park CA. The Southern Nevada Chapter proudly provided two student teams from the University of Las Vegas Nevada (UNLV) School of Business to compete this year with UNLV faculty and APICS BOD member support. Members from the school are represented below. One UNLV team came away with first place and the opportunity to compete in the International Competition in Kansas City this September.

You have already received nomination forms for next year’s Board of Directors (BOD) and are soon to receive nomination forms for the Member of the Year award. I strongly encourage you to consider the amount of effort the BOD members have put into providing you with high quality member services this year, take the time to fill them out, submit them, and vote accordingly in the upcoming elections.

Responding to member requests for more case studies, last February we held our first hybrid PDM/factory tour at YESCO Sign Company. The meeting started with a presentation provided by Ronald Murray, the President of Performance Consulting Group (PCG). PCG is a national, specialty energy services company offering turnkey solutions guaranteed to help clients improve their energy performance. PCG had previously performed a lighting system upgrade project at the YESCO manufacturing facility, that dramatically improved the working conditions while providing long term energy cost savings with a rapid Return On Investment (ROI). Mr. Murray taught us about the different kinds of lights and lighting systems. He described the important features and performance specifications of each including lumens, energy consumption, and degradation factor, that are all important characteristics when deciding which type of system to use based on the type of environment. Then he showed us a variety of system design and installation project examples they have performed for customers around the valley (including YESCO), which improved ambient light conditions, reduced energy consumption and provided substantial cost savings.

Then Young Electric Sign Company (YESCO) provided an overview of their company operations and manufacturing facilities before taking us on the factory tour. Young Electric Sign Company is a 70-year-old company that designs and builds custom signs throughout the Western US. All of their products are engineer to order and custom made based on the customer requirements and the operating environment. They showed us many different types of sign projects large (and I mean LARGE) and small with their associated manufacturing processes. They use many different types of lighting systems in their designs as well. YESCO applies the same type of engineering design analysis that we had just learned from Mr. Murray to get the most applicable performance, lifecycle and energy cost savings benefits for their customers.

I thought the event was the perfect blend of training, application(s) and reinforcement applicable to any operation environment. Jane Sia, our Director of Programs, did an outstanding job of putting this together with the help and support of PCG and YESCO.

“The Right Aid to the Right People at the Right Time”. This statement describes one of the objectives of an innovative organization using supply chain activities to help people.

Aidmatrix Foundation, a 2007 Supply Chain Innovation award recipient, exists to connect public and private sector resources with charitable organizations involved in relief services. Headquartered in Dallas, it began in October 2000 as a program of the i2 Foundation. Supported by other foundations, such as those of Accenture and UPS, it works with organizations like the National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC), the Global Foodbanking Network, and America’s Second Harvest. An article on the web that describes the organization and some of its achievements can be found at www.supplychainbrain.com in its library of case studies, under the title: “Aidmatrix Enables Free Clinics to Serve Millions of Uninsured Patients”.

What makes the Aidmatrix Foundation – National Association of Free Clinics (NAFC) story so interesting from a supply chain perspective is the existence of a web-based application, supported by i2 Technologies application software. The application allows volunteers, working in free clinics that need medical goods, to locate and receive what might otherwise be discarded as waste. The application’s web portal helps free clinics manage their funding constraints more effectively and makes the donation of the goods more cost-effective and regulation-compatible for manufacturers.

It is estimated that there are 45 million uninsured Americans and some of them rely on free healthcare clinics and the products they dispense. There are an estimated 1,200 free clinics in the U.S. employing volunteers that benefit from innovative ways to synchronize the supply chain of donor/supplier programs. According to one of NAFC’s Board of Directors, billions of dollars in medications are incinerated annually while the uninsured population in this country continues to grow and go without life-sustaining drugs.

Other web sites describe the innovations that Aidmatrix has developed to meet the needs of donors and free clinics. For instance, a social solution innovation organization called Ashoka and its Changemakers Initiative describes the Aidmatrix Foundation’s achievements at www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/1700.

Corporations can now easily support a national domestic organization. It’s easy and it makes good business sense. The system tracks their offers and corporations can aggregate their donations - to capture their humanitarian efforts, for tax purposes, etc. The NAFC vets the clinics so corporate donors know the donated products are going to those in need. They also help manufacturers manage production and distribution capacity with strategic and tactical plans called manufacturing for donation.

This is a great example of innovation in integrated supply chain management. Written by Gary Watson, CSCP, CPIM, CIRM, CPM and Director of Administration for the Southern Nevada Chapter of APICS

The Southern Nevada Chapter Board of Directors continues to live up to their commitment, offering you value added education and networking opportunities in order to help you achieve success and improve your career opportunities. We look forward to seeing you at upcoming events.

“Education is for improving the lives of others and for leaving your community and world better than you found it”

Basic producer – A manufacturer that uses natural resources to produce materials for other manufacturing. A typical example is a steel company that processes iron ore and produces steel ingots; others are those making wood pulp, glass and rubber.

One less at a time – A process of gradually reducing the lot size of the number of items in the manufacturing pipeline to expose, prioritize and eliminate waste.

Nonrecurring material– Tooling, gauges, and facilities necessary in the manufacturing of the final product and not consumed during manufacturing or shipped with the final product.

In the coming months, APICS will feature the sessions from the 2007 APICS International Conference & Expo that were most highly rated by the attendees.

Title: S&OP: Who Does What by When
Date: June 11, at 1:30 p.m. ET (GMT -04:00, New York)
Presenter: John E. Boyer, Jr., PE, CFPIM
Site Price: $99 APICS member, $139 nonmember
Register Today

A big APICS welcome to the following members that have joined our chapter in recent months:

APICS Partnership with the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (AST&L)

As an APICS CPIM or APICS CSCP designee, you know how much professional certification programs can help you meet your career advancement objectives. To enable you to pursue your professional goals, APICS is pleased to announce a partnership with the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (AST&L). Now APICS designees can obtain the AST&L Certification in Transportation and Logistics (CTL) on a fast track using their APICS certifications to waive some of the CTL requirements.
APICS CSCP designees can waive the elective Supply Chain Management module and APICS CPIM/CFPIM designees can waive the required Logistics Management module. This represents tremendous savings in time and up to $490 for APICS members.

The benefits of the AST&L CTL program include:

Statistics show that individuals with certifications experience greater recognition from employers and receive higher salaries and better job security. Take advantage of this valuable opportunity to build upon your APICS credentials and keep your career on the fast track.

To enroll in the AST&L CTL program, APICS members should visit the AST&L Web site and complete an exam registration form. This form includes instructions on how to use APICS certifications to waive CTL exams. AST&L membership is required to participate in the AST&L CTL program, but the membership fee is waived with the purchase of the AST&L CTL exam.

For more information about the AST&L CTL program, APICS members are encouraged to visit the AST&L Web site or contact AST&L Customer Support at (202) 580-7270.

Lori Wilson, VP Education Arnie Johnson, Director of Education

Lanthlyn Coleman, VP Marketing Darlene Morris, Director of Marketing

APICS

P.O. Box 95951

Calendar of Events

Date Activity Location

4/30 Professional Development Meeting Marie Callender’s – 4875 Topic: Got Ethics? Defining Your Ethical Profile. West Flamingo

5/3 CPIM Review Course – Class 1 of 3 Henderson Convention Master Planning of Resources Center

5/13 Board Meeting Timet

5/17 CPIM Review Course – Class 2 of 3 Henderson Convention Master Planning of Resources Center

5/22 Member Appreciation Event King Putt Miniature Golf

5/24 CPIM Review Course – Class 3 of 3 Henderson Convention Master Planning of Resources Center