~ ACA AFFILIATIONS ~

The ACA Group   www.theacagroup.com
SMI is a proud member of the ACA Group, an alliance of independent consultants, each with specific subject matter expertise (SME) in the area of operations management and production.  By working together, the ACA consultants offer their clients complete and properly staffed operations improvement initiatives.  The ACA consultants also provide training in a variety of subjects, including 1) ERP, Project Management, Lean Manufacturing, 2) soft skills such as Meeting Skills, and 3) company culture topics such as Preventing Sexual Harassment.

LMA Consulting Group Inc.   www.lma-consultinggroup.com 
LMA provides a pragmatic, results-driven approach to partnering with clients to improve individual and organizational business performance – specifically focused on delivering bottom line results in terms of increased profitability, cash flow and customer service levels.

Symbiotic Solutions   www.inventoryperformance.com 
Symbiotic offers IQR, an inventory management system that helps avoid the formation of excess and obsolete inventory.

~ OTHER AFFILIATIONS ~

APICS San Fernando Valley   www.apics-sfv.org 
SMI is a proud member of APICS-SFV.  With over 400 members, the San Fernando Valley Chapter of APICS offers a full range of programs and materials on the latest business management concepts and techniques.  Monthly professional development meetings (PDM) offer high quality training and networking.

Valley Industrial Association (VIA)   www.via.org
SMI is a proud member of the Valley Industrial Association of Santa Clarita Valley.  VIA is a Business-to-Business professional organization with member companies representing manufacturers and service providers.  The 3 pillars of VIA initiatives are 1) Information, 2) Education, and 3) Advocacy.  VIA initiatives in these 3 areas improve the business environment and strengthen the community fabric.

APICS   www.apics.org 
APICS is The Association for Operations Management, which provides training, certification, and a body of knowledge in all aspects of operations management, including production, inventory and supply chain.

APICS San Gabriel Valley   www.apics-sgv.org 
The San Gabriel Valley Chapter of APICS offers a full range of programs and materials on the latest business management concepts and techniques.  Monthly professional development meetings (PDM) offer high quality training and networking.

APICS Los Angeles   www.lapics.org 
The LA Chapter of APICS is focused on enhancing the competitiveness and profitability of Los Angeles area businesses.  Monthly professional development meetings (PDM) offer high quality training and networking.

~ USEFUL LINKS ~

The Lean Enterprise Institute   www.lean.org
The Lean Enterprise institute provides training, certification, and a body of knowledge in all aspects of Lean Manufacturing and Lean Enterprise.  Founded by James Womack, this site is a rich repository of articles on Lean initiatives and methods. The online bookstore provides some of the best available books and tools on the subject of lean.

eVSM   www.evsm.com
eVSM is simply the best VSM software we have found to date. It runs inside VISIO with connections to Excel. The symbology is consistent with the symbols promoted by The Lean Enterprise Institute.  This software is excellent for creating electronic VSM documents that are easy to read, easy to share with others, and easy to maintain as things change.

The Association for Strategic Planning   www.strategyplus.org 
ASP is a non-profit professional society whose mission is to help people and organizations to succeed through improved strategic thinking, planning and action.  ASP hosts an annual conference, and has compiled a body of knowledge on strategic planning.