APICS CPIM Production and Inventory Management
The APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) course is a broad operations management course developed for professionals who want to gain knowledge about the following subjects:
- Production management
- Inventory management
- Supply Chain Management
- Planning
- Demand management
- Quality control
- Strategy development from a business perspective
People that acquire their APICS CPIM designation are highly sought after within the field of production and inventory management. If you follow this course, you become a leader in supply chain management.
About APICS & ASCM![APICS_PremierChannelPartner_pv.png]()
APICS certifications are the standard for training in operations management & production logistics. All over the world, APICS is regarded as the go-to training for professionals working in operations and supply chain management. ASCM is the association that manages and updates the APICS training courses. ASCM stands for "Association for Supply Chain Management". People who are members of ASCM receive member benefits, such as discounts on APICS exams. Read more about APICS courses and ASCM.
Visie Partners is ASCM's Premier Training Partner in the Netherlands for APICS training and an authorized ASCM consulting partner.
Suitable for
The APICS CPIM course is for professionals wanting to develop their knowledge about production and inventory management.
The course is of great value for:
- Management team members involved in sales and operations planning
- Material managers responsible for the planning of available material
- Sales employees who are partially responsible for forecasting and/or demand management
- Operations managers who want to manage their organization based on clearly defined rules
- Master planners responsible for the production planning
- Project managers responsible for projects to improve information and/or optimization of a production function
- Application Administrators responsible for the implementation and/or the functional management of ERP systems
Benefits of an APICS CPIM certification
CPIM brings many benefits for both you as an Operations management professional and the employer.
Benefits operations management professional:
- Improving and updating your knowledge of production and inventory management
- Conducting more accurate forecasts
- Getting recognition from colleagues and within your industry
Benefits employer
- Increased efficiency of processes in your organization and distribution chain
- Streamlining corporate activities by an effective layout of information flow
- Higher profitability by optimizing inventory levels
- Optimization of the return on investment (ROI) for corporate systems and technologies
Required knowledge
To follow APICS CPIM, it is required to have:
- College/university or vocational education with several years of experience in operations management
- English reading skills (the study material and exams are in English)
Contents & structure
The APICS CPIM modules cover 22 evening classes divided into 2 parts. There are also opportunities to follow this route as a daytime course. During the last course session a practice exam is discussed. Below is a brief description of the modules.
APICS CPIM part 1: Basics of supply chain management.
This module provides an overview of the value streams, for example for internal and external suppliers in the organization. Some of the topics covered in this module are:
- Elements of the supply chain
- Inventory management
- Total Quality Management
- Manufacturing Resource Planning
- Demand Management
- Capacity Management
- Purchasing and physical distribution
- Lean
- Theory of constraints
APICS CPIM part 2 consists of the following 4 modules:
Master planning of resources
The master planning of resources is about a higher "planning level" to determine, what to produce and how to check the feasibility of the planning. Some topics covered in this module are:
- Use of demand management and customer service
- Principles and management of master scheduling and capacity planning
- Sales and operations planning
- Organizational issues of master scheduling
- Measuring the performance of the master planning processes
- Choice of distribution planning systems and warehouse issues
Detailed scheduling & planning
The detailed scheduling and planning is about the detailed planning for material and capacity. These are tailored to the availability of inventories. Some topics covered in this module are:
- Inventory classifications and inventory policies
- Impact of lean production concepts on inventory management
- Techniques used for Material Requirements Planning
- Capacity management in repetitive manufacturing, process industry, and service industries
- Developing a purchasing strategy using the Kraljic matrix
- Establishing and controlling supplier relationships
Execution and control of operations
Execution and control of operations deals with prioritization and allocation of production orders, execution of planned activities, the use of status and control information about the production and schedule status. Some topics covered in this module are:
- Techniques for scheduling production operations on executional level
- Sharing information with customers and suppliers and use of technology
- Identification and management of bottlenecks in available capacity
- Authorizing, execution, and reporting in push and in pull systems
- Lean manufacturing related to the creation of flow and waste reduction
- Design and management of quality improvement processes
- Statistical techniques for evaluating product and process quality
Strategic management of resources
The last module shows how a strategy is developed. In addition, the relationship with the production function within the company is discussed. The topics in this module are:
- Developing the business strategy using analysis models for external and internal evaluation
- Process layout choices and competitive strategy
- Supply chain networks and rivalry
- Managing the Bullwhip effect in supply chains
- Sustainability and corporate social responsibility
- Choice of Key Performance Indicators for evaluating strategic progress
- Implementing and managing organizational change
Study options
Besides the classroom courses, it is also possible to follow the course as e-learning, self-study or in-company.
- Class: APICS CPIM courses are given as day or evening courses. The course always takes place at the same location and day of the week. In the course, an APICS trained instructor teaches his knowledge using practical examples (from students and instructor). The instructor has followed a specific training that taught how they can transfer their knowledge in the best way. Because of the interactive approach with their fellow students and the by APICS recommended number of study hours Visie Partners ensures informative course evenings. The students also have access to the Visie Partners online learning system. All of this results in a high passing rate.
- Online classroom: We also offer APICS CPIM as an online classroom variant. The same quality as in a physical class, but you can participate from everywhere like, the office, home or on a business trip. More information about “online classrooms”.
- E-learning (blended learning): you can determine your own planning and the contact moments are personally guided with one of our experienced and recognized teachers. Contact can be established using e-mail, web conference-software or a phone. You can start and finish your course at your preferred time.
- Self-study: with self-study, you study the available learning materials and you have access to the online learning environment. There's no contact with the teacher. You can start at any time.
- In company: When a company has a sufficient number of participants, it is also possible to take this course as an in-company training. This saves time and travel costs and we can also offer an in company course at a reduced price per participant. Special emphasis can be placed on elements of the training that are important to the company. You can contact us for a tailor-made offer.
Course approach
The participant studies the subject prior to the session and can make questions in the online learning environment. Through the learning environment, the teacher can monitor the progress of the participants. As a result, problems they may encounter can be discussed. Insights from practice are used in the preparation of the course, in addition to the course material. There is plenty of room for personal input and discussion. The course is given in English and ends with an exam training.
Course material
During the course the official and most recent English course material is used:
- APICS CPIM learning system
- APICS CPIM student slides
APICS online learning system:
- Online exam questions and module specific tests
- Online glossary
- Concept tests (e-flashcards)
- Online study guide
- APICS CPIM practice exams and reports to be able to analyze the results
- Download course books for e-reader or tablet
- Study planning tool based on a knowledge test
- App: online dictionary
Online learning environment Visie Partners. Visie Partners has developed its own online learning environment. With this unique learning environment, Visie Partners offers online study opportunities with background information and practice questions. These extra exercises provide insight to the participant and teacher into the study progress. This online learning environment is available for both the e-learning participants and for participants who attend course sessions.