The American Society of Transportation and Logistics Agrees to Merge with APICS
At the beginning of May 2015, the American Society of Transportation and Logistics (AST&L) agreed to merge with APICS. This merger will strengthen the supply chain management education and credentialing industry because companies will have one major entity to turn to for training and industry best practices. The transaction has not been approved by AST&L members yet, but if everything goes smoothly, the supply chain management industry will have access to subject matter experts in one place.
APICS offers four certification programs — Certified Supply Chain Professional, Supply Chain Operations Reference framework, Certified in Production and Inventory Management, and SCOR Professional. AST&L offers three credentials of their own. That means companies and individuals who seek out certifications will have greater resources to draw from when the merger is complete.
Chairman of AST&L George Yarusage said, “All aspects of the supply chain are becoming increasingly integrated. Education, training, and credential programs that offer an end-to-end supply chain perspective are critical to helping today’s professionals advance and organizations thrive.”
The new organization would take on the APICS name and have two major goals — to elevate supply chain managment performance and develop talent in the supply chain industry. APICS Chief Executive Officer Abe Eshkenazi would remain in his position as CEO and AST&L President Laurie Hein Denham would become a senior advisor for the organization.
Specific plans and details of the merger have not been released to the public. There are still quite a few things that need to be worked out before the merger can even take place. However, industry leaders and professionals can look forward to a more unified voice in supply chain management training. The existing credentialing programs are expected to stay mostly the same, but offer more access to subject matter experts and other resources.
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