APICS San Joaquin Valley Chapter

This has been a very tumultuous year for most companies due to the unprecedented downturn in the global economy. We’ve all seen employee layoffs, department restructuring and even companies closing due to declining sales. We’ve had to tighten our belts and budget wherever possible to lower our operating costs. But now the general outlook shows definite signs of improvement with sales and production numbers steadily climbing back to their pre-“meltdown” volume. And not surprising, our local APICS chapter has also been affected by the economic downturn and we’ve had to make a few major changes we hope are only temporary. Due to declining meeting attendance we regret to say we probably won’t hold Professional Development Meetings (PDM) for the remainder of this term, but the Board of Directors will revisit the possibility of having PDM’s again sometime in 2010.

Because education is at the very heart of APICS, we are excited that our “Basics of Supply Chain Management” class, the first step in professional certification, is now in session and will be taking their certification test this December 12^th. Our “Master Planning of Resources” class will begin Saturday, January 23rd. The MPR class is the second step on the path to earning your CPIM certification, an investment in yourself. The signup deadline is January 15^th, 2010 and in response to our members’ requests, we’ll be holding the classes every other Saturday. Please contact Connie Tallman at connie.tallman@jbtc.com or (559) 661-3239 for more information.

Marco Fabila, the Lean Operations Manager at Pelco, will be hosting his very popular “Lean Seminar” on January 16^th. Seating is limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis. Look for a more detailed announcement coming soon regarding this great event. Make sure to get your reservations in early as this seminar usually fills up within a couple of days after registration begins.

Connie Tallman, of John Bean Technologies Food Tech in Madera (formerly FMC), will be hosting another popular and classic seminar, “Inventory Record Accuracy”, on March 24^th 2010. This is truly a timeless and foundational topic and in today’s economy, more important than ever. Please watch for the seminar announcement in an upcoming newsletter.

We look forward to continuing to offer APICS educational classes and hope for us all a better, brighter and Happy New Year. See you in certification class!

Our final PDM meeting for 2008 / 2009 term is Thursday evening, May 14th at Pelco and will be a combined meeting with ASQ (American Society for Quality) with a 'round-table' format encouraging discussion of topics of mutual interest to both groups. I'm really looking forward to this event and hope to see you there. It will be a great networking opportunity providing the chance to interact and learn from our colleagues representing different industries.

APICS Chapter Board elections were held the July 2009 / June 2010 term. Election results are as follows: Rebecca Young (myself) will continue as chapter President; Connie Tallman is our VP of Education; Randy DiPinto continues as the e-Newsletter Administrator; Dan Dieterich is our Website Administrator; Marco Fabila will facilitate as our Facilities Coordinator; Paula Cooke is Director of Finance; and Christina Day continues as our VP of Company Coordinators and Chapter Administrative Assistant. Thank you to all of our past and present Board of Directors for your support and hard work. Your commitment to our San Joaquin Valley chapter of APICS is greatly appreciated!

The following Board positions are now waiting for you to fill: VP of Membership; VP of Programs; and Passport Administrator. If you are interested in joining our dynamic leadership team, please contact any current Board member for more information. Joining your APICS board is a great opportunity to learn organizational and leadership skills and also work with some really great people within our professional community.

Stay tuned for the PDM schedule for the new term! It will be different - it will be exciting - it will be worth it! APICS' primary purpose is to provide educational opportunities for our members and friends and these opportunities come to us by PDM's, seminars and certification classes. Our next CPIM class will be "Execution and Control of Operations" and is scheduled to begin Saturday May 30th. The deadline to register is May 22nd so please contact Connie Tallman at (559) 661-6239 or connie.tallman@jbtc.com for signup information. Connie can also provide scheduling information regarding the 'ever popular' Fundamentals classes.

Please feel free to contact me at Rlyoung@pelco.com with any comments or suggestions. We need feedback from our customers, that being you, to provide the quality education experience you expect. Check our website at: http://www.apics-sjvc.com for information regarding upcoming events, Board of Director contacts, and the Education Class calendar.

Rebecca Young, CPIM
APICS - SJVC, President
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I've good news and bad news. The good news is our chapter is off to a really great start this year with strong enrollment for our educational certification review classes. The bad news is we have to cancel the March 12th Professional Development meeting due to unforeseen scheduling conflicts. However our next PDM meeting is scheduled for Thursday evening, May 14th at Pelco and will be a combined meeting with ASQ (American Society for Quality) with a round-table format encouraging discussion topics of mutual interest to both groups. I'm really looking forward to this event and hope to see you there. It will be a great networking opportunity and educational event providing the chance to interact and learn from our colleagues representing different industries. Look for our next newsletter for more details.

I attended the ASQ's panel discussion meeting held Wednesday, Feb. 25th at Grundfos Pumps featuring the topic, "How to Thrive in a Struggling Economy". The panel was comprised of Aric Olson, CEO of JAIN Irrigation, Inc., David Mortensen, Senior VP and Quality Manager of Grundfos Pumps, and Thomas LeBlanc, Western Regional Sales Manager of Ulbrich of California, Inc. The meeting was very interesting and several great ideas and concepts were provided by the panel. It was also interesting to note that both Aric and David hold APICS CPIM certifications and also ASQ certifications in Six Sigma and Quality. In addition, Aric is also APICS CSCP certificated. The panel discussed quality, operations and management issues they are dealing with in their own companies during this current economic climate. Thank you to all who attended the event as it made for a more interesting 'Q&A' session with many different views represented by the audience.

We will have our next CPIM course, "Detailed Scheduling and Planning", in April. The deadline to register for this class is March 20th so please act now! Contact Connie Tallman, APICS VP of Education, at (559) 661-3239 or email Connie at connie.tallman@jbtc.com if you are interested in attending or if you need more class information.

Chapter Board elections will be held in May for positions on the APICS Board of Directors for the July 2009 thru June 2010 term. Please contact any Board member if you would like to volunteer to be on the board or if you have any questions regarding the positions. We also are looking for a new President for the chapter. This position is a great opportunity to learn organizational and leadership skills and also work with some really great people within our business community.

Please feel free to contact me at Rlyoung@pelco.com with any comments or suggestions. We always like to get feedback from our customers, that being you, and want to provide you with the quality education and experience you expect. Also check out our website at: http://www.apics-sjvc.com for information regarding upcoming events, Board of Director contacts, and the Education Class calendar.

Happy Holidays from all of us here at the San Joaquin Valley chapter of APICS! We hope you have a great holiday season with family, friends and loved ones. During these uncertain economic times, it is important for us to take a moment and count our blessings and remember we still live in the land of opportunity!

Speaking of a great opportunity, on Thursday evening January 15th, 2009 our PDM speaker will by Mr. Mitchell Zucker presenting the topic "Secrets of Professional Growth and Leadership Development". Mr. Zucker comes highly recommended by our Pacific Western District Director, Mr. Mel Nelson, and when Mel recommends a speaker, we know this will be a worthwhile presentation. January's PDM topic is most fitting considering APICS promotes professional development through education, life-long learning and networking opportunities. Mr. Zucker will show us how we can take advantage of these opportunities and "stand out from the crowd" to make a powerful difference in our career.

On another note, our next CPIM certification review course, Master Planning of Resources, will held Saturday February 7, 14 and 21, 2009, and the test will be given March 14th. The registration deadline is Friday January 16th so contact Connie Tallman, our VP of Education, at (559) 661-3239 or by email at connie.tallman@jbtc.com, if interested in attending or for more information.

Great news ... PayPal is being introduced at the January PDM for easier payment convenience. Except for late cancellations and 'no-shows', the San Joaquin Valley chapter will no longer invoice companies for dinner meeting attendance. To make our events easier for us all, dinner meetings must be paid at the door by either cash, check or credit card.

As always, I have an "open door" to your concerns so please feel free to contact me anytime at rlyoung@pelco.com with any and all comments and suggestions you think will improve our PDM's and educational offerings. We always look forward to feedback from our customers and want to provide you with the quality education and experience you've come to expect.

Check out our website at: http://www.apics-sjvc.com for more information regarding future PDM dinner meetings, Board of Director contact numbers and addresses, and the current Education calendar.

With my term as chapter President quickly drawing to a close, it is time to put pen to paper for my last "President's Letter". With my final words to our chapter, I'd like to thank all the professionals who have helped make the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of APICS a success. It's a long list of names and if I omit anyone, please forgive me and add yours to the list.

The hard working board of directors is what keeps this organization functioning and running smoothly. To all past, current, and future board members, thank you. And to your families and loved ones, it is deeply appreciated the sacrifice of time made by all of you.

Our chapter members also deserve recognition. It would not be possible to have the educational programs, professional development meetings and seminars throughout the year without your support and attendance. Your dedication has kept our chapter growing for over 33 years.

To our members' organizations that support our APICS chapter by providing facilities for classes and dinner meetings, a sincere and heartfelt thank you. Remember the annual education kickoff meeting usually held in September, is the time to bring your organizational training and educational needs to the chapter board of directors and President.

The running joke within the chapter board of directors is you cannot leave your board position until you have recruited your successor. So to my 'soon-to-be-elected' successor, thank you for allowing me to gracefully exit my leadership role as your chapter President. Our APICS chapter is now in your capable hands.

John Newlyn

CSCP, CFPIM CIRM C.P.M. Network+

Chapter Membership Continues to Increase!

Thank you new members — your membership in the San Joaquin Valley Chapter has pushed our current membership numbers to 105. Many chapters in the Pacific Western District are experience negative growth, so it is nice to be President of one of the few chapter trending the other direction!

But as a new member you may ask, “how do I benefit from APICS membership?”. As an APICS member, you’re connected to the leading source of the body of knowledge in operations management. For more than 50 years, APICS has kept members up-to-date on industry best practices, new technologies, and techniques. With exclusive access to members-only resources, networking, and cost savings on educational materials, you can improve your career and competitive advantage.

To provide even better benefits and services to the individual member through the local chapter, APICS International as elected to increase the annual membership dues effective April 1st, 2008.

Member Category	Current Chapter Dues	Dues As of 04/01/08
Professional	$155	$200
Retired**	$55	$75
Corporate	$130	$200
Academic**	$25	$25
Student	$25	$25

CPIM Track

Details for the Certified in Production and Inventory Management program are on the Chapter website-- http://www.apics-sjvc.com/Education.htm . The ideal starting point for anyone that wants to get CPIM certified is the Basic of Supply Chain Management course. I strongly recommend you sign up early and reserve your spot as soon as possible.

2008 International Conference and Expo

The beginning of the year gives us a new opportunity to plan what we want to accomplish in the year. Have you considered going to the APICS International Conference and Expo? If you want more information, go to this site and register for e-mail updates on the event. http://www.apics.org/Education/Conference/

Speaking Opportunities

Do you have a topic that would be a good Professional Development Meeting subject? Do you know someone in your own organization that you know has an important message for our chapter? We are always looking for local speakers with topics of interest to the APICS membership. Contact me and I will be glad to forward your interest to our esteemed Programs Director.

37 Company Coordinators and counting…

The Chapter board of directors and I would like to thank all the hard working Company Coordinators that help communicate the APICS message to their companies. We truly appreciate your volunteer activities. See who all the chapter volunteers are at our web site location

If you would like to see your own name included in this list next month and bring the “APICS message” to your organization as a Company Coordinator, contact Christina Day at c.day.78@hotmail.com.

John Newlyn

CSCP, CFPIM CIRM C.P.M. Network+

Excel All-Day Workshop – December 14, 2007

Back by popular demand, John Newlyn will once again present the successful ”Excel for Operations Management” one-day workshop on Friday December 14 to be held at Pelco. This popular event is a “must have” for those of us in Operations Management that desire to do our jobs more quickly, efficiently and accurately. John Newlyn is an exceptional instructor whose style of teaching is both fun and easy. Register Now

Complimentary APICS Dictionary, 12 Edition for All Current Members

All current members of APICS can request a complimentary copy of the latest edition of the APICS Dictionary. This is a primary source of reference every APICS member should have, especially certification candidates. Get your copy on order today by accessing the following website: http://www.apics.org/Resources/Dictionary/request.asp

Educational Offerings – Mixed Results So Far…

So what has happened to the robust Education programs the San Joaquin Valley chapter has been offering year after year? Well, it’s mixed results. In the southern part of our geographic area CPIM and Fundamentals programs are very strong. In the northern half, well, not so strong. Early indicators are that the CSCP program will be right on target for the first year’s results.

This chapter has always delivered very good educational programs based on the needs of our membership. However I’m beginning to wonder if in the northern areas we have experienced a fundamental change in our demand pattern.

So if you have any ideas why the education programs have had such a difference in response, please let us know. We are ready to continue delivering our high quality programs. Let the board know if you don’t see the offerings you and your organization looking for and we will address the need.

Chapter Membership Now 100 and Counting

100 members - great news! For the first time in years our chapter has had a recent surge in membership that has pushed us to the century mark. Keep spreading the word about the wonderful local resource available to professionals in the materials, logistics, production, purchasing and operations management field. One simple way to spread the word is to pass your newsletter along to someone once you have finished reading your copy. Thank you very much for being a part of this dynamic change.

APICS International Conference Proceedings

The 2007 APICS International Conference Proceedings will be available through a new Web site, the APICS Live Learning Center. APICS members and APICS 2007 conference attendees will have unlimited and complimentary access to valuable conference content on-demand, increasing the usefulness and availability of the proceedings. A mid-November Web site launch is planned.

John Newlyn

CSCP, CFPIM CIRM C.P.M. Network+

This time of year is always special—kids and adults are returning to school, the weather is changing slightly, and the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of APICS schedules the annual Education Kickoff Meeting. This year, as in the past, the chapter will share with members and non-members alike the educational programs planned for the next calendar year. If you want to know more about what education programs are available to you here in the San Joaquin Valley you should attend this meeting. We also encourage supervisors, managers and owners to attend. The education programs offered by the chapter might be the solution to a problem or situation you currently face. Please consider attending, and bring a friend too.

The Education kickoff announcement details can be found on the first page of this newsletter.

We are proud to announce that we will be offering a Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) review course program in 2008. If you have at least five years of supply chain experience or hold a CPIM, CIRM or C.P.M. certification, this program is designed for you. Other requirements may also apply. The world of manufacturing and distribution is changing. This program will help you stay current with the changes and trends we are experiencing.

If you would like to be the person that takes the APICS message to your company, we have a volunteer role for your consideration—Company Coordinator. Company Coordinators are the person ‘on the inside’ of member companies. They are part of the communication channel that works in both directions between the chapter and member companies. Contact Christina Day at c.day.78@hotmail.com

Who doesn’t like a manufacturing or distribution facility tour? Contact Randy DiPinto at rvdipinto@juno.com if you would like to offer your facility for a tour during an APICS Professional Development Meeting (PDM). These are always well attended events and great opportunity for you to show to the community why you are proud of your company.

John Newlyn

CSCP, CFPIM CIRM C.P.M. Network+

The basic ‘Excel for Operations Management’ seminar held late March was a great success and has led the chapter to move forward with a more advanced Excel class covering the same general topic but in much more detail and complexity. Vern Gillispie, a true computer training professional, will be leading the intermediate ‘Excel for Operations Management’ class scheduled for the June - July time frame. I’m considering taking his class myself!

I encourage every APICS member to read the story behind the first 50 years of APICS. The complete article is located on the APICS Society website. Region 10, the home region of the San Joaquin Valley Chapter, was represented by Ramona Memmott, a long-time Region 10 staff member. The full URL is:

The value gained by reading about the history of APICS is well worth the time investment.

I’m very pleased to have Randy Williams presenting at the May PDM. It’s been my pleasure to work with Randy on several IT related projects at Pelco. He’s one of those unique people in the IT field that are both technically competent in addition to being customer focused. If your organization is planning a significant enterprise software solution implementation, make plans to attend this PDM. If you haven’t heard of ‘Service Oriented Architecture’ (SOA), then this is an excellent opportunity to learn about this new APICS body of knowledge protocol. It will be worth the time invested.

The chapter’s new website is located at www.apics-sjvc.com. Update your bookmarks.

I was very pleased to get a letter from APICS Society congratulating our chapter on membership growth in the first quarter of 2007. I’d like to pass that congratulations message to you. Thank you for your membership.

I have always believed in the value of APICS participation because both the individual and the organization benefits from the educational and networking opportunities provided by the local chapter. If you have an example of how the San Joaquin Valley chapter has helped you or your company, I’d like to hear it.

John Newlyn

CSCP, CFPIM CIRM C.P.M. Network+

I’m pleased to have Rich Leach presenting at the March PDM. He has been instrumental in bringing the Certified Supply Chain Professional program to both his home chapter based in Reno, Nevada and to Region X of APICS. If you’re interested in the CSCP program this is one of those can’t miss events.

One down and four to go. The chapter has completed the first of five CPIM review courses scheduled in Merced for 2007. Thanks to Scholle Packaging and Randy Weaver, our newest board member, the future for APICS in Merced looks bright. If you have any Merced area business partners, vendors or customers that could benefit from the review courses in Merced, let them know we have activities in their neighborhood.

It does to me. The question is which organization will be the first to open their doors and show their facility off? Implemented a new warehouse management system (WMS), automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS) or cool new machine tool? Let Randy DiPinto know and you could have your very own opportunity to brag about your facility successes. Randy’s contact information is on the back of this newsletter and the chapter website http://www.apics-sjvc.com

		San Joaquin Valley Chapter
Advancing Productivity, Innovation, and Competitive Success