DC Velocity - October 2009

the programs WERC is developing, the group’s online ini-
tiatives, and why the days of the 500-page book are over.
a bit slower, this is an excellent time to focus on training,
and WERC can help with that.

QHow would you describe WERC’s mission?
AWERC’s mission is to provide resources to the ware- housing and distribution industries, whether it’s
learning opportunities, products, or services. The associa-
tion has also played a role in raising the profile of ware-
housing and distribution.
WERC also provides networking opportunities through
our events, our committees, and our regional chapters,
which extend WERC’s reach to the local
level.

QWhat sorts of programs is WERC currently develop- ing for its members? AFrom an ongoing perspective, there is our annual distri- bution center metrics and benchmarking study, which we do jointly with DC VELOCITY, Georgia Southern University, and Supply Chain Visions. Having done that for six years, we are now in a position to offer trending information as far as DC metrics go, which I think is valuable and which is something our members have always been looking for.

We’re also looking at moving more of our products and resources online, whether through online learning or other programs. We are experimenting with the social networks that are out there—the LinkedIns and the Twitters. We are also always looking to expand our menu of online tools. A good example is our online benchmarking tool. It allows a member company to go in and enter its own DC performance numbers to see how they compare with data from the DC metrics study. So that is giving our members tools and information they need to refine and improve their processes.

QCould you talk a little about the regionalchaptersandtheiractivities? AOur chapters serve as volunteer-driven extensions of the national organization. The local chapters help us to serve a member who might be working with more limited resources and can’t attend the national conference every year. They also allow members to bring their front-line people into association activities, again without the expense of attending the national conference. Our chapters give us the ability to provide learning and enrichment opportunities to larger segments of our members’ operational teams through local facility tours, networking events, and speaker presentations.

QIn the current economic climate, everyone’s looking for ideas for cutting costs, streamlining operations, and so forth. Would you say that the role of education-focused associations like WERC is more important now than it might be in better times? AI don’t know that I would say more so now. I think that [education support] is what we always provide. That said, our members are certainly like everyone else in business right now in that they’re being challenged by the economic environment. So they clearly are looking for more information and ideas to help them not just survive, but perhaps thrive in this downturn. For instance, as business is

QIt seems most every association is currently facing challenges in maintaining its membership base. How are things trending with WERC? AEconomics have made membership a more challeng- ing product to sell if you can consider it a stand-alone product. But we are seeing upswings in other areas, like online courses and sales of our publications. Although conference attendance was off a little bit this year, our attendee surveys still show that we deliver a very good product, a very good experience. That’s something we remain committed to.