September 2010 Issue

APICS Update

Web Merchant Services Acquires iChapter network web technology and assets

On September 1, 2010, Web Merchant Services (WMS) has acquired the iChapter network reservation and membership management software, technology, and server assets for an undisclosed amount. iChapter network has struggled over the last few years trying to cover the costs of its upgraded infrastructure and was on the verge of closing its doors. More than 40 APICS chapters would have been affected. WMS and iChapter network reached an agreement in August and officially closed the sale on August 31, 2010.

iChapter is not associated with the APICS chapter management web tool, My Chapter. My Chapter is accessible to all APICS professional and student chapters at no charge. It provides chapter leaders with access to real-time membership data, chapter board leadership reports, web-order history and the ability to update chapter profiles on the APICS website.

APICS chapters who subscribe to iChapter will continue to use My Chapter to access monthly membership updates.

WMS will be making some adjustments to annual-chapter-fee structures and will be negotiating with the chapters involved over the next several months. Services and support will not change. iChapter network technical staff will support WMS during the transition period lasting up to one year as part of the agreement. For more information on iChapter, please refer to their website, ichapter.net.

APICS 2010 International Conference & Expo
Did you know that APICS 2010 features 7 Learning Paths to help attendees identify their focus and choose the sessions that are most important to them? The Learning Paths include Global Supply Chain Principles, Global Supply Chain Specifics, Planning and Control of Operations Principles, Planning and Control of Operations Specifics, Lean, Professional Advancement, and Hot Topics in Operations and Supply Chain.

Here are just a few sessions not to be missed. View the complete schedule.

Monday, October 18
8:00 a.m.–9:15 a.m.
The Whole Supplier Partnering Story:
Better understand win-win supplier partnering strategies and tactics.

2:30 p.m.–3:45 p.m.
Aligning Logistics with Supply Chain Strategies:
Determine what logistics-management strategies are available to your organization.

1:00 p.m.–2:15 p.m.
Lean Execution Lessons Learned
Align your enterprise resources planning and material requirements planning with lean practices.
•Discover the sources and propagating factors of demand variability in an extended value stream.
•Optimize service levels with minimum inventory investment and cost.

Tuesday, October 19
1:00 p.m.–3:30 p.m.
Next-Generation Sales and Operations Planning Simulation:
Explore new S&OP tools, such as scenario planning supported by predictive analytics.

8:00 a.m.–9:15 a.m.
Closing the Talent Gap:
Discover how to build a leadership community that will accelerate organizational learning.

Wednesday, October 20
1:30 p.m.–2:45 p.m.
Modeling Plans and Patterns for Improved Forecasting:
Identify methods for performing a forecast override.

3:00 p.m.–4:15 p.m.
Your Professional Strategic Plan:
Identify and evaluate the necessary ingredients of a professional strategic plan.

Fee update on CPIM and CSCP CBT exams

Beginning January 1, 2011 the following fees will go into effect for APICS CPIM and APICS CSCP Computer-Based Testing with Pearson VUE:

• Scheduling an exam by phone: $10
• Rescheduling an exam more than 24 hours before the scheduled date: $15
• Cancelling an exam more than 24 hours before the scheduled date: $50 for CPIM and $200 for CSCP.

Note: Reschedules are not permitted within 24 hours of the exam, and any cancellations within 24 hours of the exam result in a forfeiture of fees.

If you have questions, please contact an APICS Customer Support associate at (800) 444-2742 or (773) 867-1777 or email service@apics.org.

APICS certification exam testing and pricing update

Providing APICS certification candidates with the most flexible options for exam testing is critical to the success of our certification programs and a key element of the APICS strategic priorities. Recent updates to APICS certification exam delivery have been well received and are being increasingly used by certification candidates. Following is an update on the APICS paper-and-pencil exam testing and chapter group-testing price.

APICS CSCP paper-and-pencil exam testing
APICS has received an overwhelming interest in the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) computer-based testing (CBT) exam since its rollout in 2009. Candidates prefer the CBT format thanks to faster access to results, flexibility in deciding when and where to take the exam, and more convenient exam locations.

Taking these factors into consideration, effective January 1, 2011, APICS will no longer offer public APICS CSCP paper-and-pencil sites through ACT in North America. The APICS CSCP exam will be offered in Pearson VUE CBT window-format only.

Please inform your chapter members about the APICS CSCP certification update and encourage them to register for the December 4, 2010–January 15, 2011, exam window. Reservations for the December–January window open on October 6, 2010.

Chapter group-testing update
On Monday, July 26, APICS announced product pricing updates effective January 1, 2011. Effective January 1, 2011, the chapter group-testing price will change from $135 to $145, consistent with the advertised-member rate for the exam. A list of the 2011 price changes can be found here.

If you have questions, please contact APICS at certification@apics.org.

Best Practices

2010 APICS Volunteer Leadership Workshop Program

APICS volunteers are the heart and soul of the APICS community. Our volunteers ensure a positive future for the organization by volunteering with APICS chapters, educating peers, serving on APICS committees, and acting as APICS ambassadors in their communities and companies.

The 2010 Volunteer Leadership Workshop will give APICS volunteers the opportunity to

• Learn from experienced APICS volunteers and APICS corporate staff
• Network with other leaders from across the globe
• Study effective chapter and association management strategies
• Discover how your volunteer leadership role positively impacts your professional development.

Volunteer Leader Workshop participants may register for the conference at the discounted rate of $899. Contact APICS Channel Partner Services at chaprel@apics.org for your 2010 RSVP code to access this discount.

Key Elements of Effective Chapter Marketing Plans

A chapter marketing plan provides a framework for your chapter’s recruitment and retention initiatives. Developing a marketing plan ensures a systematic approach to maintaining and enhancing your chapter’s revenue. A good marketing plan sets clear, realistic, and measurable objectives, includes deadlines, provides a budget, and allocates responsibilities. A plan may consist of these elements:

• Organizational vision or mission
• Market analysis of current and potential customers
• Marketing objectives
• Marketing strategies and tactics
• Proposed budget
• Timing
• Communication tools.

Below are links to examples of chapter marketing plans with effective elements. You can borrow elements from these plans to use when constructing your chapter’s marketing plan.

• North Texas Chapter marketing plan outlines chapter goals and objectives and analyzes the strengths and challenges affecting the chapter.
• Hartford County marketing plan provides marketing tactics for APICS certification classes, monthly professional development meetings, and APICS fundamentals classes.
• Fox Valley Chapter marketing plan includes trends, competition, challenges, opportunities, evaluation, and a feedback strategy.

For additional market resources visit the “Marketing” section in CBOX

Resources available are the APICS identity manual and style guide, a website template, sample letter, marketing brochures and flyers, tools and ideas, downloadable webinars, and much more. For questions, contact APICS District and Chapter Services at 800-444-2742 x5436 or send an email to chaprel@apics.org.

Chapter Development

APICS Interactive Learning Webinars for instructors

Exclusively Available to APICS Channel Partners: APICS will soon launch the APICS Interactive Learning Program. The new program enables APICS channel partners to set up their own distance learning courses. These courses will be led by qualified local instructors who will add their own additional content and context, via webinar, to the APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) certification review courses offered, in an online format, by Fox Valley Technical College (FVTC).

APICS is presenting a series of initial training webinars for APICS instructors sponsored by APICS channel partners. These webinars provide an overview on the APICS Interactive Learning program, webinar tools, functionalities of FVTC Blackboard system, and information on how to register candidates for online classes.

View the webinars on APICS Instructor Center: All the webinars are available at no-cost, and are recorded and archived on the APICS Instructor Center. If you access an archived webinar, you must participate in a post-webinar online quiz. This enables APICS to confirm you have participated in the webinar.

All partner instructors who want to teach in the APICS Interactive Learning program must participate in this series of training webinars. APICS will also offer this education during the 2010 Volunteer Leadership Workshop at the 2010 APICS International Conference & Expo.

Please contact pdadmin@apics.org with any additional questions.

Q&A

Q: Q. A member renewed his APICS membership online more than a week ago, but the renewal is not listed on My Chapter. Why not?

A:  Chapters have two options when pulling membership data using the download reports function of My Chapter: real-time and snapshot reports. In this case, the member who renewed a week ago online would appear in real-time reports only.

Real-time reports enable users to generate membership reports against live membership data based on customized criteria, including member status, member type, certification, certification maintenance status, and more. Users also can use the “Find/Modify” member function of My Chapter to view live membership and contact data by using their APICS identification number.

Snapshot reports enable users to download membership data based on a particular reporting period in the past. This information is disseminated monthly, primarily in Microsoft Excel format, about a week or two after the last day of the reporting month.

To access My Chapter:
1. Log in to the APICS website at apics.org.
2. Select the “View/Edit My Info” link within the welcome panel in the upper left corner of the screen.
3. Select “Manage My Chapter” from the left navigation bar.

Note: Contact your chapter president to obtain access to My Chapter if it is necessary to carry out your board responsibilities.

Tools of the Trade

Promote your courses
You provide valuable educational opportunities for operations and supply chain management professionals—education that helps them achieve their career goals, improve their performance, and positively impact their companies’ bottom lines.
Letting them know about these courses can be difficult and time consuming. Take a moment to explore the following 4 tips to help ensure your message is reaching the right people and generating leads for your organization.

1. Participate in the program with nearly 18,000 clicks since 2009—the APICS Chapter Course Listing Program.

Did you know that the APICS Chapter Course Listings program has sent more than 1,100 leads to APICS chapters across North America? Maximize the impact of this program and let us know which courses you’re offering by filling out the APICS Chapter Course Listings form on the homepage of CBOX.

Questions? Contact chaprel@apics.org or your district field associate.

2. Get your information in front of people searching for courses with My Chapter.

Listing your courses on My Chapter delivers course information to people searching for specific courses.

3. Build buzz and position yourself as an expert with LinkedIn.

Social networking sites offer tremendous opportunities for professionals to network, find answers, and share opinions and information. But how does that translate into sales for the APICS courses you lead? Participating in social-networking communities—especially LinkedIn—helps you build buzz around your courses and engage in discussions that provide an opportunity for you to put your chapter at the center of a 15,000-person conversation.

Don’t forget to do your research—find out what professionals are talking about by watching the conversations on LinkedIn. Join the APICS LinkedIn group today at apics.org/linkedin.

4. Make the most of the tools available for you in APICS Marketing Tool Kits.

Need an ad or a fact sheet? Looking for talking points for a meeting or a telemarketing campaign? Look no further than the APICS Marketing Tool Kits. Resources include fliers, print and online ads, posters, postcards, brochure templates, and more. Find the resources you need to make your chapter’s Global Sourcing, Lean, APICS CPIM review, and other course a success.

Visit the tool kits under the Marketing tab at cbox.apics.org. Looking for a resource that isn’t there? Contact your district field associate for assistance with your request.

Get the information you need!
Go to cbox.apics.org to download materials, find promotional tools, and take advantage of all the marketing assistance provided by APICS. Need additional assistance? Contact chaprel@apics.org or your district field associate.

Promote your courses

Marketing collateral for the APICS Customer-Focused Supply Chain Management course
The Chapter Marketing Toolkit now contains marketing collateral for the APICS Customer-Focused Supply Chain Management course. The flier and advertisements feature a programmable box where chapters can save local course and contact information and print at local copy center or send to a local magazine or newspaper for placement. The toolkit consists of web ads in various sizes that you can place on your website to create awareness about the new course.
Start using these valuable tools.

APICS respects the privacy of visitors to its Web site. View the APICS Online Privacy Policy to learn how your information is handled once it has been submitted online.