President's Message
October, 2008

For American business leaders, competitiveness is the goal. Cutting through all the fads, buzz-words, and latest business management crazes is one constant – how to find a way to be more competitive in an expanding global economy.

There are only a few proven business process improvement methods that offer the dual advantages of low investment and high impact. Of course, Lean is one of them. Another is S&OP. Sales and Operations Planning is on a par with Lean/JIT in helping firms to achieve improved performance and a sustainable competitive advantage. S&OP is a low-tech methodology that allows top management to have a handle on the business while providing middle managers with the highly desirable “single set of numbers” so necessary for effective daily operations.

On October 28, Chapter 19 will present a special afternoon session devoted to S&OP. Three member companies that are using S&OP, or are in the process of implementing it, will make presentations and participate in a round-table. Bob Stahl, who literally wrote the book on this subject and who made a very well attended keynote address on S&OP and Postponement for us last May, will return to Western Mass. to facilitate the discussion.

This is a unique opportunity to learn from your peers at local companies who are willing to share their real world experiences with this technique. We expect this exciting format change to generate some new energy and stimulate a lively discussion during the Q&A session. I am confident that if you participate in this event, you can bring back to your work environment a better understanding of S&OP concepts and how they can help you company to become more competitive.

Best regards,

Bruce Chartier