The new APICS Board of Directors, led by Thomas R. Hoffmann, Ph.D., CFPIM, CIRM, 1998 APICS president, took office effective Dec. 2, 1997. The board will serve a one-year term.

Hoffmann joined APICS in 1961; was elected president of the APICS Twin Cities Chapter in 1971; and served several terms as a member and chair of the APICS Curricula and Certification Council. He was elected to the APICS Board of Directors as the vice president of education programs/materials in 1995 and assumed the APICS presidency in December 1997.

"I'm a great believer in evolution rather than revolution," Hoffmann said. "I expect APICS to continue along the path that has been established, smoothing out the bumps in the road as we move forward together in an exciting year serving our members and customers."

Hoffmann is professor of operations and management sciences at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management. He is one of the founders of the University's Management Information Systems Research Center and served as chairman of the Management Sciences Department from its inception in 1969 until 1978. He served as director of one of the university's computer centers from 1971 through 1987.

Cited in Who's Who in America and American Men and Women of Science, Hoffmann has consulted with firms such as Allis-Chalmers, Toro, Northwest Orient Airlines, Honeywell and National Car Rental Systems. He also served on the board of directors of Trochoid Power Company.

Hoffmann's incoming president's message appears is available in both the printed and online editions. Photographs of the 1998 APICS Board of Directors appear on page 12 of the printed edition.

Jan. 1 marked the official launch of the APICS Certification Maintenance Program. Every five years Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and Certified Fellows in Production and Inventory Management (CFPIM) professionals will be required to document professional development points earned for continuing education.

Realizing that rapidly changing technologies coupled with new management philosophies require lifelong learning to maintain professional credibility in today's workplace, the APICS board of directors decided last year to implement this program.The program is designed to be flexible and to allow a variety of lifelong learning experiences to qualify for continuing professional development. For example, the criteria include presentations, publications and educational development, contributions to the profession and professional memberships.

Points can be accumulated retroactive to Aug. 18, 1997. APICS activities after that date, including attendance at the '97 APICS conference, are included in the required point total (due in 2003).

Full details of the certification maintenance program are included in the Certification Maintenance Bulletin that will be mailed to all CPIM and CFPIM designees this month.

For more information, call APICS Customer Service and request item #09033, or select the Fax-on-Demand option and request item #50014.

APICS '97 Resounds through Audiotapes Audiotapes of selected educational sessions from APICS '97 are now available for $10 per tape. To request a list of topics and an order form, call APICS Customer Service and request item #01586.

Revisions to three of the five modules of the Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) program took effect on Jan. 1. The revisions to these modules follow the change to the Support Functions module which was expanded and renamed as Enterprise Concepts and Fundamentals last year.

The revisions to the three modules are as follows:

Identifying and Creating Demand (formerly Customers and Products)

This module examines the business processes that define the marketplace and sell the products a company has available or is willing to develop. These business processes include strategies and tactics that identify, define and quantify customer wants and needs and result in mutually profitable sales. The module also addresses how to identify and focus on customer demand so the rest of the enterprise's resources can be used effectively to deliver value-added products and services.

Designing Products and Processes (formerly Manufacturing Processes)

This module examines the systems, approaches and strategies used by an enterprise to convert a need or innovation into a product, process or service that meets both the customer's and the enterprise's expectations. The module explores the activities in the design process, including organizing and defining the design team, determining resources needed, identifying work to be done, anticipating output, doing the work and measuring the results. The course demonstrates how a design strategy draws on the organization's strengths and competencies to provide value to the customer and sustain competitive position.

Delivering Products and Services (formerly Logistics)

This module expands on the concept of the value-driven enterprise, which was introduced in Enterprise Concepts and Fundamentals. The goal of Delivering Products and Services is to examine the systems, approaches and strategies used by the enterprise to make the transition between concept to product and between customer expectation and product delivery.

The Integrated Enterprise Management module, the fifth and final module in the CIRM process, will continue to focus on all of the areas covered in the other modules together with the application of strategic thinking to enterprisewide issues. These issues include integration of individuals within teams.

For more information about the CIRM program, call APICS Customer Service and request the 1998 CIRM Informational Brochure (item #09011). Information about workshops covering CIRM topics is available in the 1998 APICS Educational Programs Brochure (item #04076).

Nominations for Student Voluntary Service and Chapter Mentor Awards Now Being Accepted

APICS is seeking nominations for the APICS Student Voluntary Service Award and the Student Chapter Mentor Award. The awards recognize students, faculty/academic advisor or chapter board members who demonstrate outstanding management and leadership skills in their APICS activities. Efforts are recognized at the chapter, region and society levels, and also at universities, with other professional organizations and community service.

Submissions for either award must be postmarked by April 30 and returned to APICS Headquarters. Recipients will be announced in May with each receiving a commemorative plaque and a certificate valued at $500 to be used toward continuing education in resource management. Recipients also will be honored at the 1998 APICS International Conference and Exposition, Nov. 1-4, in Nashville, Tenn., and be recognized in APICS—The Performance Advantage.

To receive a nomination form, contact your local APICS chapter or APICS Customer Service. Forms also can be requested via Fax-on-Demand. Select item #01008 for the Student Voluntary Service Award or item #01005 for the Student Chapter Mentor Award. In addition, the forms can be downloaded from the APICS Web site at http://www.apics.org.

E&R Foundation

E&R Foundation Beta Tests CIRM Teaching Tool

In October 1997, the APICS Educational & Research (E&R) Foundation conducted a final test of a new product to help candidates who are going through the Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) program. The foundation took delivery of the final product in December 1997, and will demonstrate it at the Congress for Progress in April and at APICS workshops throughout the year.

Under development for a year, the new teaching tool is a manufacturing simulation that shows how all the functions in the enterprise are interrelated, and how decisions in one area affect others. Also built into the simulation are a variety of performance measures.

The test was conducted by Eli Schragenheim, president of Elaykim Management Systems Ltd., developer of the simulator for the foundation, and eight participants from three manufacturers — Ingersoll-Rand, Schindler Elevator Corp. and Raytheon E-Systems — and from Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania.

During the four-hour session held at the Frehn Management Center at Shippensburg University, Schragenheim went through a simulated year, allowing the group to make the necessary decisions such as product mix, capacity, inventory levels, pricing, purchasing and delivery times.

"All functions of an enterprise are interrelated, and effective management of that integration affects the performance of a firm," said James A. Pope, Ph.D., CFPIM, 1998 E&R Foundation secretary, who attended the test. "These are key components of the CIRM program and a simulation of this nature is very effective in teaching CIRM principles," he added.

People interested in finding out more information about or how to use this product as a training tool should contact Michael Lythgoe, APICS E&R Foundation director, at (800) 444-APICS (2742) or (703) 237-8344, ext. 2202, or by e-mail at [email protected]