VICS CPFR Certification Program

May 6 - 8, 2008,  The Penn Stater Conference Center, University Park, PA.

Since 1986, VICS, the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions Association, has worked to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire supply chain. VICS pioneered the implementation of a cross-industry standard, Quick Response (QR) that simplified the flow of product and information in the retail industry for retailers and suppliers alike.

A 1996 study by Kurt Salmon Associates showed that companies which implemented VICS' business replenishment processes had dramatic results: increased sales, faster turns, improved inventory control and cost savings. While the results were impressive, VICS continued to develop a new collaborative dimension to supply chain processes, Collaborative, Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR®).

By 2001, an AMR Research study demonstrated that retailers and suppliers jointly achieved higher sales with double digit inventory decreases, improved in stock at wholesale and on the retail shelf, at a lower overall logistics cost. At the same time, Kurt Salmon Associates estimated that "the benefits of CPFR® for just the apparel industry alone, could conservatively total $8.3.