About APICS Phoenix

APICS, now referred to as the Educational Society for Resource Management, is a not-for-profit, international educational society for manufacturing professionals. The society was founded in 1957 in Cleveland, Ohio. Ron Maddox, currently of Sun City West, Arizona, and Niles Reinfeld, sent out 35 invitations to attend the first APICS meeting. Seventeen people were in attendance. For more than 50 years since then, APICS has offered the latest in educational programs and materials, helping thousands of companies and individuals employ state-of-art business management concepts and techniques.  

APICS consists of a worldwide network of over 72,000 manufacturing and other professionals. There are more than 270 chapters in North America and representation in over 30 countries. The Phoenix Chapter formed in 1961 and has grown to its current size of approximately 375 members. APICS offers you valuable opportunities to benefit from the hard-won experience of your peers and other professionals.

APICS Certification

APICS certifications help improve company performance, your performance, and are an important differentiator on your resume. The CSCP course and selected CPIM courses now include OPS-MATH™ Spreadsheets at no extra charge. This helps the student quickly learn the concept and retain it longer to provide confidence in passing the certification exam. Learn more at opsmath.com and make that commitment today to start your certification. It’s never been easier!

There are three internationally recognized certification programs offered by APICS. All are comprehensive, affordable programs for the busy professional. The first is Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM), the original certification program offered. The second certification program is Certified in Integrated Resource management (CIRM). This program is focused more on the interrelationships between the different areas of the entire company. The newest certification is Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP). The CSCP program is a new industry educational and certification program created to meet the rapidly changing needs of the supply chain management field. In the past, APICS offered testing only three times per year. APICS now offers computer based testing (CBT). With CBT, members can plan to take certification exams as they fit into their schedules. To find the testing location that is most convenient for you, access Promissor at www.promissor.com and select the Professional Certification button, then select Professional Certification in the Test Taker Information column. To keep certification meaningful, APICS has recently added a new Certification Maintenance program.

APICS Membership

Valuable member discounts are offered on educational programs, certification exams and reference materials. Because of the alliance between APICS and the National Association of Purchasing Management, now known as the Institute for Supply Management, member discounts are also offered by APICS to ISM members and by ISM to APICS members. For more information, contact APICS or ISM.  The APICS Phoenix Chapter also honors membership discounts to Institute of Management Accountants (IMA) members.

As a member, you can attend quality educational programs, including symposia, workshops, and an annual International Conference and Exhibition.

Members can stay on the cutting edge with monthly issues of the APICS 's official magazine, APICS—The Performance Advantage, and quarterly issues of APICS' Production and Inventory Management Journal as well as the Chapter's monthly newsletter, The Sahuaro.

As an APICS member, there are additional "special member services" that are available through APICS . Offerings include discounted member rates on group insurance, credit cards, car rental, retirement plans, and more.

APICS Student Members

Students, the future caretakers of our industry, can gain direct exposure to professional opportunities within manufacturing by joining one of APICS' nearly 170 student chapters. The Phoenix Chapter is proud to have participation from students at DeVry Institute of Technology and Arizona State University comprising the two student chapters in our area. These students go above and beyond their regular studies to participate in chapter management, student paper competitions as well as networking with professionals in the industry. Their energy is unlimited! 

APICS Employment Referrals

Employment referral services are also available at the national level and at the chapter level. A valuable resource available at the national level is the APICS Career Center, which contains information for members and non-members. More information can be obtained by dialing 1 (800) 444-APIC (2742). Also, the Phoenix Chapter both accepts résumé’s from members and distributes résumé’s to interested employers looking to fill positions. For more information regarding this service, please contact the APICS Phoenix Chapter office at (480) 813-2154.

APICS E&R Foundation

The APICS Educational and Research (E & R) Foundation, a nonprofit 501 (c) (3) organization founded in 1965, is dedicated to identifying and pursuing the latest technology associated with resource management industries, and improving the APICS body of knowledge. Foundation activities include Establishing Resources for Corporate Partnerships, hosting Annual Summer Academic/Practitioner Workshops, offering various presentations with Eli Goldratt, maintaining an Academic Research Database, competitions such as The Donald W. Fogarty International Student Paper Competition and The Plossl Doctoral Dissertation Competition, Spanish translations of APICS materials, research grant opportunities and other individual, corporate, or chapter related support for applied research. A small part of the proceeds from the Phoenix Chapter's certification courses and seminars are donated to the E & R Foundation in support of its activities.

Contact Us

For questions, comments or more information about APICS history and/or opportunities and offerings, please contact any member of your Phoenix Chapter Board of Directors, or contact APICS Headquarters at 1 (800) 444-APIC (2742).

*Board year is July 1 to June 30

Chapter Benchmarking and Reporting Awards Program (C-BAR)

(replaces Passport to Future Improvement Program)

The C-BAR Program is a standardized exercise that promotes action and innovation. With the assistance of an instructional template, individual organizations plan and execute a strategy of progress within the field of production and inventory management. Specifically, they identify an opportunity for innovation, prescribe a program to address the opportunity, implement the program, measure the results, and undertake further action to improve future outcomes. It is a description of the organization's overall experience that is submitted to a panel of veteran APICS volunteers and regional leadership. The panel evaluates the programs and provides objective guidance through instructional feedback.

The C-BAR Program encourages strong organizational management practices, including solid strategic planning, continuity among leadership, and recruiting and retaining members. Individual members also benefit by learning management skills that translate to on-the-job success. These skills involve stronger communication techniques, enhanced writing abilities, expanded leadershipacumen, and sound financial practices.

The Chapter's C-Bar submission is generally coordinated by the President and Executive Vice President of a Board term; the Executive VP becomes President in the following Board term year. Gold status is the highest evaluated level - Platinum is awarded on the fifth consecutive year of Gold.  The Phoenix Chapter submissions and standings:

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