Northwestern University's "Global Supply Chain Management" course will study the best strategies for purchasing, procurement, and distribution in a global environment.

This program will discuss effective logistics strategies for companies operating in several countries. Participants will learn how to integrate the different components of a supply chain into a coordinated system. Sessions will cover topics such as supply chain design, inventory management, supply chain partnerships, and decision support systems.

Participants will review strategies and planning models for managing supply chains and coordinating multiple plants. They will learn how to match supply and demand more accurately and how to identify and integrate e-business opportunities into their supply chains.

Global Supply Chain Management

Sponsor: Northwestern University

Dates: Jan. 30–Feb. 2, 2002

Venue: Evanston, Ill.

Cost: $3,750, includes materials, meals, and accommodations

Contact: Northwestern at (847) 467-7000 or visit www.kellogg.nwu.edu

Participants will learn how to progress beyond lean manufacturing during the University of Michigan's "Supply Chain Management" executive education course. Course instructors will present a framework for taking "lean" management concepts to the next level: designing and implementing supply chain practices across multiple manufacturing locations.

The course will show how to reduce costs and increase service levels while, at the same time, effectively managing inventory, distribution, and logistics. Topics covered will include effective inventory control, distribution and logistics management, and partnering with suppliers and customers. The course also will present methods for using e-business technology in supply chain management.

Attendees will participate in a simulation of a four-level supply chain and will experiment with common decision-support systems for logistics and transportation management.

Supply Chain Management Design and Execution for Global Markets

Sponsor: University of Michigan

Dates: Nov. 13–16, 2001; May 28–31, 2002

Venue: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Cost: $4,000, includes materials, meals, and accommodations

Contact: Michigan at (734) 763-4229 or visit www.execed.bus.umich.edu

The National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM) has introduced an online course that will explore how supply chain management can improve an organization's overall supply efficiency.

This introductory course will provide participants with a definition of a supply chain network and an overview of methods, processes, and systems that can be used in the operation of a supply chain. Participants will look at the supply chain not only internally but also externally from both the supply side and the distribution side. The course will also discuss how to improve supply chain performance.

The four-week course will consist of weekly readings, assignments, team interactions, student forums, and tests. NAPM recommends that students spend three to six hours per week on the course. Students will have to log in several times a week to complete assignments and interact with their teammates. Classes, however, do not occur at scheduled times and may be taken at any convenient time during the week.

Supply Chain Management - Online Internet-Delivered Course

Sponsor: National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM)

Dates: Nov. 2–30, 2001; Jan. 25–Feb. 22, 2002

Venue: online

Cost: $495 for NAPM members, $545 for nonmembers

Contact: NAPM at (800) 888-6276 or visit www.napm.org

"Supply Chain Management and eBusiness" will present the latest thinking on how to leverage supply chain management and e-business across the enterprise.

This course from Supply Chain Seminars will discuss how to integrate a company's activities across the entire supply chain. It will stress how to avoid silo-type behavior by implementing cross-functional approaches to supply chain management. Presentations will illustrate how to manage complex and geographically dispersed manufacturing and distribution systems.

Among the seminar topics are the role of the Internet in the supply chain, metrics for benchmarking and diagnosis, and building partnerships with customers and suppliers.

Supply Chain Management and eBusiness

Sponsor: Supply Chain Seminars

Dates: Nov. 14–15, 2001

Venue: Palo Alto, Calif.

Cost: $3,275, includes materials and meals

Contact: Supply Chain Seminars at (800) 566-1585 or visit www.supplychainseminars.com

University of Wisconsin will show participants "How to Reengineer Supply Chains" in this executive education course, which serves as a foundation for the school's supply chain management seminar series. The course provides a business process improvement model for successfully implementing supply chain initiatives and managing change.

This model consists of nine steps and begins with understanding how supply chain management relates to the corporation. It moves on to define a supply chain management mission or vision and then identifies improvement opportunities. Next comes understanding the requirements of supply chain processes and establishing a process for supply chain improvement.

On the second day, the seminar covers how to select supply chain management processes for improvement, how to redesign those processes, and how to select trading partners and third-party providers. Finally, the seminar ends with a session on how to implement a pilot and monitor performance.

How to Reengineer Supply Chains

Sponsor: University of Wisconsin-Madison

Dates: Feb. 11–12, 2002; June 10–11, 2002; Sept. 9–10, 2002

Venue: Madison, Wis.

Cost: $1,045

Contact: Wisconsin at (800) 292-8964 or (608) 441-7357 or visit uwexeced.com/transportation/supplychain/

In "Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy," Georgia Tech's Logistics Institute will teach participants how to develop a comprehensive logistics strategy to support overall business objectives.

The course accomplishes this goal by presenting world-class practices and systems for customer service and order processing, inventory planning and management, supply chain integration, transportation and distribution, and warehousing. Participants will explore the changing role of logistics in business. They will learn about logistics performance measurements and procedures, logistics information systems, and logistics organizational design alternatives.

The seminar ends by addressing international logistics, discussing logistics case studies, and studying the larger trends in the logistics field.

Logistics and Supply Chain Strategy

Sponsor: The Logistics Institute of Georgia Institute of Technology

Dates: Feb. 19–22, 2002; July 16–19, 2002

Venue: Atlanta and Orlando, Fla.

Cost: $3,150, includes materials and some meals

Contact: The Logistics Institute at (404) 894-2343 or visit www.tli.gatech.edu

Now in its second year, Worldwide Business Research's "eChain 2001" provides a two-day summit on the technology-empowered supply chain.

This year's conference will take a comprehensive look at how to create a streamlined, yet seamless, flow of information and materials across the supply chain. Speakers will address how to redesign the supply chain to provide greater visibility of materials and better alignment of supply and demand. Related topics include improving operational efficiency, reducing excess inventory, rationalizing procurement, and reducing product cycle time and customer leadtime.

Collaboration with suppliers and customers also promises to be an important theme at "eChain." For example, the conference will investigate how collaborative planning can improve the life cycle of a product, the accuracy of a forecast, and the design of a distribution network. Collaborative design and transportation management also will be discussed.

eChain 2001

Sponsor: Worldwide Business Research (WBR)

Dates: Dec. 4–5, 2001

Venue: Las Vegas

Cost: $1,899, includes materials and meals

Contact: WBR at (800) 882-8684 or (973) 256-0211 or visit www.wbresearch.com/echain01nv/