In this Issue

“APICS Report” features the latest APICS news, products, and programs.

Accuracy and precision may sound like the same thing, but they are distinct entities in the science and business fields. To begin applying these ideas to your own forecasts, first consider if your organization's needs favor accuracy or precision.

The prizes for developing new ideas, collaborating with partners, and applying the results in new products soon will be greater than ever before. This is described by many as the new industrial revolution.

While companies such as Ford and Apple benefited from new-product development and smart product launches during the recession, it also is true that operational vigilance was a significant contributor to their successes.

Ensign Power Systems' customers rely on products that must function continuously even in the most demanding environments—from battlefields to steel mills. Recently, one steel mill was experiencing a major problem: repeated power failures.

APICS, as an organization, needs to keep up with the pace of change, better preparing businesses for growth and ensuring people all over the world have access to its world-class education.

The APICS Educational and Research Foundation will soon engage in a number of academic and practitioner research projects, creating new understanding about how supply chain professionals create value for their companies now and in the future.

“Industry Watch” takes a look at the newest product and software releases by major players in the field of supply chain and operations management.

At your company, in order to teach something new to your established employees, you need to acknowledge there is a process, recognize it takes time, and commit to enacting and reinforcing best practices.

An advanced planning and scheduling (APS) system alone is not the solution to alleviate capacity constraints. You cannot schedule your way out of a capacity problem; you can only control which orders are completed late.

New product launches are critical to the success of a company—and a major challenge. Nothing is easy, and there is no place to hide when things go wrong.

Barbara Smith went through a career change in 2006 and thus was completely new to manufacturing. This was challenging, but she says her APICS courses were full of valuable information that will remain applicable throughout her entire career.

Through a focused and systematic approach, Marks & Spencer has incorporated its sustainability Plan A into the way it operates its business. This has been instrumental in delivering significant benefits over the past five years.

It's estimated that more than 15 petabytes—about 15 million gigabytes—of new information is collected each day. Big data is here, but it is in the early stages of its life cycle.

The Product Showcase features partners of APICS magazine.