While Sales & Operations Planning seems to be a widely adopted practice, 61% of respondents to a new apics survey rate compliance moderate to poor and many don’t use a suite of Supply Chain Key Performance Indicators to manage their performance.
Sixty eight companies participated in the 2008 Portland Group/Australian School of Business/apics Australasia Supply Chain Survey.
"The survey has now been presented to all apics members and interested parties — Australia wide through our state chapters," says apics trainer and S&OP specialist Phil Heenan.
"The survey has some very interesting observations. apics would like to take this opportunity to reinforce its findings and offer your company the opportunity to educate your staff and personnel to alleviate some of the problems it raised."
Half of all respondents identify gaps in IT functionality and integration as their highest challenge in improving supply chain performance.
"Cross functional gaps are an equally important challenge for larger supply chain organisations," Heenan says.
“Of the 68 companies interviewed in the recent Supply Chain Survey only 4% had apics qualified personnel managing their supply chain.”
"How can you expect your organisation to work as a cross functional team, profitably balancing demand and supply through an effective S & OP process, if they don’t have the qualifications?"
"No wonder so many companies struggle to achieve the right balance between customer service, accurate forecasts, inventory investment and profit."
"If you would like your staff to understand basic and advanced techniques related to:
- Sales Forecasting
- Demand Management
- Sales & Operations Planning
- Master Scheduling to managed finished goods inventories and customer service levels capacity planning techniques
- How to utilise MPRII/ERP systems
- Data accuracy requirements
- Managing production
- Using Distribution Requirements Planning to manage distribution inventories
- Purchasing · Lean methodologies and Total Quality Management
- Theory of Constraints
- New Product Development processes
- Range rationalisation
- How to use MRPII/ERP software systems better
- Then, the Basics of Supply Chain Management course is the first step.
After this foundation module, your staff will then be in a position to decide the next step in their education process:
- Diploma in Business Operations Management through the new Case Study approach (no exams)
- A Certificate IV in Purchasing
- A Diploma in Purchasing through Case Study Approach
- A Certificate of Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) through the APICS USA exam approach
- The New “Certified Supply Chain Professional — CSCP” qualification through APICS USA internet/exam approach
- Intensive, practical short courses designed to transfer proven techniques to improve forecasting and planning processes
apics Victoria is currently running two popular and important seminars- Forecasting and Demand Management and Sales & Operations Planning — attend these one day courses and learn how the best companies operate on a cross functional basis to balance demand and supply and increase their profits.
Contact apics at apicsvicevents@bigpond.com for a current information flyer on the Basics of Supply Chain Management and notification of the next Forecasting and Demand Management and Sales & Operations Planning seminars.
You may also contact the above email address to obtain a full copy of the 2008 Supply Chain Survey.