36-Hour Certificate Program

Certificate Program

The Niagara University Supply Management Certificate Program is designed to be a comprehensive and convenient way to learn about managing key aspects of the supply chain. It is designed as a professional development resume builder for managers with no formal logistics education. The purpose is twofold: First, to learn practical ways to save money and improve performance in key areas of the supply chain. Second, the student will gain a broader perspective on management and drivers of the supply chain, thus enhancing career advancement.

Niagara University’s Center for Supply Chain Excellence is offering a new format for its Supply Management Certificate Program. Six one-day programs are offered on key concepts in SCM. You choose five of the six to complete the program and receive the Niagara Center of Supply Chain Excellence Certificate Plaque.

Click Here for Dates of June 2012 Seminars

Each seminar day has two goals: Introduce the participants to key management concepts and then discuss leading edge practices and current issues.

• Cost: Individual course fee is $229.
• "36-Hour Certificate Series" fee is $750 (Take all five of the courses below.)

1) Supply Chain Management

The Supply Chain Management concept continues to evolve, encompassing logistics, procurement, and production.  Understand the basic ideas, key principles and philosophies that make SCM a cohesive business discipline. What does it take to use SCM to help your firm gain a competitive advantage? Within these themes, the following specific topics are covered:

• Key terms that encompass SCM
• The interactive relationships between SCM elements: Transportation, Inventory, Production, and Purchasing
• Key areas of logistics costs and recent cost trends
• Examples of leading edge practices

2) Traffic & Transportation Management

The largest cost element in supply chain logistics is freight transportation.  As costs rise, it becomes more important to understand the fundamentals of freight transportation markets and how corporate traffic management can be managed for greater efficiency.  Therefore, this course will focus on:

• An overview of freight transportation, including Trucking, Rail, Water, Air, and Intermodal.
• Reviewing basic freight rate terms, documentation, structures and trends. (How are freight charges determined?)
• Understanding current issues in transportation markets, such as fuel surcharges, driver shortages, and industry economics.
• Learning about traffic management strategies to reduce costs, including consolidation, modal options, negotiations, etc.

3) International Logistics

Imports and exports are important facets of the U.S. economy and continue to expand at much faster rates than domestic business. Unfortunately, international business has unique complexities which create special rules, regulations and requirements. This course will focus on how a company can cope with importing and exporting. Among the topics covered:

• ACE: Automated Commercial Environment
• CBP: Customs & Border Protection
• CSI: Container Security Initiative
• C-TPAT: Customs & Trade Partnership Against Terrorism
• Duty Drawback
• FAST: Free and Secure Trade
• Free Trade Zones
• HTS: Harmonized Tariff System
• IATA: International Air Transport Association
• INCO terms

The class will get an understanding of how the national strategy on import shipments has shifted from collection of duties to protection of Americans and what importers have to do to comply with the latest customs directives. On exports we will outline harmonized tariffs and how they are used.

There will also be a focus on international logistics and differences between modes of transport in cost, convenience and liability. The course is taught by Jack Ampuja who has been an executive with five Fortune 500 firms and holds citizenship in three countries. 

4) Inventory Management and Warehousing

The second largest cost element in supply chain logistics is inventory management. Managing inventories effectively is often overlooked in business because inventory carrying costs such as obsolescence, storage, and the opportunity cost of money are indirect costs. Furthermore, the ambiguity about who is responsible for inventory often frustrates proper inventory management. This short course is designed to ensure that participants understand the cost impact of inventory management in the supply chain and provide an understanding of basic tools to better control inventory costs.

• Understanding inventory’s role and costs in SCM.
• Key inventory measures: turnover rate, cycle times, fill-rate, carrying cost, etc.
• Managing the three basic questions of inventory management: When to order? How much to order? How much safety stock to hold?
• Alternatives to forecasting.
• Practical steps to improving inventory management.

Warehousing is an old function, sometimes regarded as a necessary evil but still a significant cost and strategic opportunity for most companies. This one-day course will explore the following topics:

• Warehousing types: factory connected, free-standing,regional, national, inbound, outbound, JIT, customer specific, and seasonal.
• Is outsourcing the way to go and, if it is, what are the control and operational issues of 3PLs?
• Performance and cost measurements.
• The evolving role of warehouses in product and order and customization programs.
• Material handling choices - pros and cons of each.
• Storage options, and racking varieties to support each.
• How packaging decisions impact warehousing costs.
• Relationship of transportation management to warehouse costs and service.
• RFID...where are we headed?

This program is designed for those working in logistics, operations, manufacturing, inventory control and supply chain management functions who want to get a full perspective on warehousing issues and opportunities.

5) Purchasing and Supply Management

As Supply Chain Management evolves, so does the level of emphasis and awareness that spotlights procurement, in terms of responsibility and from an organizational perspective. Learn about this along with supplier evaluation, ethics, negotiating, international sourcing in a world economy, and the sourcing of services. In this short course, you'll see what is expected of purchasing to be a meaningful contributor to the overall success of the organization.

• Evaluate the role of purchasing relative to strategic versus tactical decision-making and implementation.
• Look at cross-functional teams comprised of both internal and external participants that represent a myriad of disciplines and levels of expertise.
• Evolve from an adversarial relationship to one of collaboration that can convert vendors into strategic partners.
• Consider whether it’s always about price or if it's more important to focus on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO).
• Future trends in data and information exchange and the role of purchasing.

Looking for Customized Training and Education?

Customized corporate training by Jack Ampuja, Dr. Kling, and other experienced instructors can be arranged through the Niagara Center for Supply Chain Excellence.

One Hour Corporate Briefings

Jack Ampuja has worked with Fortune 500 firms and presented to groups large and small, locally and nationally. An experienced manager, educator and consultant, he brings this experience and knowledge to his presentations and can answer many of your questions about the latest trends in supply chain management. He is available to do one hour briefings to executive teams on a variety of supply chain topics - including "Logistics Trends," "International Supply Chain management, "Collaborative Purchasing," "Outsourcing," "Strategic Inventory Management," and "Customer Service Measurement." 

Contact Jack Ampuja directly at Jtampuja@niagara.edu.