ACUMEN Takes the Stage at APICS 99

In the world of ERP, the annual APICS International Conference is the "Big Dance".    Each year it seems as though the conference can't be topped... and then the ACUMEN team attends the next one and finds that they just keep getting better! Held in the fall of 1999 at the Ernest Morial convention center in New Orleans, the conference provided an educational and networking opportunity for several thousand APICS members and their guests.    The sessions were stimulating and thought provoking, as was our interchange with manufacturing professionals, software developers, and consultants serving the supply chain.

ACUMEN President Phil Perkins and Corporate Solutions Group VP Deborah Lowry presented a session called "ERP Technology Layers: A Look Under the Hood".    The two executives were disappointed and apprehensive when they discovered that their presentation was scheduled for 8:00AM on the last day of the conference.    For those of you who know New Orleans and the Bourbon Street phenomenon, you can imagine how one might be concerned.    As it turned out, they needn't have been.    The session was full and the participants were animated and appreciative.    Phil Perkins commented to the group on how gratifying it was to see so many people committed to lifelong learning and to making the most of the tremendous educational value of APICS.    Phil and Deborah would like to thank all of the participants who stopped by after the presentation or sent them e-mails commenting on the session.

This year, ACUMEN doubled the size of our booth and featured our ERP consulting unit, as well as OpenAccounts, our global enterprise accounting system.    We met with many, many people, most of whom were interested in discussing what's next in ERP, e-commerce, and supply chain facilitation.    While we certainly gave some advice, I think we all feel that we were on the receiving end of a wealth of good information.    Based upon interaction at the conference, the manufacturing sector is alive, well, and looking for new ways to be competitive and to globalize their operations.    It's an exciting time to be in the business!