Upcoming changes to CPIM, Certified in Production and Inventory Management
By Vishnu Rayapeddi, B. Pharmacy (Honours), MBA (Ops.), Lean, SSGM, CSCP, CLTD While acquiring a certification can have a significant effect on your career trajectory, it’s a process that requires a considerable outlay of time and money. For individuals in the early stages of their career, it can be difficult to make an informed choice. To help make this decision easier, here are some tips… According to experts, if you’re seeking a career in inventory management, then APICS’ CPIM is the best certification to get. Over 100,000 (over 770 in NZ) people have pursued the CPIM since its inception in 1973, making it the most recognised of all the certifications in the supply chain sphere. APICS describes the CPIM in rather broad terms on its site, but Rich Sherman, a consultant at Trissential boils it down to the following: “You get the CPIM if you want to learn production planning, scheduling and inventory management. It’s very plant floor focused.” No bachelor’s degree is required, and you need only two or more years of experience in the field. Monty Boyle, a consultant in the US who has the CPIM, says that each individual will get something different out of it depending on their prior experience, but stresses that the certification training provides everyone with a solid grounding in the terminology and thought processes involved in production and inventory management. As a result, people who have the CPIM share common concepts and terminology that are very valuable in the workplace. For example, Boyle highlights the section of the exam dedicated to manufacturing capacity planning, which analyses capacity planning in three ways: according to the factors of a master production schedule, using capacity bills and using resource profiles. Anyone with the CPIM will likely approach capacity planning in a similar way. Current Structure: […]