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.