An agreement to merge has been approved by the boards of directors of US-based global professional associations for supply chain and operations management, APICS and the Supply Chain Council (SCC) pending a ratification vote by members. The two organisations expect the transaction to be complete in mid-July.

While the organisations are independently regarded as leaders in their field, the combination creates the premier global organisation focused on supply chain performance and talent development. The strategic rationale is compelling and will lead to greater opportunities for members, customers, partners and employees – including the South African organisation SAPICS, a partner of APICS for over thirty years, and a partner of the SCC for the last 10.

APICS and the SCC see ample opportunities for combined global growth, with complementary customer bases and products enabling them and their partners to deepen relationships with customers by providing more high-quality products and services – sorely needed in the skills-challenged South African environment.

Cobus Rossouw, president of SAPICS says, “We are delighted to learn of the proposed merger between the SCC and APICS. At a local level SAPICS and the SCC have worked closely together in the development of the supply chain community in South Africa for many years. We look forward to continuing this relationship. We are particularly proud of the involvement of Supply Chain Council in the 36th Annual SAPICS Conference and look forward to the excellent selection of speakers and presentations in the programme this year which will be highlighting the SCOR model. We wish both APICS and SCC well in the next few weeks while plans are finalised and look forward to continuing our work with both organisations long into the future.  The SAPICS Board will engage with the Leadership Team of the South African Chapter of SCC in due course to agree how best to align and integrate efforts in the region.”