December 1996 € Volume 6 € Number 12

What Do You Need to Know?

Examining attendance at various educational sessions conducted during APICS '96 in New Orleans can help to identify trends that are shaping up in the world of resource management. With that in mind, glance at the table to the right. It presents the top five resource management-oriented sessions by attendance.

The three trends that can be extrapolated from this data are supported by anecdotal evidence gathered in hallways, at receptions and on the show floor.

First, sessions focusing on basic production and inventory management concepts (inventory record accuracy, bills of material, shop floor planning and scheduling) are in high demand. Second, APICS members are anxious to learn about new concepts and technologies in the world of resource management. That holds true even when the new concept is a collection of tried-and-true ideas looked at in a new light (such as supply chain management). Third, the framework within which traditional management functions is evolving to embrace newer practices, such as empowered work teams.

The lineup of papers presented at APICS '96 (and collected in the 39th Annual International Conference Proceedings) was strong in inventory management, work force development, supply chain management issues, scheduling, forecasting and the Theory of Constraints. Of course, other notable topics were covered, as well. Software Editor Steve Melnyk, CPIM, presented a paper on "Environmentally Responsible Manufacturing." There were several presentations focusing on agility in manufacturing, and several others focused on determining by which criteria an enterprise's success should be measured.

-- Gregory A. Farley,
Editor

Session Title	Attendance
I Want Results	1,150
Breaking Down Silos and Building Teamwork	613
Integrating Vendor-Managed Inventory into Supply Chain Decision Making	567
Inventory Accuracy in 60 Days	543
How to Use the Internet	538

Click here to return to the main APICS '96 story.