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BANNOCKBURN, Ill. — Association Connecting Electronics Industries® has announced the EMS Program Manager Training and Certification dates for 2011. A four-part curriculum that culminates with a certification exam, IPC’s EMS Program Manager Training and Certification is designed to provide preparation for and insight into the varied business, operations and management issues specific to an EMS organization. The 2011 training dates are:
• Introduction to EMS Training and Program Management: January 14–15, San Jose; April 11–12, at IPC APEX EXPO™, Las Vegas; late September, in conjunction with Electronics Midwest, Rosemont, Ill.; November 4–5, Philadelphia;
• EMS Training II: April 14–15, at IPC APEX EXPO, Las Vegas; June 9–10, San Jose; late September, in conjunction with Electronics Midwest, Rosemont, Ill.; December 2–3, Philadelphia;
• EMS Leadership Training and Certification Exam: April 14–16, at IPC APEX EXPO, Las Vegas; late September, in conjunction with Electronics Midwest, Rosemont, Ill.; November 10–12, San Jose; and
• Certification Exam Only: April 16, at IPC APEX EXPO, Las Vegas; late September, in conjunction with Electronics Midwest, Rosemont, Ill.; and November 12, San Jose.
Appropriate for experienced managers, new managers and managers in training, the program covers critical topics including operations, finance, contract and time management, as well as essential leadership skills. Although, as Paul Forker, vice president of sales for Quality Production Ltd. notes, the program is not just for program managers. “I took the course and it really helped me to see how operations, legal, accounting, and customer service all come together to support our customers. I have a much clearer understanding of how I can better assist my team members and coordinate resources in support of our customers’ goals.”
The first part of the course, Introduction to the EMS Industry and Program Management, is a two-day overview of EMS program management and the EMS industry, providing interactive lectures, group discussions and exercises with industry leaders. The next segment, EMS Training I, is a self-study/online tutorial that provides students with background information in basic business areas such as customer relations, legal issues, accounting, supply chain management and more.
EMS Training II is a two-day course that expands on the basic concepts and their relevance to specific EMS situations. The final segment, EMS Leadership Training, covers effective communication practices, conflict resolution and problem-solving techniques to meet the leadership challenges presented by any customer project. “Becoming a certified EMS program manager (CEPM) will expand a manager’s expertise and cultivate necessary skills to help the company save time and money. Earning certification can also be a powerful tool for winning clients,” said Susan Filz, IPC industry programs director. “Program management means something different in every company. But having well-rounded knowledge of the industry can help program managers provide more value to their companies and their customers.”
For more information on earning a CEPM or to register:
Barbara,
After reading throgh your two posts i wonder: can a supply chain be handled globally?
taking into consdirations the factors you've raised, i think once we have to cross international boundries, expecially across continents, the issues need to be addressed regionally.
The internet and communication systems has really turned the world into one single global entity but when thing leave the cyber world, and we face reality of the market and national differences, we realise that we are not yet “global”.
Hi Tioluwa,
The supply chain is really less global than one would think. At the same time, there are a few companies that have established a global published price (which leaves room for actual negotiated price) and one company I hear is really trying to unify prices for their whole product line. I will spend some time over the next few weeks interviewing the principals involved in this effort and sharing what I learn. I know the industry as a whole favors the idea–it makes a lot of transactiosn easier. If the supply chain pulls together on this, I think it has a chance of succeeding, but that is still a long way off.
This is why it seems the electronics supply chain can sometime seem like a delicate dance with complex steps on the edge of a cliff. That the industry always manage to pull off this intricate negotiations without shutting down sporadically is a testimony to the expertise of the players – or the knowledge/wisdom of their lawyers! Each part in the chain or network, as some prefer, is seeking profit motives while balancing the interest of its suppliers. How does a company get the best pricing it wants globally for components without at the same time appearing to be gouging its suppliers?
I think the answer to the last question depends on which link of the chain you represent. For component makers, prices are never high enough; for distributors, suppliers' prices are too high and customers want to pay too little; and for customers, prices are always too high whether they are ordering from the supplier or from the distributor.
At the same time, the channel has become better at understanding cost vs. price. As long as suppliers, distributors and customers recognize the costs associated with manufacturing, storing and moving components around the world (and are willing to pay for those services), all will come closer to protecting their respective profit margins while moving toward a price that all can live with.
Well this is exactly the reason why the sales guys sometimes get unhappy when engineers contact their headquarters to source component instead of contacting local guys. Its all the profit margins.
Barbara, It seems the global supply chain can be “global” sometime only in name
alone. Your article discussed component pricing but there are other elements of
the supply chain that have similar pricing issues, including contract
manufacturing , logistics, after-sales services, etc. A company that wants
limited variations in global component pricing would also be likely to insist
on the same for services provided by other parts of its supply chain. For
instance, if Apple's iPod is manufactured by Foxconn in China and Vietnam,
would Apple have to negotiate pricing based on where production takes place or
should it negotiate one flat pricing and leave the electronic manufacturing
services provider to decide where to make the products? Labor rates may differ
substantially in the two locations yet Apple will likely sell the iPod at the
same price in, say, the United States, notwithstanding where they were
manufactured. Any thoughts?
Hawk–I agree 100% with your assessment. The Apple example you cited is a classic case: Apple likely has a “global” price from its component suppliers that is unique to Apple. But Apple's EMS partners–in this example Foxconn–may get a different price from those same suppliers because Foxconn sources in such huge volumes. If Foxconn's price is lower, do they “refund” the difference to Apple? Does Apple “refund” the difference to its customers? I doubt it. And you are correct–Apple sells the iPod for the same price no matter where it was manufactured.
Unhappy sales guys? Perish the thought…But you are right, SP. Although most of the personal contact happens at the field level, the contracts are negotiated at HQ. The tough part is, it makes sense: If you are an OEM, why not consolidate the purchasing?
One of the ways distributors used to work around this was to have an account manager at the corporate level and at the field level. That kind of personnel is a luxury nobody can afford any more. It's no surprise that someone in the equation ends up unhappy.