Mr. Oppenheim has 20 years experience leading supply chain initiatives within the Retail, Computer & Aerospace Industries, the last 8 years establishing business to business (B2B) solutions at Fortune 500 companies, including Sperry, Honeywell, Allied Signal and his current assignment at The Cessna Aircraft Company. Dave has introduced literally thousands of Aerospace suppliers to EDI & E/C, through partnerships with E/C providers.

His frequently benchmarked Materials strategies include:

  Rapid implementation (90 days or less) of
   Electronic Commerce.
  Tactical Materials Automation, which includes
   automatic order generation and placement, MRP
   forecasting for Long Term Agreement (LTA)
   partners, paperless transactions, bar coding and
   the use of value added distributors for low value,
   high volume materials to reduce cycle time
   and total cost.
  Use of 4GL tools to develop access to critical
   business data for decision support systems.

Co-presenter:
After graduating from Wichita State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business, Barbara Mann found herself drawn to the information revolution that has been the success benchmark for businesses in the last fifteen years. Her various business experiences have included technical sales, marketing, product management, and developing the information systems architecture for an electro-mechanical and interconnect Distribution Company. Additionally, she has directed the strategic planning activities that has helped lead Airtechnics, Inc. into becoming one of the top fifty electro-mechanical companies in North America.

In addition to her duties as a Corporate Officer with Airtechnics, Inc. she manages and develops the information systems that include a RISC 6000 that utilizes UNIX AIX with a PICK application. This system utilizes application software with PC and IBM 3151workstations. The application software is an integrated package of inventory tracking; pick releases; receiving; sales order processing; purchase order processing; accounts receivables; account payables; EDI; bar code; and Decision Support reports. She is an industry veteran of supply chain activities, which has helped Airtechnics, Inc. develop strong industry alliances.

Prior to that he has held management positions at Z-International, Airborne Express, and the US Army. He has experience in disciplines such as transportation, warehousing, packaging, logistics, and procurement.

Never before has the supply chain received so much visibility both in boardrooms and in professional publications. A key component to a successful supply chain is logistics. In distribution and manufacturing environments, changes in lot size, demand patterns, and order frequency are pushing freight costs higher. This, combined with the necessity to provide logistics at e-speed, results in a formidable challenge with regard to controlling freight costs.

For any company's supply chain to be successful, a strong and cost effective logistics network must be in place.

Mr. Derra's topics of discussion will be: