APICS, currently known as the Association for Supply Chain Management is a

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

international education organization offering certification programs, training tools, and networking opportunities to increase workplace performance. Formed in 1957, the mission of the organization is to advance end-to-end

supply chain management In commerce, supply chain management (SCM) is the management of the flow of goods and services including all processes that transform raw materials into final products between businesses and locations. This can include the movement and stor ...

. APICS merged with the Supply-Chain Council in 2014, and the American Society of Transportation and Logistics in 2015.

History

In 1957, 20 production control managers in various industries formed the American Production and Inventory Control Society. The

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived from ...

later became an international association known as APICS. The organization offers certification programs, training tools, and networking opportunities for the purpose of increasing workplace performance in the supply chain. The Supply-Chain Council (SCC) merged into APICS on 5 August 2014. APICS also merged with the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (AST&L) in 2015.

The Historical Supply-Chain Council

The Supply-Chain Council (SCC) formed in 1996 as an independent

non-profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

by industry research firm AMR Research (AMR) and consulting firm Pitiglio, Rabin, Todd and McGrath (PRTM), with membership made up of by a variety of industries, including manufacturing, service, distribution, and retailing. The original mission was to define a common language to describe and model supply chains. SCC developed the Supply-Chain Operations Reference (SCOR)-model process for chain management. The original framework for the SCOR model was developed in a collaboration between AMR and PRTM and vetted with industry-leading companies including Intel, IBM, Rockwell Semiconductor, and Procter and Gamble. The original model was designed describe supply chains in four basic processes: Plan, Source, Make and Deliver. The Return process was added later to accommodate remanufacturing industries and eCommerce.

Certifications

APICS historically offered several professional designations: CPIM, CSCP, and CLTD. Under ASCM, additional certificate programs are being created including The Supply Chain Procurement Certificate (SCPC) and The Supply Chain Warehousing Certificate (SCWC).

CPIM

The "APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management" or "APICS CPIM" designation is a professional certification offered by APICS. The program was founded in 1973. Since its inception, more than 100,000 people have earned the APICS CPIM designation. APICS CPIM designees learn terminology, concepts, and strategies related to

demand management Demand management is a planning methodology used to forecast, plan for and manage the demand for products and services. This can be at macro-levels as in economics and at micro-levels within individual organizations. For example, at macro-leve ...

procurement Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, Service (economics), services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agenc ...

and supplier planning, material requirements planning, capacity requirements planning,

sales and operations planning Sales and operations planning (S&OP) is an integrated business management process through which the executive/leadership team continually achieves focus, alignment, and synchronization among all organization functions. The S&OP process includes an u ...

, master scheduling,

performance measurement Performance measurement is the process of collecting, analyzing and/or reporting information regarding the performance of an individual, group, organization, system or component. Definitions of performance measurement tend to be predicated upon an ...

s, supplier relationships,

quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...

, and

continuous improvement A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakth ...

CSCP

The APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional, or APICS CSCP, demonstrates professional knowledge and organizational skills for developing more streamlined operations. Since its launch in 2006, more than 24,000 professionals in 100 countries have earned the CSCP designation.

CLTD

The APICS Certified Logistics, Transportation and Distribution, or APICS CLTD, demonstrates in-depth knowledge of a range of supply chain logistics topics. More than 1,000 professionals have earned their CLTDs since the program launched in 2016.

SCWC

The Supply Chain Warehousing Certificate will be available Fall 2021.

Publications

''SCM Now'' is the official publication of the organization, which was formerly called the ''APICS Magazine''

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1957 establishments in Ohio Business and finance professional associations Organizations based in Chicago Organizations established in 1957 Professional associations based in the United States