metrics you can use
METRICS ARE NOT JUST SOMETHING TO BE COLLECTed like Hummel figurines or decorative tea cups; they should
be used to drive performance and get results. To help warehouse and DC managers make better use of the performance
data they collect, the Warehousing Education and Research
Council is offering a seminar titled “Using Metrics to
Achieve Results.”
Instructors Kate Vitasek and Kimberly
O’Donoghue will provide a roadmap for identifying the right performance target, selecting the
appropriate number of metrics, and then using
those metrics to drive behavior. Attendees will also
learn how to sell their metrics—not just internally to management and associates but
also to customers and suppliers. The course will also cover the basics of benchmarking
and look at what leading companies are doing to improve their performance.
The next session of this seminar will be held Aug. 4–5 in Dallas. For more information, visit www.werc.org.
May 31–June 1
The Transportation Marketing &
Communications Association’s
Annual Conference & Marketing
Expo takes place in San Diego.
Keynote speaker Barry Asmus will
identify the “Six Unstoppable
Trends” that are affecting American
businesses and the overall economy. For information, visit
www.tmcatoday.org.
grounded in reality
June 2–3
Distribution center layout will be the
focus of the Warehousing Education
and Research Council’s seminar on
Maximizing Warehouse Space:
The Key to Productivity. The event
takes place in Dallas. For information, visit www.werc.org.
If you’re going to take three days out of your busy work week to attend a certificate program, you
probably don’t want to waste time in high-level theoretical discussions. You want practical lessons
that you can put to immediate use in managing your supply chain.
To ensure that its Certificate Program in Supply Chain Management meets the needs of today’s
supply chain professionals, Rutgers University designed the curriculum in cooperation with leading industry experts from companies like AstraZeneca, Becton Dickinson, Colgate-Palmolive, and
Panasonic. Program organizers say their intention is for students to take away actionable and
proven ideas that they can tailor to their own business.
Presenters include Rutgers faculty members as well as senior corporate executives with extensive
experience in supply chain management. Topics on the agenda include the best way to manage
your suppliers, trends in transportation management, and best practices in inventory management.
The course will be held from June 10–12 on the Rutgers-Livingston campus in Piscataway, N.J.
For more information, visit http://scm.rutgers.edu/cp/.
June 9–11
International Defence Logistics
2009 in Brussels, Belgium, explores
the logistics challenges facing
defense organizations in the 21st
century through lectures, case studies, and panel discussions. For information or to register, visit
www.defencelog.com.
the silver lining
Rather than wringing your hands over the economic downturn, why not take advantage of the slowdown to take up some of those improvement projects you’ve never had
time for? Experts say slowdowns are an ideal time to take a step back, review your operations, and cut out any redundancies and unnecessary costs.
The University of Kansas’s continuing education course on “How to Lay Out a
Warehouse or Distribution Center” may put you on the right path. Scheduled for June
8–10 in Chicago, this workshop teaches systematic layout planning. According to
course organizers, the class will present practical approaches to storage, order picking,
packing, material movement, and physical control. Participants will learn ways to
reduce handling costs, improve storage efficiency, and build flexibility into their DCs.
June 24–26
Rather than looking back, presenters
at SMC3’s Summer Conference in
Las Vegas will provide a “Supply
Chain Look Ahead.” Speakers will
discuss economic and legislative
trends and offer their outlook for the
rest of 2009 and 2010. For information, visit www.smc3.com.
July 15
The Reverse Logistics Association
will hold a one-day RLA Seminar in
Detroit. The educational event will
include an address on best practices
in outsourcing. For information, visit
www.rltshows.com.
