welcome to the real world
THE REAL WORLD WAS PRETTY HARSH LAST YEAR, AND THE CHALlenges are unlikely to dissipate in 2010. That means a lot of supply chain professionals are still looking for ways to reduce costs, optimize inventory, and
improve service. To help them come up with new ideas, organizers of the
National Logistics and Distribution Conference on April 12–14 in Atlanta
have arranged to have speakers from several leading companies on hand to
share their stories and experiences.
The presenters include Chris Gaffney, president of Coca-Cola Supply LLC,
who will talk about “The Journey to Demand-Driven Supply Chain and
Living Positively as a Supply Chain Professional.” Other sessions will be led by
executives from Office Depot, Stage Stores, and Rock-Tenn Co.
This conference, produced by systems integrator Peach State Integrated
Technologies, is co-sponsored by Georgia Tech and DC VELOCITY. For more
information, visit www.nldc2010.com.
April 12–14
As economic conditions improve,
increased freight volume is expected to
strain available transportation capacity.
The Health and Personal Care Logistics
Conference’s 2010 Spring Conference in
Philadelphia will help prepare supply
chain managers for this contingency.
( www.hpclcnet.org)
April 12–15
The National Defense Industrial Association’s Annual National Logistics Conference & Exhibition in Miami provides a
forum for exchanging ideas on how to
improve the logistics operations supporting
our nation’s warfighters. ( www.ndia.org)
It’s a pledge you’re used to hearing from pitchmen on late-night infomercials but
maybe not from organizers of professional conferences. Yet this year, the Warehousing
Education and Research Council (WERC) is offering a money-back guarantee to attendees of its annual conference. If the event doesn’t provide a quality educational experience, the association says, it will provide a refund or credit toward a future WERC
national program.
“Industry events like WERC’s conference are a considerable investment,” said Tim
Feemster, president of WERC’s board, in a statement. “We want organizations to know
that when they send their teams to the WERC conference, it will pay off.”
Held in Anaheim, Calif., from May 16–19, the conference will include speakers from
Kraft Foods, Avon Products, Starbucks Coffee Co., and OfficeMax. The event also fea-
tures facility tours and the Warehousing Industry Resources Event.
Early bird rates are available until April 5 (just don’t expect WERC to sweeten the
deal by throwing in a bamboo steamer or set of Ginsu knives). For more information,
visit www.werc.org.
money-back guarantee
April 14–16
RFID Journal Live! in Orlando, Fla., will feature presentations from end users on how
their operations have benefited from RFID
technologies. ( www.rfidjournalevents.com)
April 18–20
The National Private Truck Council’s 2010
Annual Education Management
Conference & Exhibition in Cincinnati will
include workshops on coaching drivers,
benchmarking and best practices, and the
energy and fuel markets. ( www.nptc.org)
The key to supply chain excellence is determining what you do best and then
leveraging those core competencies to achieve a competitive advantage,
according to the organizers of a new workshop offered by the Council of
Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP). At the two-day workshop, Strategic Supply Chain Management: Concepts and Applications,
attendees will learn how to tap into the power of supply excellence to drive
overall business success.
The workshop is taught by veteran logistics consultant Thomas L. Freese and
DC VELOCITY’S own Editor at Large Steve Geary. The next session will be held
April 12–13 at CSCMP’s headquarters outside Chicago in Lombard, Ill. For
more information, visit http://cscmp.org/events/strategic-scm/index.asp.
play to your strengths
April 19–21
The National Conference on Operations
& Fulfillment in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., will
highlight strategies for improving operational efficiency, raising service levels
while controlling service costs, and
increasing the productivity of your work
force. The event is organized by the Direct
Marketing Association. ( www.ncof.com)
April 25–28
The Institute for Supply Management’s
95th Annual International Supply
Management Conference in San Diego
will offer an entire track devoted to logistics issues like infrastructure, security, and
network optimization. ( www.ism.ws)
