Supply Chain Training, Education and Consulting

Negotiate Like a Pro

Deb Hansford — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 12:24:36 +0000

Purchasing and inventory management professionals negotiate with people other than suppliers. Both in the business world and at home, people are negotiating on a regular basis. This fun and interactive session will privately challenge participants to consider how well you really negotiate while engaging in short exercises.

Topics discussed include:

What are the top three questions before negotiating?
How should I overcome objections during negotiating?
Who is the best type of person to negotiate?
When would I conduct competitive bids before negotiating?
Why some are people hesitant to negotiate and satisfied to “give in”?

Education Duration: 8 – 24 hours depending on detail

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement.

We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager to get this done!

Stop Annual Physical – Control Inventory Everyday

Deb Hansford — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 16:31:39 +0000

Before the process of taking an annual physical inventory is stopped, the need and costs of taking the inventory should be reviewed.

During this interactive workshop we will discuss topics such as:

Why does your company conduct an annual physical inventory?
How often do you find counting or identification mistakes after conducting the annual inventory?
What extra costs have you incurred to ship a customer order because you thought material was available and could not find it?
Who is responsible for determining accuracy requirements at your company?
When you conduct an annual physical inventory, do you stop other business activities?

This workshop may be combined with Lean Cycle Counting to determine the next steps so your company will have accurate inventory on a continuous basis.

Education Duration: 2 hours

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement. We have first hand experience as a cycle counter and later as the department manager to get this done!

Project Management for Purchasing and Inventory

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:29:59 +0000

Supply chain professionals use project management skills when implementing software, moving a warehouse or working with suppliers for construction projects. There may be less obvious examples of using project management techniques when developing a statement of work with a supplier or implementing a cycle count process.

During this workshop we will discuss:

What is the difference in a project and a kaizen event?
How to write a statement of work to avoid surprises and keep everyone informed?
Who is responsible for the success and failure of a project?
When would a team be a better alternative for a project involving people outside your company?
Why projects go through phases and how communications need to change for each phase?

Education Duration: 7 hours

Education Format: Seminars and webinars

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement. We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager to get this done!

Global Sourcing – How to Get Started

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:29:26 +0000

Many companies have suppliers around the world to help contribute to lower costs. During the workshop we will discuss some pros and cons of global sourcing.

Topics include:

When is a good time to consider global sourcing?
How do companies find qualified suppliers?
What is the impact of cultures during negotiations?
Who determines the logistics and freight terms when purchasing globally?
Why are payment terms likely to be different and how to know what is best?

Education Duration: 7 – 14 hours depending on detail

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement.

We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager to get this done!

DMAIC for Purchasing and Inventory

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:28:22 +0000

Inventory and purchasing professionals may be using DMAIC in activities such as improving inventory accuracy, supplier performance, cost savings, and process improvements.

During the workshop, we will discuss how DMAIC may be used in other supply chain and operations management responsibilities and answer the following questions:

What is DMAIC?
Why use DMAIC?
How could using DMAIC improve a process?
Who are the stakeholders of the process and why is it important to identify them?
When do you know DMAIC is complete?

Education Duration: 4 hours

Lean Cycle Counting

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:27:42 +0000

Cycle counting may be viewed in similar terms as incoming inspection. Quality can not be inspected in a part, but is rather a reporting mechanism after the fact. Counting more parts more often does not guarantee higher accuracy so why do so many companies feel this is the best process?

During this interactive workshop we will discuss the following:

What lean methods may be used to implement a cycle count program?
How may accuracy improve by counting less?
When is the best time to confirm inventory accuracy records?
Who in your company views cycle counting as a value added activity?
Why do companies think additional resources help improve inventory accuracy?

We will explore other alternatives using lean-six sigma techniques to improve accuracy without adding resources and wasting time. Bring your problem to the learning events and get possible solutions you may implement for success.

Education Duration: 7 hours

So Now You’re a Buyer – What’s Next?

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:26:00 +0000

This interactive workshop will discuss key points that Buyers need to embrace to be successful and contribute to corporate goals.

Topics include:

How do you know exactly what to buy and who to buy from?
What do you need to consider while talking with suppliers?
When is better to negotiate vs. conducting bids?
What needs to be included on a purchase order and why?
Why is FOB important?
What is total cost of ownership and how does it relate to price?
Who benefits from using best in class type purchasing methods?

For face to face seminars and webinars, bring examples of 2 recent challenging tasks to be used for discussion and solutions.

Education Duration: 8 – 24 hours depending on detail

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement.

We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager to get this done!

How to Create Supplier Scorecards

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:23:23 +0000

Suppliers are an important part of the supply chain and impact financial reports beyond just the price paid. As companies become more aware of the importance of supplier relationships, supplier scorecards may be an important tool.

This interactive workshop will discuss the following:

Why use a supplier scorecard?
How do you measure suppliers’ performance?
What are the 4 steps to implement a supplier survey?
When is a benchmark used instead of a baseline?
Who determines key performance indicators?

Education Duration: 2 – 4 hours

Consulting: Need more help? We are available to come to your site and provide an assessment and help you determine next step steps. You determine the duration and amount of involvement.

We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager to get this done!

CPSM Certification Review

Deb Hansford — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 16:19:08 +0000

Certified Professional in Supply Management is an ISM certification program introduced in 2008. This is an excellent credential for those people who qualify to sit for the exams. Go to www.ism.ws/certification/ for details about the qualifications and topics covered with each of the three exams. Candidates with a C.P.M., who meet other criteria, may be eligible for a single Bridge Exam. (We offer that review course also!)

Our certification review workshops are designed to be fun and uses practical experiences and mnemonics to help participants remember concepts.

Who attends our workshops? ISM affiliates sponsor many of our classes to provide a benefit for members. We also work with corporate clients who want a class at their location and a time most convenient for their employees.

What is covered during the workshops? We use custom slides with a lot of photographs to help recall ideas during the learning process. Participants will need to have a copy of the Study Guide available from ISM.

Why do people attend our seminars and workshops? Some people prefer to learn in a more structured environment than self study. Other people enjoy the camaraderie when meeting other professionals and hearing how another company may resolve “opportunities” that goes beyond learning material for an exam. There are people who attend our classes because they attended other classes with us and had fun and learned!

When are classes held? Check the website of your local ISM affiliate or send us a note. We may be able to travel to your site, or even offer the classes in a webinar type format.

How do people study successfully for the exams after attending our classes? The success rate for passing the exam is very high for those people who review the materials before class and take the exam within 2 weeks. These people use the class to clarify material and ask questions. Other people use the class as a starting point for their learning journey. All participants receive access to a password protected website for a limited time with extra questions for practice. This is useful especially when used before the ISM Diagnostic.

Most people who attend our class and follow the recommendations we provide to study achieve successful results when taking the exam.

We have first hand experience in purchasing, inventory management and later as the department manager and understand the concepts to help people learn. We are also certified by both ISM and APICS and have attended (or taught) their Train the Trainer program.

Education Duration: 7 – 14 hours