"Optimization" may sound like one of those buzzwords favored by consultants, but it's really just about getting the biggest bang for your buck. And who doesn't want to do that?

The University of Wisconsin-Madison has now developed an executive education course for professionals interested in optimizing their companies' supply chain. During the two-day "Supply Chain Optimization" course, participants will learn how to quantify the financial and competitive value of supply chain improvements. They will gain a better understanding of the trade-offs between capacity, lead time, inventory, and customer service. They will discuss how to determine optimal lot size, safety stock, and reorder point parameters. And they will learn to configure their enterprise resource planning systems to fit the needs of their specific business—whether they make to stock, assemble to order, configure to order, engineer to order, or make to order.

The course is part of the University of Wisconsin's Supply Chain Leadership Certificate Program. It will be offered on Sept. 4-5 and Oct. 30-31 in Madison, Wis. For more information, visit http://exed.wisc.edu/supplychain.