By M.W. Ron Maddox

Editor's Note: M.W. Ron Maddox was one of the founding fathers of APICS. You could say he was "present at the creation" when a group of visionary individuals met 40 years ago to fill a gap for resource management professionals. He was the interim president of the society while it was being formed and served as the first president of APICS for the balance of 1957 and all of 1958. Raised in the Midwest, Maddox studied engineering in college and spent the bulk of his career in materials management for several manufacturing concerns. Now 81, Maddox and his wife live in Sun City, Ariz., and between three to four rounds of golf a week, he keeps up with APICS by reading this magazine and talking with long-time colleagues.

As of April 1997, APICS membership stands at about 70,000. When I think back, none of us involved in the founding of the society ever thought a membership of this magnitude was possible. However, as a member of the original group that assembled at the Alcazar Hotel in Cleveland on March 9, 1957, I can say we all believed there was a need for an organization like APICS. This belief was confirmed in the first few years of APICS' existence. For example, attendance at the first three APICS international conferences indicated a tremendous interest. Also, the October 1960 issue of Factory Magazine, the leading industrial publication of that time, included a full-page article about APICS that said, "It now numbers 38 chapters with over 1,400 members. It is, in fact, the fastest-growing professional management organization in the United States today."

As many of you may already know from articles in this magazine focusing on APICS' 40th anniversary, the society began when Nyles Reinfeld selected 30 people he believed to be interested in improving their lot in production and inventory control (P&IC) through the establishment of a professional organization. We had all attended one of Reinfeld's seminars on the subject, and in the bull sessions at lunch or at the close of the day we often discussed the need for some kind of organization where common problems could be discussed. During these discussions, we learned that several informal groups were already meeting regularly for this purpose.

One of the biggest beefs at the time was that production and inventory was not held in high regard by upper management. It was thought of as a clerical job that anyone could quickly learn. Remember, in the late 1950s no universities offered courses dedicated to the study of P&IC. Production was given just a little attention through the study of industrial engineering and inventory in accounting courses. Reinfeld's seminars were one of the few regularly presented training courses on P&IC, although one of the bigger accounting firms of the time would occasionally produce a seminar on inventory. There were very few books on production and even fewer on inventory control. There was a big need, and an even bigger knowledge gap in the area, and we tried to do something about it.

Reinfeld sent letters to those 30 people; 20 of them arrived at the Alcazar Hotel on that day in March 40 years ago, and APICS came into existence. We accomplished quite a lot in a short time, especially in light of the fact that we didn't know each other and were not quite sure what we were going to do once we got to Cleveland. First we selected the organization's name, the American Production and Inventory Control Society. As the day wore on, it became clear that most people were looking for a chance to broaden their knowledge of their chosen profession. Therefore, we decided that APICS should be first and foremost an educational society. We realized that education was the key that would allow practitioners to improve their standing in their companies and open up the possibility of promotion.

The next step was to get the word out to people we believed would be interested in APICS. Figuring out the best way of doing so was the prize question. We knew we had to sell the society to management, but we weren't sure they would be interested. One of the temporary committees was asked to outline the society's objectives. It presented a list of nine which, with some revisions, became part of APICS' bylaws. There have been many additions since then, but they are not really different from those original ones decided on in Cleveland.

We then faced a big issue that needed to be solved quickly if we were to achieve our goals — how to raise money. We tossed about many ideas, and after much discussion decided that each charter company would be asked to pay $25 to the treasurer. We lost a few people at this point, but most paid as requested. In addition, we decided to set up an individual dues requirement of $7.50 a year. The dues weren't enough to provide us with an expense allowance, but were enough to publish a brochure. The brochure included information about the society's goals, the value of membership, information about the founding members, a list of the national officers and committee chairmen and a listing of all charter member companies. This brochure was very useful in recruiting new members and with some updating was used by APICS for many years.

APICS caught a break in its second year when IBM gave us $5,000. To tell you the truth, I'm not sure APICS could have survived without this help. But with this help and with the success of the third international conference held in New York in 1959, APICS became financially secure.

I must point out that when the word started getting around about APICS, we were contacted by several established associations suggesting that we join with them instead of starting from scratch. We declined, because we felt that none of these groups offered P&IC professionals the products and services we envisioned. I'm glad we did so.

When I think back to those days, I realize what an effort it was to get APICS off the ground. I have not mentioned the names, other than Reinfeld, of those who contributed to the society's development because there were so many of them. I didn't even know many of these volunteers, especially those who made hundreds of phone calls to organize chapters — the backbone of the society.

Help also came from some of the strangest places. For example, the committee tasked with writing the bylaws had a member who was able to get free legal advice from his company's attorney. This attorney found out we were trying to come up with a logo and he presented us with several designs, one of which we accepted and used for many years.

Since the start of the society, we have been most fortunate to have very capable and talented people in our midst, people who have been willing to spend their free time promoting APICS. If it weren't for the hundreds, if not thousands, of people who served as officers and committee members on both the local and national level, APICS would have never gotten to where it is today. Though mindful of our rich heritage, APICS has remained flexible enough to meet the demands of today. I'm sure it will continue to keep step with the needs of tomorrow.

---

Correction to April Article

In the 40th anniversary article in the April issue of APICS—The Performance Advantage, reference was made to the gift of the "Castle" in Wilmerding, Pa., from Westinghouse Corp. Actually, the Castle, which later became the APICS Training Center, was a gift from Westinghouse Air Brake Co., then a subsidiary of American Standard Inc. Westinghouse Air Brake and Westinghouse have no affiliation. We apologize for any confusion.

Copyright © 2020 by APICS — The Educational Society for Resource Management. All rights reserved.

Web Site © Copyright 2020 by Lionheart Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.


Lionheart Publishing, Inc.
2555 Cumberland Parkway, Suite 299, Atlanta, GA 30339 USA
Phone: +44 23 8110 3411 | br> E-mail:
Web: www.lionheartpub.com


Web Design by Premier Web Designs
E-mail: [email protected]