WERC hits the road

If you can't get to WERC, don't despair. WERC might be coming to a city near you. The Warehousing Education and Research Council (WERC) has announced that it will offer a series of short courses at various locales around the country this winter and spring.

Next month, the organization offers a course in Atlanta and two back-toback programs in Phoenix. The Atlanta course, "Achieving Warehouse Success: A Guide to Managing an Effective Operation," takes place Feb. 13-15. The course is designed to help supervisors and managers understand ways to make the most of their DCs' basic resources: space, equipment, and labor. Recommended for those with basic to intermediate levels of experience in distribution and warehousing, the course is aimed at newly appointed supervisors and managers of warehouses, stockrooms, storerooms, and distribution centers; supervisors and managers with little or no formal training; plant storeroom, inventory, and materials managers; and stores, receiving, and shipping supervisors.

The Phoenix programs are "Maximizing Warehouse Space: The Key to Productivity" and "Using Metrics to Achieve Results." The two-day seminar on warehouse space, which takes place Feb. 18-19, offers rules of thumb for maximizing space and improving productivity in a DC. On the first day, participants will look at the elements of space planning; on the second day, teams redesign a fictional DC using what they learned the first day. The program, which offers tips for analyzing current operations and a look at common mistakes, is appropriate for warehouse managers and supervisors, anyone building a new DC or redesigning an existing one, engineers, and real estate developers.

The metrics program, which follows on Feb. 20-21, promises to provide participants with a "roadmap to metrics" that they can use in their own facilities. The seminar will focus on internally applied performance metrics and ways to use metrics beyond the warehouse's four walls. The program discusses what metrics to use; the difference between results and process metrics; and choosing the right metrics for an operation. The course is designed for general managers; warehouse and DC supervisors and managers; plant managers; and inventory, material, and shipping supervisors.

On March 10-11, WERC offers "Lean Warehousing Essentials" in Oak Brook, Ill. The seminar addresses lean fundamentals and tools, and how they apply to the warehouse. Attendees will leave the seminar with a tactical plan for implementing their own lean improvement initiatives. Students will go through "The Lean Logistics Game," a simulation in which they learn how total cost is affected by going lean. The program is aimed at C-level managers; general managers and vice presidents; warehouse and DC managers; and plant managers.

On March 17-18, WERC brings its "Benchmark NOW!" program to Atlanta. This seminar will teach students how to analyze their companies' performance and develop strategic performance roadmaps based on benchmark comparisons. Participants have a choice of bringing their own corporate data for use in the exercise or using mock data provided by the instructors. The program content is aimed at C-level managers; general managers and vice presidents; warehouse and DC managers; and plant managers.

For additional information and registration, go to www.werc.org.