NAPM Rio Grande Valley

®	PURCH-A-NEWS
March 2001	NAPM - Rio Grande Valley	Vol. 18, No. 3
	Next General Membership Meeting: MARCH 21
	Our speaker will be David W. Vela - A. G. Edwards. - His presentation “How Purchasing affects the Stock Market” is a very worthwhile subject, given the wide fluctuations that we are witnessing lately. We should be able to have a “Question & Answer” session on Investments, IRA and 401-K accounts. We suggest that you do not want to miss this meeting, particularly because according to our bylaws, a proposed Slate of new Officers and Directors has to be officially presented to you in preparation to our elections. You will have 60 days to analyze the slate and if you wish, you may make floor nominations during our May 16, 2001 meeting.

National Elections Coming up soon! Your Vote Counts!	*The Menu* *Combination Plate* Choice of one dish for each person. Broccoli Beef Chicken Almond Sweet & Sour Shrimp All the above served with Soup of the Day, Egg Roll, Fried Rice and Steamed Rice *Soft Drinks* Iced Tea, Coke, Sprite and Coffee *Dessert* Cheesecake *Open Bar* Thankyou for Joining Us!
By this time, you must have received your ballot. Besides considering the proposed slate of national officers, there are other important issues to be decided during this election. They include the election of members to the board, the change of NAPM’s name, approving electronic transmission of proxy votes, and amending Bylaws to eliminate the permanent reserve fund. For your comfort, you can vote via mail, or Fax, or through the Web. Ballots must be in by 12:00 midnight Eastern Time on April 11, 2001. For any questions, you may call M.A. Pozos, P.E., A.P.P., Newsletter Editor, at 1-866-720-4357, or e-mail at m.a.pozos@wideco.com
THE LOTUS COURT RESTAURANT IS LOCATED AT 1774 EAST PRICE ROAD IN BROWNSVILLE, TEXAS. PHONE 543-5712.

The Logistics Function in Purchasing: Gain power through knowledge...
Downsizing and outsourcing trends have diminished the level of knowledge of people who now have corporate responsibilities for transportation and logistics, which have a deep impact in the overall performance of the purchasing function. It is not an easy task to know all of the freight-claim rules and regulations, to completely understand all the terminology, and to fully comprehend tariffs, bills of lading, and insurance policies in order to avoid pitfalls in the distribution cycle. Are you prepared to respond correctly to the following frequent situations? What determines which party has “risk of loss” in transit? Who should file a loss-and-damage claim for an “FOB Origin” shipment? For an “FOB destination” shipment? Can a carrier be held liable if a shipment is made under “shipper’s load and count” and the seal is intact at the time of delivery? May a consignee refuse a damaged shipment? Can expenses for inspecting, sorting, segregating, repackaging, or repairing cargo be included in a loss-and-damage claim? When a shipment is lost or destroyed in transit and another is sent as replacement, can the shipper recover the shipment’s invoice value or only the replacement cost (manufactured cost)? What are the time limits for filing a loss-and-damage claim against a motor carrier? A domestic forwarder? A railroad? An airfreight forwarder or air carrier? An NVOCC (ocean consolidator) or ocean carrier? How can you collect on a loss-and-damage claim when the carrier goes out of business or files for bankruptcy? What is a BMC-32 endorsement? When is a broker or an intermodal marketing company responsible for loss or damage to a shipment? What is the National Motor Freight Classification (NMFC)? What are “Incoterms 2000”? What is the difference between an ocean freight forwarder and a ”non-vessel operating common carrier” (NVOCC)? Can a shipper be liable for damage or personal injury caused by improper loading, blocking, or bracing? What are the time limits for collecting overcharge claims? For carriers to collect unpaid freight charges? When are motor carriers required to provide shippers with copies of their tariffs? Can a carrier collect from the shipper or the consignee if the broker that arranged the movement goes out of business or fails to pay the carrier? Is the shipper responsible for freight charges on a “collect” shipment if the consignee doesn’t pay? Is the consignee liable on a “prepaid” shipment if the shipper doesn’t pay? Can a carrier hold freight loads “hostage” because there are outstanding freight charges? Several of these questions appear in Module 2 “Supply Environment” of our new C.P.M. certification exam. Regardless of the above, these are situations that can occur to us in real life. What is one to do? There is one place where consignees and shippers can go to seek answers to these and other questions about transportation and logistics. It’s the Transportation Consumer Protection Council Inc. (TCPC). The non-profit TCPC has a telephone “hot line” for such questions: (631) 549-8984 - as well as a transportation Q&A section on its Web site (www.TCPCinc.org). These are highly valuable resources because they address real problems that people are experiencing daily in the current business environment. Abstracted by M. A. Pozos from article by William J. Augello, appearing in the February 2001 issue of Logistics ® magazine, page 38. Mr. Augello is adjunct professor at the University of Arizona. He may be reached at: williamaugello@worldnet.att.net
March is Supply-Management Month!
Perhaps we would be strongly tempted to say “Purchasing Month”… ! However, things change, and we have to recognize that the Supply Chain Concept encompasses a lot more that just the purchasing function. It should be obvious that this is one of the reasons for the proposed change in name of our National Association of Purchasing Managers to “Institute for Supply Management… Preparing Purchasing and Supply Management Professionals for the Future”. However, a change in name alone - if approved - will not make our organization or ourselves any better. In the first place, is a change in name needed? What we really need is for each and everyone of us to realize that these new concepts and trends will affect us very deeply in a very short time. We need to reassess our professional development goals and plans, and through the support of our affiliate or of our national organization, improve our professionalism by continuing our learning and education, including our certification as A.P.P. and/or C.P.M. There are New Study Guides, Diagnostic kits, Bibliography references for further study and several other materials now available. The only limit is that which we choose to impose on ourselves. Besides the information that you as member are continually receiving, you can call the toll-free number 1-800-888-6276, and in extension number 3016 you can obtain any information you need about Certification. Do it Today! By M.A. Pozos, P.E., A.P.P., Newsletter Editor.
DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE FOR THE RIO GRANDE VALLEY AFFILIATE OF NAPM
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