As organizations move into the future, the operations environment needs to expand into Collaborative Planning and Forecast Replenishment (CPFR), Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), and an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) operating system to become and remain competitive. These innovative and complex methods require an unprecedented degree of accuracy and knowledge of the basics in operations management. Back to Basics: Your Guide to Manufacturing Excellence details the key concepts necessary to expertly apply new approaches such as ERP, CPFR, VMI, and much more. Based on the popular "Back to Basics" columns that appear in the magazine APICS: The Performance Advantage, the structure of the book allows for sufficient development of each topic and is short enough to be quickly read. Topics include: capacity, inventory, inventory accuracy, part numbering, processes, problem solving, and general managerial guidelines. Each chapter has everything you need to understand the issues and their implications. Many careers in operations management begin with production and inventory control. When entering this field, you need to know the basics - in a hurry. Developing excellence takes time and usually comes through the "school of hard knocks". Whether new on the job, or brushing up to implement the latest technology, Back to Basics: Your Guide to Manufacturing Excellence gives you the information you need to become an expert - quickly.