Institute for Supply Management partners with Supply Chain Council

By Lorie King Rogers, Associate Editor, Modern Materials Handling

The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) has reached an agreement with Houston-based Supply Chain Council (SCC) to offer member access and discounts to each organization’s training and certification programs for supply management. 

Headquartered in Tempe, Ariz., ISM is a not-for-profit membership association that leads and serves supply management professionals across the globe.  SCC, a global not-for-profit corporation with membership open to companies and organizations, is a leading authority on supply chain methodology, diagnostics and benchmarking based on the Supply Chain Operations Reference model (SCOR).

“This alliance is a great opportunity for both ISM and SCC members,” said SCC Executive Director Joseph Francis.  “Supply chain professionals around the world can enhance their knowledge and earn professional certifications from both organizations, increasing their industry recognition and career opportunities.”

In an interview with Modern, Francis explained that no single association can have all possible information for end-to-end supply chain optimization – the amount of information is staggering.  The best way to provide more value to ISM members is to form partnerships with other organizations with the depth and breadth of knowledge the members need.  Therefore, partnering with ISM was key, Francis explained.

As a result of this partnership, SCC members are eligible for member pricing on ISM educational programs and testing for the Certified Professional in Supply Management (CPSM) professional credential as well as registration for the ISM 96th Annual International Supply Management Conference and Educational Exhibit.

ISM members have access to SCC’s SCORmark supply chain benchmarking database, and will receive member rates for SCOR Framework and Project workshops as well as global SCC events, including the upcoming Supply Chain World Europe to be held in Munich, Germany October 24-26, 2010.

“This collaboration allows a range of products to be made available to members of both organizations,” said ISM CEO Paul Novak. “ISM members will enjoy access to SCOR evaluation model and database, and SCC members now have a direct path to ISM’s educational opportunities as well as to our professional qualification.”

Francis also told Modern that the long-term strategy is to continue to create partnerships with premiere organizations in all segments of the end-to-end supply chain.  He said that he’s is in the process of working other industry organizations and it’s possible there may be another announcement in the coming months.