19
Supply Chain Skillnet 2015 SURVEY ANALYSIS ALANNA LANDERS IPICS | [Company address]
Supply Chain Skillnet
2015
SURVEY ANALYSIS ALANNA LANDERS
IPICS | [Company address]
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 2
Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. 3
Summary ................................................................................................................................................. 4
Detailed Survey Analysis ......................................................................................................................... 5
Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 18
Introduction
IPICS, The Supply Chain Management Institute, commissioned a research report on the current state
of Supply Chain education in Ireland. This is to form a part of a Skillnet submission in 2016 targeted
specifically at the supply chain profession. The research report was conducted by the Leading Edge
Group on behalf of IPICS.
This survey was distributed to 100 supply chain managers and professionals currently working in
Ireland. To date there have been 31 responses, which represents a significant response rate of 31%.
The survey objectives were to understand:
The training gaps in Supply Chain Management in Ireland
How training needs can be satisfied
Whether a Skillnet for Supply Chain Management would help satisfy training gaps/needs in
Ireland
Survey Methodology Given the high amount of supply chain managers and professionals employed in Ireland a mixture of
probability and nonprobability sampling was carried out.
A random selection of supply chain managers were sourced through LinkedIn and added to a
predetermined sample of IPICS members. A cross sectional study was performed through an online
survey using a mix of open, closed, matrix and contingency questions.
Acknowledgements We would like to thank the supply chain professionals from the following organisations for taking
time out to complete this survey. Please note that some organisations have multiple facilities in
Ireland and multiple responses came from some of these sister facilities.
DePuy Synthes (Ireland)
Bristol Meyers Squibb
Merit Medical Systems
Transitions Optical
Apple
Stiefel
Anderco Safety
Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics
Saint – Gobain
Abbott Ireland
Janssen Biologics
Clarity
Covidien
EMC
Amcor Flexibles
Hager Group
Folens Publishers
Irish Distillers Pernod Ricard
BOC Gases
Covidien
Dairygold
Kerry Group
Smartbin
UCB Manufacturing Ireland
Cashel Engineering
Servier Ireland.
Summary
The following were the main findings from the survey:
Capacity Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (or Integrated Business Planning),
Forecasting, Inventory Management, Strategic Purchasing, Master Production Scheduling
and Operational Planning & Scheduling are the areas identified as key supply chain skills
deficits in Ireland.
Certification in Production and Inventory Management and Basics of Supply Chain
Management are the top two training programmes where respondent organisations have
enrolled staff. Both are provided by IPICS/APICS.
Training in supply chain management is viewed as a long term investment in the efficiency of
the organisation and an upgrade of existing skills.
68% of respondent organisations deliver training through a mix of third party suppliers and
internal training.
Staff shortages and time constraints are the main barriers preventing organisations
participating in training events.
The top four areas in which organisations are willing to invest in training are: Sales &
Operations Planning (or Integrated Business Planning), Inventory Management & Planning,
Demand Planning and Distribution & Logistics.
The results show a clear preference for public courses, in house short courses and online
delivery.
93% of respondents were familiar with IPICS/APICS, although only 43% of those had engaged
IPICS/APICS for their staff training needs.
Programme quality, effectiveness of the trainer; transferability of learning to the workplace
and value for money were all identified as important factors when deciding on which
training programmes to invest in.
IPICS/APICS was identified as the top organisation in Ireland delivering Supply Chain
Management training, closely followed by the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Material
Management.
Detailed Survey Analysis
The following is the detailed analysis of each survey question.
Q1 is excluded from this analysis as it contains personal information on respondents.
Q2. Select all relevant activates performed within the Supply Chain function of your
organisation.
Other Order Management
3PL Management and Logistics
Material Quality Release Management
Inventory Optimisation
Export Documentation
Product Data Management (Master Data)
Commentary Except for customs management, all functions scored in the 70%-85% bracket.
22.6%
61.3%
77.4%
80.6%
83.9%
87.1%
87.1%
90.3%
7
19
24
25
26
27
27
28
Other (please specify)
Customs Management
Procurement
Customer Service
Warehousing
Planning/Scheduling
Distribution
Demand Management
Q3. Select what you perceive are the inherent Supply Chain skill deficits in Ireland.
Other Supply Chain Project Managers/SMEs
Influencing Skills and Presentation
SCM Professionalism in SME Companies
Commentary Capacity Planning, Sales & Operations Planning (or Integrated Business Planning), Forecasting,
Inventory Management, Strategic Purchasing, Master Production Scheduling and Operational
Planning & Scheduling are the main areas identified as core supply chain deficits in Ireland.
A Skillnet network should address the above to meet the identified skill deficits.
6.7%
6.7%
10.0%
13.3%
16.7%
20.0%
43.3%
43.3%
43.3%
43.3%
53.3%
53.3%
63.3%
2
2
3
4
5
6
13
13
13
13
16
16
19
Operational Buying
Logistics
Other (please specify)
Material Handling Management
Customer Care
Customs Management
Inventory Management
Strategic Purchasing
Master Production Scheduling
Operational Planning & Scheduling
Capacity Planning
Forecasting
Sales & Operations Planning (or Integrated BusinessPlanning)
Q4. Please select any of the following training programmes that your organisation has
enrolled staff in.
Other Post Graduate Level 9 SCM, UCC
Irish Management Institute Diploma in Lean
Commentary The results show that CPIM, Basics of Supply Chain Management, Certification in SCM (UCC) and
Diploma in Logistics & Supply Chain Management (Level 6) are the core training programmes that
respondent organisations invest in.
Certification attached to the training programme is clearly preferred.
3.4%
6.9%
6.9%
13.8%
13.8%
13.8%
20.7%
24.1%
24.1%
27.6%
27.6%
34.5%
41.4%
55.2%
58.6%
1
2
2
4
4
4
6
7
7
8
8
10
12
16
17
Supply Chain Operations Reference Model (SCOR®)
Other (please specify)
Train the Trainer (IPICS the supply chain managementinstitute/APICS)
Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP)
Bachelor of Business/Science (Level 7)
None of the Above
Certified Supply Chain Management Professional (CSCP)
Certificate in Purchasing/Procurement
Certificate in Logistics
Executive or Full Time Masters in Supply ChainManagement (level 8)
Project Management Certification (such as PRINCE2)
Diploma in Logistics & Supply Chain Management (level 6)
Certificate in Supply Chain Management
Basics of Supply Chain Management (IPICS the supplychain management institute/APICS)
Certification in Production & Inventory Management(CPIM)
Q5. How is this training perceived within your organisation?
Other Not currently on list of available courses
Identified that senior management in SCM areas had experience but little or no professional training, leading to a "that's the way we do things" attitude, rather than "that's the best way".
Commentary Clearly the focus is on upskilling and improving the efficiency of staff.
One interesting comment made by a respondent is that senior supply chain managers have the work
experience in SCM but lack the professional training. This could infer that there is a market for non-
qualified senior management to gain professional training that would enhance and/or reward their
experience gained.
7.10%
21.4%
28.6%
57.1%
75.0%
2
6
8
16
21
Other
Dictated by Senior Management and/or Corporate
Necessary to fill the gaps in the skill market
An upgrade of existing skills
A long term investment in the efficiency of theorganisation
Q6. Does your organisation deliver training through a third party supplier or its own
internal training team?
Commentary 68% selected 3rd party and internal training, as their current training delivery structure.
22%
0%
68%
10%
3rd Party Suppliers
Internal Training only
3rd Party & Internal Training
Not applicable
Q7. Do any of the following factors prevent your organisation from meeting or
achieving its training/professional development needs?
Other Customs/Export Control Qualification not available
Family Pressure
Commentary Staff shortages and time constraints are by far the biggest barriers to providing training to staff. Cost
of training courses is identified as a major constraint.
Six survey respondents identified the non availability of specific training programmes. Q10 below
asks the respondents which training programmes they have been unable to source.
6.9%
10.3%
10.3%
13.8%
17.2%
20.7%
20.7%
41.4%
69.0%
2
3
3
4
5
6
6
12
20
Generic training only available
Lack of managerial support
Other (please specify)
Insufficient numbers requiring specific training
Length of training cycle (training, study, exam)
Geography and/or location of venue
Specific training not available
Cost
Staff shortage/ time constraints
Q8. What Supply Chain & Operations training areas would your organisation be willing
to invest in during 2016?
Other Supply Chain Solutions / Design & Implementation
Customs/Export Control Certified Course
Warehouse Management Upgrade
Commentary The top four areas in which organisations are willing to invest are: Sales & Operations Planning (or
Integrated Business Planning), Inventory Management & Planning, Demand Planning and
Distribution & Logistics.
10.0%
10.0%
16.7%
16.7%
20.0%
26.7%
26.7%
30.0%
30.0%
30.0%
33.3%
36.7%
46.7%
53.3%
3
3
5
5
6
8
8
9
9
9
10
11
14
16
Industry Regulations (i.e. GMP, GDP)
None of the Above
Demand Driven Planning (incl postponement)
Other (please specify)
Customer Service/Order Fulfilment
Operational Management
Materials Management (MRP)
Production Control & Planning
Supply Chain Systems
Supply Planning
Demand Planning
Distribution & Logistics
Inventory Management & Planning
Sales & Operations Planning (or Integrated BusinessPlanning)
Q9. Which of the following training delivery methods would be most suitable for your
organisation?
Other Webinars and flexible courses, cost is also a factor.
Commentary Respondents are very open to public courses, in house short courses and online delivery.
6.9%
20.7%
37.9%
51.7%
62.1%
65.5%
0
2
6
11
15
18
19
Not Applicable
Other (please specify)
In-House long courses (4+ days)
Collaboration with industry partners on shared courses
Online Courses
In-House short courses (1-3 days)
Public courses
Q10. List any training needs that your organisation has in relation to Supply Chain
Management & Operations that you have been unable to find suitable training for.
Some respondents skipped this question where it was not applicable.
Supply Chain Solution Design
Project & Change Leaders in Supply Chain
Supply Chain Compliance in a Regulated World
Change Management in Supply Chain
Customs/Export Control Certified Course
Commentary This highlights that there are training needs not being met by the current training market. It may be
useful to conduct further market research into the viability of providing training to meet the above
needs.
Q11. Are you familiar with IPICS and/or APICS?
Commentary This shows that the majority of the industry is aware of the work carried out by IPICS/APICS, with the
exception of just two companies.
93%
7%
Yes
No
Q12. Has your organisation invested in IPICS and/or APICS training for your staff?
Commentary The percentage that have not engaged with IPICS/APICS is considerable (43%). Therefore, there is an
opportunity to reach out to this proportion of the market.
57%
43%Yes
No
Q13. Please rate the following in order of importance as key determinants when
investing in training on a scale of 1-5, where 1 is of low importance and 5 is high
importance.
1 2 3 4 5 Mean Average
Programme Quality 0 0 1 7 17 4.64
Transferability of Learning to Workplace
0 0 1 9 15 4.56
Effectiveness of Trainer (if applicable)
0 0 0 11 13 4.54
Availability of Trainers 0 0 2 13 8 4.26
Value for Money 0 0 5 10 10 4.20
Standard of Materials 0 1 1 14 7 4.17
Suitable Training Duration 0 2 3 11 8 4.04
Interactive Training Delivery 0 1 3 14 5 4.00
Ease of Customisation 0 0 5 14 4 3.96
Quality of Customer Service 0 2 3 15 3 3.83
Commentary Programme Quality, Effectiveness of Trainer Transferability of Learning to Workplace and Value for
Money were all identified as being of high importance.
3.83
3.96
4.00
4.04
4.17
4.20
4.26
4.54
4.56
4.64
0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00 4.50 5.00
Quality of Customer Service
Ease of Customisation
Interactive Training Delivery
Suitable Training Duration
Standard of Materials
Value for Money
Availability of Trainers
Effectiveness of Trainer (if applicable)
Transferability of Learning to Workplace
Programme Quality
Q14. In your opinion, what are the top 3 organisations providing SCM training in
Ireland?
Training Organisation Frequency
IPICS/APICS 8
Irish Institute of Purchasing & Material Management 6
Dublin Institute of Technology 4
University College Cork 3
National Institute for Transport & Logistics 3
Leading Edge Group 2
SCM 1
Western Management Centre, Galway 1
The Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport in Ireland 1
University of Limerick 1
Smurfit College 1
Cork Institute of Technology 1
Irish Management Institute 1
Commentary The above data shows that IPICS/APICS are regarded as industry leaders in Supply Chain
Management, closely followed by IIPMM.
Conclusion
This survey found that IPICS/APICS is currently the leading provider of Supply Chain Management
training in Ireland followed by the Irish Institute of Purchasing & Material Management. Over 40% of
respondents have utilised training provided by IPICS/APICS. The survey has identified that sales &
operations planning, inventory management & planning, demand planning and distribution &
logistics are all areas in which respondents feel they would invest as part of their training goals and
activities.
Given that most respondents identified staff shortages and time constraints as the biggest barriers
to enable these organisations to participate in training events, the survey has identified some ways
to overcome this. Holding short in house courses as well as online delivery were identified as
possible training delivery methods to help respondent organisations to meet there training needs
and overcome time constraints. The possibility of utilising public courses was also identified.
We have found that respondent’s value programme quality, effectiveness of the trainer,
transferability of learning to the workplace and value for money as key priorities. Moving forward,
training courses should cover capacity planning, sales & operations planning, inventory
management, strategic purchasing, master production scheduling and operational planning &
scheduling. Respondents identified these areas as key supply chain skills deficits in Ireland.
A supply chain Skillnet would, we believe, benefit companies who source training in supply chain for
their staff. Cost was identified as an important factor in providing training - a Skillnet would be able
to offset some of these training costs. The results also show a favourable response to training
provided through public courses. A supply chain Skillnet should therefore provide public courses
open to all supply chain professionals. As the industry would be involved in framing training course
objectives and curricula in a Skillnet, supply chain skills deficits would be better identified and
addressed through a dedicated Supply Chain Management training network.
End.
