APICS was begun 40 years ago by people getting together to share common problems and solutions. The computer of the day was an IBM 650, and it wasn't expected to be used in manufacturing. In fact, IBM only expected to sell about 100 of them. Today thousands of computers are found throughout industry, and the machine on your desktop probably computes faster that the Cray-1 "Supercomputer" of 20 years ago. Now we are beginning the next 40 years of APICS, and we are entering a new communications and information age. The rate of change is accelerating.

Classical economics is based on the transfer of goods — I have something you want and you have something I want, and we trade so you have what I had and vice versa. But when information is exchanged, we both have it. The rules are different. Chairman and CEO Jack Welch, in his 1996 report to General Electric stockholders, pointed this out by announcing that GE was changing its compensation system so that "... bonuses, as well as salaries, reward the finding and sharing of ideas even more than their origination."

We are moving into a global economy with global firms and markets. Coca-Cola, for example, gets 80 percent of its profits outside of North America. One of our featured speakers at the 1997 APICS International Conference and Exhibition, Katherine Hudson, pointed out that her firm, W.H. Brady, does 45 percent of its business outside the United States. The supply chain extends not only from supplier to customer in one country, but around the world and 24 hours a day. This was brought home to me quite vividly a few weeks ago when at 1:30 a.m. my fax machine at home rang and woke me up. Incoming was a fax from our colleagues in Australia; it was 4:30 p.m. for them, a very normal time to be sending a fax. This "wake-up" call reminded me that we live in a global business world.

As individuals we will continue to work and sleep each day, but some products and services will be produced continuously: process industries, of course, but also software development and manufacturing in automated factories. Education, our business, will become a 7-by-24 business, particularly when it is delivered on demand or via the Internet. The Internet brings Paris as close as Baltimore, as close as Singapore or Sydney. That doesn't mean that instructor-led classes will disappear, however. When TV began it was said that the movie and book industries would fold. They haven't. In fact, they have prospered because they have adapted to the new environment. We need to do likewise with education. We need to recognize the opportunities that technology presents to us in this information and communication age.

APICS was initiated by a desire to help one another, improve society and strengthen industry and the economy. We can still do that. We strive to serve our members through education and opportunities for personal development. We share our body of knowledge with others outside our membership in an effort to improve all our welfare. We strengthen industry and the world economy by spreading our relationships throughout the many countries outside of North America.

The year 1998 marks the 25th anniversary of the first APICS certification exam administration. We introduced certification to encourage and recognize those who sought education. In these 25 years we have moved from a few hundred exams given annually to administering tens of thousands of exams each year. Exams are given not only in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but in 29 countries outside of North America.

We adopted our slogan, "The Educational Society for Resource Management" to clearly delineate our purpose. In the next 40 years we, as individuals, as chapters and as a society will continue to prosper if we remember our purpose — education.

During this next year we will continue to see change. New CIRM courses have just been developed and made available. The Basics of Supply Chain Management course is being very well received throughout the world and its offerings are being expanded. The Certification Maintenance Program was just introduced to encourage lifelong learning. We have just initiated a new Service SIG to assist us in addressing another dimension of our business.

We will continue to leverage technology. We plan to enhance computer-based testing worldwide. The 1997 Conference Proceedings are available on CD-ROM, which may be a precursor to how educational materials will be delivered in the future. The APICS Web site is very active and is evolving and improving each month. For example, the APICS Educational Materials Catalog has been added recently as we enter the world of electronic commerce. We are implementing a list-serve capability to facilitate communications between and among our members. Our Fax-on-Demand service has begun and continues to expand.

Over the past few years we have worked to develop a strategic orientation for the society. We now have in place a process to develop a three-year operations plan that will drive our three-year financial plan. A new financial accounting system is being installed to allow us to better manage our diverse programs. These actions and plans initiated by members, committees, board and staff will move APICS forward.

I'm a great believer in evolution rather than revolution. I expect APICS to continue along the path that has been established, smoothing out the bumps in the road as we move forward together. Borrowing a phrase from another of our 1997 featured speakers, Keith Harrell, I hope all of you will join me in making 1998 "super fantastic."

APICS VISION, MISSION AND GOALS STATEMENT

VISION To inspire individuals and organizations toward lifelong learning and to enhance individual and organizational success. MISSION To be the premier provider and global leader in individual and organizational education, standards of excellence, and information in integrated resource management. GOALS Goal 1: The educational offerings, products and services of APICS will be market-driven and accessible on demand. Goal 2: APICS will be recognized as the source for state-of-the-art information (Body of Knowledge) in all aspects of integrated resource management. Goal 3: Organizations and individuals will find certification of professional expertise available through APICS of value. Goal 4: Members will recognize APICS as a provider of value-added services and benefits to support growth and continued professional development.

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