The Supply-Chain Council's World Conference and Expo will provide an international forum for expressing and exchanging views among supply chain professionals. This conference attracts internationally recognized supply chain authorities, including keynote speaker Bernard LaLonde, professor emeritus at Ohio State University.

Speakers will discuss the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model developed by the council and describe how it will be affected by e-commerce. Conference sessions also will identify best practices and metrics in measuring supply chain efficiency.

Attendees can learn how other companies have improved supply chain operations as well as how technology can support supply chain efficiency. Discussions also will cover what type of corporate culture enables an efficient supply chain.

Supply-Chain World Conference and Exposition

Sponsors: Supply-Chain Council and Paragon

Dates: April 10–12, 2000

Venue: Chicago

Cost: $895, Supply-Chain Council members; $1,075, nonmembers

Contact: Supply-Chain Council at (412) 781-4101 or visit www.supplychainworld.org

Unleashing the power of information technology (IT) requires more than having the shiniest electronic tools. University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's (UNC) e-commerce seminar will address how to develop solid business strategies that will support and draw on the latest technology.

The program will address such questions as how to leverage Internet technology; how to use IT to combine knowledge, service, and commerce; and how to create a strategy for e-business. A panel of experts from leading Internet companies will examine how e-business will evolve in the upcoming years. Finally, participants will discuss how their companies can foster the flexibility and adaptability needed to meet tomorrow's challenges.

A major portion of the seminar promises to focus on rethinking supply chains for e-business. The seminar will challenge the traditional transactional view of supply chains while studying the impact of globalization and the need to build effective coalitions with business partners. This program is designed both for members of large organizations and for small entrepreneurs.

eCommerce: Developing Strategies for Competition in the Information Age

Sponsor: UNC-Chapel Hill

Dates: April 10–12, 2000

Venue: Chapel Hill, N.C.

Cost: $2,100, includes materials and some meals

Contact: UNC at (800) 862-3932 or visit www.bschool.unc.edu

Michigan State University (MSU) has revised and updated its "Logistics in Supply Chain Management Annual Executive Seminar" for 2000. MSU designed this seminar to emphasize logistics' contribution to integrated supply chain analysis, problem solving, and operation.

The seminar material approximates a graduate-level logistics management course and is divided into five main units: logistics in supply chain management, information and technology management, integrated operations management, process integration and measurement, and relationship management.

Faculty members include both university professors and prominent business executives. The structure of the seminar combines lectures, cases, and computer simulations. As a key part of the program, participants will use the computer simulation to compete in teams on the management of an integrated logistics system.

Logistics in Supply Chain Management Annual Executive Seminar

Sponsors: Michigan State University and the Council of Logistics Management

Dates: May 7–12, 2000

Venue: East Lansing, Mich.

Cost: $3,850, includes accommodations, all meals, and materials

Contact: Michigan State University at (517) 353-4367 or visit www.bus.msu.edu

Penn State University and the Council of Logistics Management have created a program for managers who are new to logistics and supply chain management or who work closely with these areas.

"Managing Effective Supply Chains" will focus strongly on global supply chain management and strategies while also looking at information technology, supply chain tools, and creating and measuring logistics value. Working effectively in alliances and partnerships will be a key component as well.

Participants will walk away from the program better equipped to make supply chain decisions, measure the impact of logistics on customer service and profitability, and apply information technology.

Managing Effective Supply Chains

Sponsors: Penn State University and the Council of Logistics Management

Dates: May 15–18, 2000

Venue: College Station, Pa.

Cost: $2,450, includes accommodations, all meals, materials, and access to recreational facilities

Contact: Penn State at (800) 311-6364 or visit www.smeal.psu.edu/psep

Aspect Development will facilitate a program on inbound supply chain management and e-procurement during its Summit 2000 Executive Conference. Participants will learn more about these topics through executive case studies and information about the latest in Web-based products and technologies, including business-to-business e-commerce portals.

During the first two days of the conference, executives will describe their successes and recommend best practices for reducing the design cycle, cutting product cost, and accelerating the system's deployment. Industries represented include high tech, automotive, industrial, pharmaceutical, consumer packaged goods, and telecommunications. The third day will focus on the latest Web-based technologies and supply chain management solutions.

Summit 2000 Executive Conference on Inbound Supply Chain Management and eProcurement

Sponsor: Aspect Development Inc.

Dates: April 16–19, 2000

Venue: Scottsdale, Ariz.

Cost: $1,285

Contact: Aspect Development at (800) 734-7279 or visit www.aspectdv.com

The University of North Florida, Ohio State University, and the Council of Logistics Management are co-sponsoring a series of eight seminars on supply chain management issues. Two of the eight seminars are scheduled for April and will address "Implementing Supply Chain Management" and "E-Commerce: Electronically Linking the Supply Chain."

"Implementing Supply Chain Management" is designed for high-level executives who are in the process of developing and implementing supply chain strategies. The course will show how to link core business processes throughout the supply chain. Areas covered stretch from product development to demand management and the returns process. The program also will discuss customer relationship management, manufacturing, and flow management. Participants will look at examples from 3M as well as draw from their own experiences.

The "E-Commerce" session will instruct participants on developing and supporting e-commerce strategies and supply chain structures. Instructors will present new strategies for using and managing real-time information, redeploying inventories, and building new intercompany relationships. They also will look at e-commerce order-fulfillment processes and electronically linking business processes and information flows across the supply chain.

Implementing Supply Chain Management

Sponsors: University of North Florida, Ohio State University, and the Council of Logistics Management

Dates: April 12–14, 2000

Venue: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Cost: $1,850, including some meals and all materials

Contact: University of North Florida at (904) 620-1050 or visit www.unf.edu/dept/logistics/

E-Commerce: Electronically Linking the Supply Chain

Dates: April 26–28, 2000

Venue: Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Cost: $1,850, including some meals and all materials

Contact: University of North Florida at (904) 620-1050 or visit www.unf.edu/dept/logistics/

As the concept of the supply chain expands to include suppliers and customers, alliance formation has emerged as a priority topic. In "Creating Successful Alliances and Partnerships," University of Virginia faculty members will provide guidelines both for entering into alliances and making them work.

Based on current research by University of Virginia faculty, the seminar will look at two key ideas: alliance spirit, the psychological bond that ties together successful partnerships, and alliance static, disruptions that can trip up even the most solid partnerships. It also will discuss how to raise issues and discuss problems with partners through a no-blame review.

Participants will learn how to identify and remedy obstacles to their alliances, evaluate the success of an alliance, and anticipate which issues will arise at which moments in an alliance's development.

Creating Successful Alliances and Partnerships

Sponsor: University of Virginia

Dates: April 9–14, 2000; Oct. 15–20, 2000

Venue: Charlottesville, Va.

Cost: $5,600, includes accommodations, materials, and most meals

Contact: University of Virginia at (804) 924-3000 or visit www.darden.edu/execed/

This course offered by the National Association of Purchasing Management (NAPM) gives a broad overview of supply chain management and the value it adds to an organization.

"Supply Chain Management: Adding Value Through Strategic and Tactical Effectiveness" begins by defining and explaining supply chain management. It continues through developing and preparing for a supply chain initiative and finishes with implementation. Participants will leave the course with a definitive action plan for their own companies.

The program also will discuss how to determine the skills needed for successful supply chain management and how to tie supply efforts to overall organizational goals. Participants will be able to identify and alleviate potential problems and develop an effective measurement system.

The NAPM designed this course for anyone involved in the supply chain, particularly purchasing and supply management directors.

NAPM's Supply Chain Management: Adding Value Through Strategic and Tactical Effectiveness

Sponsor: National Association of Purchasing Management

Dates: April 27–28, 2000; July 22–23, 2000

Venues: Cincinnati; New Orleans

Cost: $895 for NAPM members; $1,095 for nonmembers (registering less than 30 days prior to the seminar adds $100 to the price)

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

As the reach of the e-economy spreads, the challenges and the opportunities of product and supply chain design intensify. The Management Roundtable tackles this issue in its Second International Conference on "Product Development and the Supply Chain—Collaborating and Competing in the Age of e-Business."

This conference will bring together experts and industry leaders such as Stanford University professor Hau Lee, Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Charles Fine, President and Chief Operating Officer of Oracle Corporation Ray Lane, and Ford Motor B2B President Alice Miles.

The speakers will examine the types of decisions that need to be made at the front end of product and supply chain design. Topics include strategic design of product, process, and supply chain; leveraging the Internet; and breakthrough collaboration and design approaches.

Break-out groups, networking activities, and preconference workshops will allow participants to investigate issues such as modularity, design to order, Internet tools and software, and supply chain metrics.

Product Development and the Supply Chain

Sponsor: The Management Roundtable

Dates: April 18–19, 2000; pre-conference workshops April 17, 2000

Venue: Santa Clara, Calif.

Cost: $1,495 for conference; $395 for each pre-conference workshop

Contact: The Management Roundtable at (800)-338-2223 or visit www.ManagementRoundtable.com

Now in its second year, LatinLogicon 2000 is designed specifically for logistics, distribution, and supply chain professionals responsible for Latin American supply chains.

Conference speakers are drawn from a wide variety of leading-edge companies including Sun Microsystems, Procter & Gamble, Sony Electronics, and Ford. They will address key issues such as reducing leadtimes at border crossings, determining which service providers to use in Latin America, and integrating Latin American operations into a company's global network. The ways in which e-commerce and online ordering will affect Latin American sourcing and distribution also will be discussed.

Conference sponsor Worldwide Business Research also has organized a pre-conference executive seminar on Mexican logistics for March 28 and a post-conference tour of the Miami International Airport and the Port of Miami cargo-handling facilities for March 31.

LatinLogicon 2000

Sponsor: Worldwide Business Research

Dates: March 29–30, 2000

Venue: Miami

Cost: $1,899 for conference only; $2,599 for conference and executive seminar; $ 2,399 for conference and tour; $3,199 for conference, executive seminar, and tour

Contact: Worldwide Business Research at (800) 882-8684 or visit www.wbresearch.com

Columbia University's e-commerce seminar will provide key insights into the new realities of the e-commerce marketplace.

The seminar seeks to get companies ready for the challenge they'll face in the e-commerce market. It looks at what to do with a Web site once it is built, how e-commerce affects existing channels of distribution, and how to handle market threats such as disintermediation. Participants also will look at how to bridge the gap between customers and business processes. They will improve their ability to market their products and conduct business online.

The sessions involve both workshops and case discussions led by faculty who are experts in e-commerce.

e-Commerce: Creating Strategic Advantage

Sponsor: Columbia University

Dates: June 5–7, 2000

Venue: New York

Cost: $3,500, includes some meals and materials

Contact: Columbia at (800) 692-3932 or visit www.gsb.columbia.edu/execed

The annual Distribution/Computer Expo ranks as the largest exhibition of computer software and services for logistics and supply chain management. This year's event will feature 65 educational sessions and more than 275 exhibitors.

Seminar topics of particular interest to supply chain professionals will include global supply chain management, e-business collaboration, e-commerce fulfillment and distribution, software consolidation and integration, and Internet-enabled e-supply chains. Other seminars will address specific technology concerns in warehousing, distribution/logistics, transportation, and outsourcing.

The keynote speaker is author and consultant Jim Tompkins, who will hand down "The Ten Commandments of the e-Supply Chain."

Distribution/Computer Expo & Seminar 2000

Sponsor: Logistar

Dates: April 4–5, 2000

Venue: Chicago

Cost: $595 for registrations received before March 20; $695 after March 20

Contact: Logistar at (800) 338-4112 or visit www.logistar.com

Leading-edge executives understand that effective supply chain management depends upon combining new technological and quantitative tools with an integrated business-management approach.

Working off this premise, University of California at Berkeley is offering a three-day seminar on strategic supply chain management. The program will explore inventory control, replenishment, supply network design, integration, and optimization, among other topics.

Using the knowledge gained during the session, participants can help their company align product development, production, and the supply chain; improve product forecasting; and increase revenues, cost control, and customer satisfaction.

Strategic Supply Chain Management

Sponsor: University of California at Berkeley

Dates: May 15–17, 2000

Venue: Berkeley, Calif.

Cost: $2,975, includes some meals and materials

Contact: University of California at Berkeley at (510) 642-4735 or visit www.haas.berkeley.edu/ced

According to Ohio State University, the building blocks of a successful logistics operation consist of customer service, transportation/traffic, warehousing, inventory control, network analysis and design, and sourcing. Over this foundation arch three themes that are dominating logistics at the turn of the century: globalization, information technology, and supply chain management.

The university joins together these fundamental building blocks and dominant themes in its four-day Logistics Management Program. The program investigates the interrelationships among the building blocks and examines how to make trade-offs among them.

The program incorporates lectures, panel discussions, case studies, and exercises. Session topics of interest to supply chain executives include developing and implementing supply chain management, developing e-commerce, and controlling inventory.

Logistics Management Program

Sponsor: Ohio State University

Dates: June 5–9, 2000

Venue: Columbus, Ohio

Cost: $3,950, includes accommodations, meals, and materials

Contact: Ohio State at (614) 292-0331 or visit www.cob.ohio-state.edu/~logistics