Dispatch from APICS 2011 and the Volunteer Leadership Workshop (VLW)

The VLW and Volunteer Recognition and New Member Welcome Reception

The 2011 VLW was held on Saturday, October 22, and provided more than 230 APICS channel partners with the opportunity to network and share best practices. The event kicked off with APICS Chair Eric Schaudt, CPIM, CSCP, leading APICS staff on a presentation about what affiliation means and how volunteers play an integral role in the success of the organization. More than 15 breakout sessions covered topics relating to membership, education, marketing, and certification. This included sessions dedicated to the new APICS Certified in Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) changes coming up in 2012, the new website that launches in December, ways to effectively pitch APICS, job market and résumé tips, and information on retaining membership.

Recognizing APICS leader commitment

The 2011 Volunteer Recognition and New Member Welcome Reception honored the efforts of dedicated APICS volunteers and welcomed new APICS members, students, and APICS scholars. The event, which followed the VLW, paid tribute to Flora B. Du, recipient of the Student of the Year award and Sheryl Holbrook, CPIM, recipient of Student Mentor of the Year award. Outgoing district directors and district managers also were recognized for their dedication and service to their chapters. APICS Chair Eric Schaudt, CPIM, CSCP, was presented with an award for his service to APICS. The program included highlighting channel partner efforts on committees, the contributions of past presidents, donations to the APICS Scholars Education Program, and chapter results on CBAR. 

Photos from the event will be posted in early November.

APICS Volunteer of the Year Award honoree

Each year, APICS honors one volunteer for his or her strong ties and dedication to APICS, and generosity of time, energy, and intellectual contributions. The 2011 recipient is Pam Somers, CPIM, CIRM, CSCP^__an APICS volunteer of more than 25 years and an APICS instructor. Somers is a highly rated presenter in settings large and small and demonstrates significant commitment to young supply chain and operations management professionals.

Dedicated volunteers like Pam Somers increase the value of the APICS experience for everyone. Congratulations, Pam!

Joint District Meeting Held Prior to APICS 2011 Conference

The Mid-Atlantic and Terra Grande district joined forces October 22 to hold a joint district meeting in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Attendees gathered to share best practices and strategies to strengthen chapter success.

Presentations by APICS leaders, including Dave Lehman, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, Roger Harris, CFPIM, CIRM, CSCP, Karen Eboch, CSCP, and more on topics such as chapter education, building blocks for success, chapter education needs and how to identify those needs, chapter marketing, student competitions, and more. Additionally, speakers from APICS Corporate presented APICS professional development, marketing, and membership updates.

This opportunity to network and share ideas between districts proved to be a huge success.

Other awards presented at APICS 2011

James Greathouse APICS Certification Professional Scholarship

• Kuntal Trivedi
  Senior Manufacturing Engineer, Logistics Department, DIAB Inc.
  APICS CSCP program
• Anna Wang
  Supply chain customer service, Shanghai
  APICS CSCP program
• Fardad Irannejadi Bozorgi
  Senior Inventory Management Specialist, BOSCH Power Tools—Iran
  APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) program

George and Marion Plossl Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship winners:

• Winner: René Kemmerling, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich
• First runner-up: David C. Hall, Clemson University
• Second runner-up: John W. Gardner, The Ohio State University

Head of the Class Competition
Graduate winners:

• First place:  Brett Ward, California Polytechnic State University
• Second place: Venky Arun, Purdue University
• Third place: Ore Ajakaiye, University at Buffalo
• Runner-up: Nadine Fournier, HEC Montréal
• Runner-up: Bhujanga Adapa, Wichita State University

Undergraduate winners:

• First place: Veronica Stana, Portland State University
• Second place: Rene Gable, Conestoga College
• Third place: Joe Hosler, Penn State University
• Runner-up: James Grahek, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
• Runner-up: Kyle Fleming, Western Washington University

APICS Student Poster Session Contest

• First place: Brandon Holt, Virginia Tech    
• Second place: Camille Fleischauer, Duquesne University
• Third place: Xuan Xian Li, Algonquin College

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News, Information, and Best Practices

APICS membership update

APICS membership grew again in September to 36,083 members.
2011 year-to-date highlights

• APICS is 5.5 percent (or 1,889 members) ahead of the 2010 year end membership total.  
• APICS added 950 new members in September and 9,064 new members in 2011.  This is 18 percent more new members that this first six months of 2010.
• Thru September, we have had 621 less member lapse compared to the same period in 2010.

New member and lapsed member survey findings

APICS conducts regular member research to inform our member acquisition and retention activities as well as to identify areas for growth. APICS partners can use this information to inform their activities as well. Below are findings from recent new and lapsed member surveys.

Lapsed members exit survey
Third quarter results from the lapsed member survey were in line with previous quarters. In looking at the top reasons individuals did not renew, membership is too expensive returned to the top three answers for the first time in a few quarters. Also of note, the number of companies paying dues dropped below 40 percent.

Key findings were

• 14 percent were members for eleven or more years; 29 percent were members for one year
• 40 percent were members for eleven or more years; 28 percent were members for one year
• Employers paid for membership for 38 percent of the respondents
• 45 percent do not hold any certifications
• 89 percent of respondents would recommend APICS to a colleague.

New member survey
Third quarter new member survey results are in line with results from all of 2010. The majority of survey respondents joined APICS to further their careers. In the international and e-membership groups, we see ‘employer encouragement to join’ among the top three reasons respondents joined APICS; this is the first time that reason has been indicated across any of the membership types.

Professional and academic members key findings:

• Twenty-nine percent were recommended to APICS by a colleague; thirty-eight percent were recommended by their employer; fifteen percent by an internet search.
• Top three reasons to join APICS (respondents asked to select all that apply):
• To further my career (74 percent); also selected as the primary benefit of membership.
• Access to educational programming (52 percent).
• Networking opportunities (49 percent).
• The primary benefit of membership for professional and academic members is to further their careers (35 percent).
• Fifty-six percent indicated they are somewhat likely to attend a chapter event; thirty-four percent said are very likely.

Student member key findings:

• Thirty-five percent of students were recommended to APICS by a friend or associate; twenty-one percent by their faculty advisors; twenty-one percent by an internet search.
• Top three reasons to join APICS (select all that apply):
• To prepare me for my career (85 percent); this was also selected as the primary benefit of membership.
• Certification savings (69 percent).
• Networking opportunities (62 percent).

Q: Our chapter orders materials from APICS Corporate and charges the materials to the chapter billings number. Where should we mail payment for the open invoice(s)? Should we mail the payment directly to the APICS corporate office?

A: Chapters should not mail payments directly to the APICS corporate office.  All payments to APICS, including membership applications and renewals, product sales, and conference registrations should be mailed to the APICS lockbox in Carol Stream, IL. 

     Make check payable and remit to:
     APICS - American Production and Inventory Control Society
     PO Box 4050
     Carol Stream, IL 60197-4050

Contact APICS District and Chapter Services at chaprel@apics.org or 1-800-444-2742, ext. 5436, if you require invoice assistance.

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Important Reminders

APICS member benefits: Aberdeen Research Vault access

Reminder: APICS members no longer will receive access to the Aberdeen Research Vault. APICS members who currently are signed up on the Aberdeen website will not be impacted and will have continued access to Aberdeen research through the duration of their two-year access.

Updates to APICS Basics of Supply Chain Management and Detailed Scheduling and Planning

The APICS Basics of Supply Chain Management (BSCM) and Detailed Scheduling and Planning (DSP) modules will be updated to a new version in 2012. The changes will require purchasing new APICS Instructor Kits for these two courses in 2012. To ensure our chapters, international partners, and instructors have adequate time to plan and budget for the new materials, we are notifying you now. As we have done the last four years, we will offer these new instructor kits for $150 to those partners and instructors who already own a current version of the APICS Instructor Kit through March 31, 2012.

The new materials will be available for preorder December 1, 2011, and will ship beginning December 16, 2011. The 2012 edition of the APICS BSCM will move to version 4.0 and the 2012 edition of the DSP will move to version 5.0. The APICS upgrade kit includes the net change document, updated instructor guide pages, and updated or new PowerPoint slides will be available for download through the APICS Instructor Center on December 16, 2011.

The APICS upgrade packet includes printed copies of the detailed change document, updated instructor pages, and the complete PowerPoint visuals CD-ROM is available for preorder starting December 1, 2011, through APICS Customer Service, for shipment beginning December 16, 2011. The cost of the packet is $25. Contact APICS Customer Service at 1-800-444-2742 or +1-773-867-1777 or service@apics.org.

Returning APICS CPIM Participant Guides

APICS partners (chapters and international associates) that have unused APICS CPIM Participant workbooks that were purchased after September 1, 2011, will be able to return them for replacement until February 28, 2012. When sending a return, please include the front cover only, original purchaser's name, address, and approximate date of purchase. A receipt is not mandatory but appreciated. Please send the covers to the following address:

Attention: APICS Customer Service
APICS The Association for Operations Management
8430 West Bryn Mawr Avenue
Suite 1000
Chicago, IL 60631 USA

NOTE: Do not send the covers to Gilmore Global. This will create additional expense for you and will delay the replacement of your books. For more information, contact APICS Customer Service at 1-800-444-2742 or +1-773-867-1777.
If you have any questions or need of further information, please contact us.

Chapters: pdadmin@apics.org
International associates: globalservices@apics.org

APICS CSCP program update

As we informed you in April, to support the APICS strategic priority to implement a process to regularly update APICS courseware and ensure APICS certification programs reflect current professional practices, the APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program will be updated for the 2012 educational year. This update enables APICS to maintain the credibility and high-quality standards of the certification.

North American chapters: Read the notice now.

International partners: Read the notice now.

APICS CSCP pricing update

The APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) program was released in late 2005, with the first exam administered in March 2006. Due to the changing nature of supply chain management, APICS conducted a job task analysis in 2010 to ensure that the body of knowledge being tested by the APICS CSCP exam matched the tasks that industry professionals are engaged in today. The job task analysis resulted in a significant update to the APICS CSCP exam for 2012. Although it was clear a considerable investment was required to fully update the APICS CSCP Learning System to match the new exam, the changes were necessary to ensure APICS core products retain their leadership position in the market.

Further review prompted APICS to review pricing of the APICS CSCP product line. In order to continue to offer members a high-quality educational experience, prices for the APICS CSCP Learning System and exam must be adjusted.

Please remember: Prices have not changed for the APICS CSCP Learning System since the program began more than five years ago, not even to keep pace with inflation.

• Because of the current economic environment, APICS will increase the price gradually to recover the investment of the updates.
• Pricing for the APICS CSCP exam has been adjusted to below the inflation rate for the last five years and does not include significant operational cost increases of the computer-based testing migration.
• The APICS CSCP Learning System pricing has been aligned to half of the inflation rate for the last five years.
• Effective January 1, 2012, APICS will have new prices for these APICS CSCP products.

APICS channel partners were notified of the price changes July 21; please refer to that email for an overview of the price changes.

APICS CSCP Instructor Guides, the APICS CPIM materials, and the Fundamentals/Principles program prices will not change in 2012; however, as planned updates are completed in future years, the price will be adjusted to reflect the investment in those products. APICS will review pricing on all products at regular intervals to ensure the pricing structure aligns with investment recovery objectives, inflation, and the organization's strategic priorities. The price changes ensure that APICS can continue to bring you the high-quality materials you rely on.

Questions? Contact APICS Customer Service at 1-800-444-2742 or +1-773- 867-1777 or service@apics.org.

APICS CFPIM pricing update

Please note that, beginning January 1, 2012, the APICS CFPIM application price will increase from $30 to $50.

APICS CSCP leads available to volunteer leaders

Is your chapter or international organization offering or planning to offer APICS CSCP review to your local market? If so, you can now receive contact information for potential students looking for local APICS CSCP instruction.
To receive these leads, you must indicate your readiness by listing your course offerings with APICS. If you currently do not have a course scheduled, but have the ability (instructor or resources) to offer a course, you can opt in to receive leads using the same form.

Opt in to receive APICS CSCP leads. Questions? Contact APICS Channel Partner Services at chaprel@apics.org.

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