Purchasing Agents: Come to Little Rock

In response to member requests, the Association has brought back the purchasing track to its annual spring meeting, and we intend to make this comeback big.

Member companies who register an executive may register a purchasing agent for only $99—a $300 savings compared to the current registration rate.

On the second day of the summit—Wednesday, April 5—the Association will host a purchasing track, and purchasers can get professional credit for attending.

Leading the session will be Alan Downs, president of Downs Frog Ops, which offers supply chain and operations training, and a master instructor for APICS, a professional association for supply chain management. He will discuss:

• Best practices regarding inventory
• Carrying cost of inventory
• Vendor-managed inventory programs
• Consigned inventory programs
• Bar coding (inventory, inventory locations, WIP and finished goods)

Purchasing agents will receive three hours certification credit for participating in the APICS session and as many as 12 hours for attending other Supply Summit sessions. (Certification calls for 75 hours every five years.)

Of course, the Supplier Showcase on Thursday afternoon is an outstanding opportunity for purchasing agents to connect with representatives from companies who are key members of their supply chain, or perhaps should be.