July 1996 € Volume 6 € Number 7

APICS Report

APICS Helps Match Job Seekers With Company Needs

A few years ago, Gregory Jaeger, CPIM, was working for a company in Kentucky when he began thinking about his next career opportunity. Although he wasn't aggressively looking to make a job change, he decided in February 1994 to sign up with the APICS Employment Referral Program. He received numerous job notifications, none of which excited him. But in the fall of 1994 he opened his mail and found one that he couldn't believe.

"Out of the blue one day I saw a job announcement where the description perfectly fit me and I jumped all over it," Jaeger said. "About three months later (February 1995) my family and I were headed to Oklahoma."

Jaeger is now the vice president of manufacturing for Corken Inc., a business unit of the international manufacturing conglomerate IDEX Corp., based in Chicago. Corken manufactures industrial gas pumps and gas compressors for the liquid petroleum and gas market. For Jaeger, the move to Corken represented not only a terrific career move, but also a great personal one. Both he and his wife grew up in Kansas and are now closer to their families.

"I wouldn't have known about the job without the APICS job service, because the recruiter exclusively put the ad with the APICS job service, and Corken wouldn't have advertised in an out-of-state newspaper," Jaeger said.

The APICS Employment Referral Program has been in existence for nearly 15 years. But in response to the wave of corporate restructuring and downsizing activities that began in the late 1980s, APICS reorganized and greatly expanded the program in 1990. Indeed, before 1990 if a company listed a job, the resumes of everyone registered with the program would be sent to the listing company. The reorganization refined the process to the extent that the APICS Membership Department now screens each candidate and only forwards the resumes of those people who meet at least one of the specific needs of the listing company.

The APICS Employment Referral Program helps match the needs of many top U.S. companies in various industries including electronics, automotive, distribution and defense with all qualified job seekers in such areas as plant management, materials management, inventory control, operations, etc. The program is administered by the APICS Membership Department and is open to all manufacturing and service industry professionals -- APICS member or not. The service is free to APICS members; and nonmembers pay a nominal fee of $125, which also gives them a year's membership in APICS.

"Because of all the dislocations due to the restructuring of the economy over the last five years, we didn't want to exclude people from any sources that could help them find a job or advance their careers," said Henri Wingfield, APICS senior membership manager. "The fee for nonmembers is used to automatically make them APICS members, and as long as membership is active, job candidates' resumes remain in the database."

The cost to companies wishing to list a job is minimal. Companies with APICS corporate members can list a job for a one-time fee of $200; nonmember companies are charged $300. Listing companies can either identify themselves in the ad or request a "blind box option." The latter allows companies to receive resumes of qualified and interested candidates and control the follow-up process. After receiving a listing, APICS matches the specified criteria to the appropriate candidates and forwards the announcement to them within two business days.

Wingfield added that the purpose of the APICS Employment Referral Program is not to be a major revenue center for APICS, but rather to benefit both the company and the job seeker. Companies will only receive information from candidates who have the proper qualifications, and APICS will verify certification, if requested. For the job seeker, the program provides job search and career enhancement services to a sector of the work force that is frequently ignored.

Indeed, in today's downsized job market, the displaced mid-level professional frequently gets left out in the cold. Government entities (local, state and federal) usually focus their limited resources on the needs of the displaced blue-collar worker and unions also help. Displaced upper-level executives turn to head hunters and management consulting firms for employment opportunities.
Unfortunately, few such options are available to the mid-level manager/professional -- the employee group being hit the hardest, according to many studies. For example:

According to Challenger & Gray, a nationally known outplacement firm, more than 3.2 million jobs have been cut by large corporations in the past six years
According to the American Management Association, although 60 percent of American workers are hourly wage-earners and 40 percent are salaried, 55 percent of jobs eliminated in 1994-95 belonged to salaried employees (i.e., professionals, mid-level managers).

In the past two years, the APICS Employment Referral Program has processed approximately 400 jobs against about 4,000 resumes. Because the referral process is confidential for both employers and job seekers, APICS does not track job placements after the fact and cannot provide actual placement data. However, the success can be documented in the increased use.

Steven Litton, CPIM, an APICS member since 1992, is one mid-level manager who has benefited from the APICS Employment Referral Program. Like Jaeger, Litton also was not actively looking for a new job, but he'd read about the program in the APICS membership materials and signed up for it. Not long after becoming CPIM in 1994, he noticed an interesting listing.

"Certification was requested for the job, and I figured since I'd just achieved CPIM I would apply for it," Litton recalled. SCM Glidco Organics, a chemical manufacturer based in Jacksonville, Fla., flew him to Florida for an interview and hired him shortly after. He's been at SCM Glidco for two years.

"Obviously, I'm pleased how things turned out. It's really a win-win situation as employers can target a certain skill set, and it's great for people looking for jobs because it opens up a wider variety of jobs in different geographical areas," Litton said.

APICS is building upon the success of the Employment Referral Program with a number of new initiatives, Wingfield noted. For example, APICS is notifying the human resources directors of major companies throughout the United States of the APICS Employment Referral Program and offering assistance in matching their vacancies with job seekers (and vice versa for their own downsizing efforts).

For more information about the APICS Employment Referral Program and this opportunity, contact the APICS Job Referral Service, (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8585, ext. 317.

APICS Employment Program at a Glance

Location of jobs -- Most jobs listed are located in the Northeast followed by the North Central and Southeastern United States.

Candidates' industry type -- The overwhelming number of candidates come from the electronics industry. Other major industry sectors include metal fabrication, aerospace and computers.

Cost to job seekers -- No charge to APICS members. Fee of $125 for nonmembers, which is used to establish APICS membership. As long as membership is active, service remains free.

Cost to company listing a job -- Charge of $200 for APICS corporate members and $300 for nonmembers for each job listed.

Information and registration -- Contact the Job Referral Service, APICS Membership Department, (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8585, ext. 317.

APICS Conference Offers Companies Complimentary Job Referral Service Listing

Companies that have listed jobs in the past with the APICS Employment Referral Program have the opportunity to list an additional position at no charge at APICS '96, the international conference and exhibition, Oct. 13-16, in New Orleans. Listing companies do not have to be present at the conference to post a new job.

As it has done for the past two years, the APICS Membership Department will have a booth set up on the exhibit floor with information about the APICS Employment Referral Program. In that booth will be a bulletin board for job listings where the expected 3,000-plus attendees can review the openings. In addition, companies exhibiting at the conference also may post any job openings at no cost.

For more information about the APICS Employment Referral Program opportunities at the 1996 APICS International Conference and Exhibition, contact Tina Farmer of the APICS Membership Department at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8585, ext. 261.

New Exhibitors To Join APICS Oldtimers at APICS '96

Of the nearly 175 exhibitors signed on as of mid-May for the 1996 APICS International Conference and Exhibition in New Orleans, Oct. 13-16, at least 23 are first-time exhibitors. They will join at least 36 APICS conference longtimers who, according to APICS exhibition records (1984-96), have participated in APICS conferences and exhibitions for five or more years.

"We're very excited about the newcomers, since in many cases they represent new approaches and products for our attendees to examine," said Dee Willett, APICS exhibits coordinator. "But the mainstay of the APICS exhibition each year is our long-term exhibitors, whose quality products and innovative technologies have resulted in mutually successful marketing and sales relationships with their APICS customers."

While most of the new exhibitors and others will be demonstrating software systems and products, other fields will be represented as well including consulting services, government partnerships and human resource development.

Among long-term exhibitors, American Software and Cincom Systems lead the pack, each of whom has logged 13 years at APICS conferences and exhibitions during the 1984-96 period. They are closely followed by Buker, Inc., and LXE, Inc., with 12 years each, and Manugistics, Inc., which marks 11 years with the APICS show. Others exhibiting eight or more years are: Numetrix; DEMAND MANAGEMENT; ENTERPRISE PLANNING SYSTEMS; Systems Software Associates; Expert Buying Systems, Inc.; J.D. Edwards; and UNITRONIX/PRAXA SYSTEMS.
As of mid-May, nearly 95 percent of the booth space for APICS '96 has been sold.

Attendees touring the 1996 APICS exhibit hall will find:

New technology demonstrations. One exhibitor, for example, will demonstrate how to harness the power of "Intranets," private networks that use Internet tools evolved from the World Wide Web to connect all departments of an organization, regardless of proximity. Other demonstrations will focus on state-of-the-art technology and areas including bar coding/automatic identification, electronic data collection, finance and accounting, forecasting and scheduling.
Interactive learning centers. Two interactive learning centers will be located on the Exhibit Hall floor. One will feature introductory training sessions on a variety of Microsoft software products including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Access. The other interactive training center will highlight presentations by APICS SIGs and the APICS Educational and Research (E&R) Foundation.

The exhibit hall will be open Monday, Oct. 14, 10:45 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, Oct. 15, 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, Oct. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

APICS Exhibitors of Five or More Years (between 1984 and 1996)
More than 10 Years	Six to 10 Years
American Software	Numetrix
Cincom Systems	DEMAND MANAGEMENT*
Buker, Inc.	ENTERPRISE PLANNING SYSTEMS*
LXE, Inc.	Systems Software Associates
Manugistics, Inc.*	Expert Buying Systems, Inc.
	J.D. Edwards
Five Years	UNITRONIX/PRAXA SYSTEMS
Berclain (MOOPI)	BRIDGEWARE
BSA SYSTEMS, INC.	Computer Associates
Cambar Software, Inc.	Fourth Shift Corporation
CIMCASE INTERNATIONAL CORP.	SAP America, Inc.
Effective Management Systems, Inc.	Taylor Industries Software
Ross Systems	CAMM, Inc.
Sapling Corp.	i2 Technologies*
Smart Software, Inc.	KRONOS, Inc.
Systems Modeling Corp.	Lucas Bear & Associates
TEKLOGIX	PROACTION MANAGEMENT CONSULTANTS
Visibility, Inc.	Relevant Business Systems
	Software 2000, Inc.
	Symix Computer Systems, Inc.
*companies listed under different names

New Companies Exhibiting in 1996
ADD+ON Software, Inc.
CMstat Corp.
DLOG
F&H Simulations, Inc.
FASTech Integration, Inc.
FUTURMASTER
Genisys Operation
Industrial Computer Corp.
INFORMIX SOFTWARE, INC.
INTELLUTION, INC.
Intentia International
International Purchasing Service
Nexgen Software Technologies, Inc.
NIST Manufacturing Extension
Partnership
Organizational Change Dynamics, Inc.
SMITH, BIRCHBAUER & ASSOCIATES
Sofwave, Inc.
Sun Microsystems, Inc.
TechnoLogix Decision Science, Inc.
The Chauncey Group International
THE SANT CORP.
TTW Inc.
West & Best

APICS '96 Conference Brochure Available in Late July

The full APICS '96 Conference Program Brochure will be available after July 24. The brochure contains complete program information including session descriptions and times, a partial list of exhibitors, conference registration and hotel information and a schedule of special events affiliated with the conference.

To receive the full APICS '96 Conference Program Brochure, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and ask for item #04037.

Conference Keynote Speakers Agree to Book Signing

All three APICS '96 keynote speakers have agreed to set aside time to autograph their books during the international conference and exhibition, Oct. 13-16, in New Orleans. Gen. Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), Daniel Burrus and Fran Tarkenton will be available on the day of their respective keynote addresses. Many educational session presenters also will be available to autograph their books during the conference.

Look for more details in later editions of APICS--The Performance Advantage.

Seminars/Symposia

Second Annual Constraints Management Symposium and Technical Exhibit a Big Success The 1996 Constraints Management (CM) Symposium and Technical Exhibit, held April 17-19 in Detroit, was a big hit, drawing 385 attendees. The program was highlighted by Eliyahu M. Goldratt, Ph.D., the developer of the theory of constraints (TOC), who gave a three-hour keynote session on TOC implementation and its evolution through real-world experiences.

The program also featured Maj. Gen. Charles Roadman, USAF, Commander, Air Force Medical Operations, Office of the Surgeon General, who spoke about how useful constraints management has been to Air Force medical personnel and encouraged the application of TOC to other service industries. In addition, Owen Kingman, corporate consultant for Delta Airlines, displayed actual TOC "reality trees" that Delta has developed to improve its aircraft cleaning procedures and reservation system.

The symposium proceedings (item #04218) and audiotapes can be ordered from APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344.

Certification

APICS CIRM Exam Schedule
The Certified in Integrated Resource Management (CIRM) exams are offered via computer-based testing during three two-week periods in 1996. The Integrated Enterprise Management (IEM) exam, the fifth and final exam in the CIRM process, will be offered once more in 1996. As mentioned in last month's APICS-The Performance Advantage, the next set of CIRM exam dates are:

Customers and Products/Logistics
July 13-27

Manufacturing Processes/Support Functions
Aug. 3-17

Integrated Enterprise Management (IEM)
Oct. 26

APICS encourages certification candidates to register early to ensure the testing time and location of choice. To obtain registration information and a complete schedule of 1996 CIRM exams, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and request a 1996 CIRM Certification Bulletin (item #09016). Candidates outside North America should request the CIRM International Certification Bulletin (item #09007) for details on international CIRM test dates and availability, while candidates in Mexico should request item #09019. To learn more about the CIRM program ask for the CIRM Informational Brochure (item #09011) or check the appropriate box on the FaxBack form.

CPIM Exam Appointments
APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) exams are administered at more than 250 test centers in North America. Candidates can test up to six days a week, eight to 10 hours a day. Testing times and availability vary by location. The 1996 CPIM Certification Bulletin (item #09002) contains a complete list of test center locations and phone numbers as well as information on exam registration. The bulletin includes illustrations of some of the computer screens used during the exams and information on using the various testing tools. To order your bulletin, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344.

Candidates outside of North America should request the CPIM International Certification Bulletin (item #09006), while candidates in Mexico should request item #09019. To learn more about the CPIM program ask for the CPIM Informational Brochure (item #09010) or check the appropriate box on the FaxBack form.

Workshops
Remanufacturing Fundamentals Workshop
Aug. 12-13
Pittsburgh
Sponsored by the APICS Remanufacturing SIG, this hands-on workshop offers back-to-basics education to give attendees the knowledge needed to bring a company's remanufacturing operations to the leading edge of today's technology. The workshop is geared toward a variety of manufacturing professionals, including design, manufacturing and industrial engineers, production supervisors and assistant and maintenance managers.

To receive a detailed registration brochure, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and ask for item #04047.

Remanufacturing Practices Workshop
Aug. 14-15
Pittsburgh
This workshop builds upon the skills learned in the Remanufacturing Fundamentals Workshop to help execute a company's business plan. It is designed for upper-level executives including top managers, supervisors, production planners, industrial engineers and material managers. To receive a detailed registration brochure, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and ask for item #04047.

Purchasing and Materials Management: Creating a Seamless Process
*July 22-23
Pittsburgh
Aug. 5-6
St. Louis
Oct. 11-12
New Orleans
*Oct. 28-29
Columbus, Ohio

*Just added

Due to overwhelming demand, two additional workshops have been added to those already scheduled for Aug. 5-6 in St. Louis and Oct. 11-12 in New Orleans. Jointly sponsored by the National Association of Purchasing Management and APICS, these workshops address the basic issues that purchasing and materials management professionals face every day. The information covered in the workshops includes everything from organizational issues to process reengineering.

To receive a detailed registration brochure, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and ask for item #01049.

E&R; Foundation

E&R; Foundation Offers Educational Variety at Colorado Workshops
The APICS Educational and Research (E&R) Foundation will offer a wide range of educational and keynote sessions from practitioners, researchers and academicians at its summer academic workshops. With a theme of "Applying Research to Improve Productivity," the workshops will be held Aug. 3-5 at the Sheraton Inn Denver Airport in Denver. Topics include:

How one organization met the supply chain challenge of dealing with contract manufacturing, ocean freight and multiple distribution centers
New applied research reports emphasizing performance measurements and cross-functional case studies
Twin-plant operations and future training challenges, with a focus on Mexico
One workshop focusing on quality management will use the Japanese art form of folding paper, known as origami, as a device for teaching process improvement.

The workshops also will include special sessions for practitioners in small business and small manufacturing.

To register, call APICS Customer Service at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344 and ask for the E&R; Foundation Summer Academic Workshop- Applying Research to Improve Productivity Registration Brochure (item #04072), or check the appropriate box on the FaxBack form. For further details, call Mike Lythgoe, E&R; Foundation director, at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344, ext. 202.

E&R; Foundation Invites Companies to Participate in New Research on Supplier Alliances
The APICS Educational and Research (E&R) Foundation is supporting a research project on "Supplier Alliances, Information Exchange Processes and Global Competitiveness." The study will take an in-depth look at the information exchanges and technological assistance procedures used by firms in nontraditional purchasing relationships, such as when a company narrows its supplier base and partners with its suppliers to design new products.

Typically, 60 percent of all manufacturing costs are associated with purchasing materials and services. As a result, this function is the prime area for improving productivity and quality. The results from this study will provide managers with additional insights into the effort and critical success factors required to sustain such alliances along the supply chain.

Companies with special alliances that place more reliance on trust, interdependence and information sharing-in particular those in Washington state, Oregon and northern California-are invited to participate in this research.

For further details, call Mike Lythgoe, E&R; Foundation director, at (800) 444-2742 or (703) 237-8344, ext. 202.

CHAPTER SEMINARS

July

13 -- Sacramento Chapter, Cycle Counting, Sacramento, Calif. Speakers: Karen Hess, CPIM, CIRM, and Ken Romano, CPIM. Contact the Sacramento Chapter, (916) 650-8660.

15-17 -- San Fernando Valley, Los Angeles, and Ventura County chapters, Southern California Mega Conference & Expo, Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, Calif. Contact Bill Garrison, (818) 897-3738 or (818) 586-7325.

September

12-Oct. 17 (Thursdays) -- Tucson Chapter, Back to Basics, Tucson, Ariz. Contact Ken Peters, (520) 294-0898.

21 -- Sacramento Chapter, Business Essentials for Small Manufacturers, Sacramento, Calif. Contact the Sacramento Chapter, (916) 650-8660.

Information appearing in this listing is for seminars only. Fax information to (770) 432-6969.

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