CPIM OR CSCP, WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU?

Written by Ahmed Maghraby

The APICS CPIM designation demonstrates professional knowledge and understanding of production and inventory management. It focuses on an organization’s internal operations and provides an in-depth view of materials management, master scheduling, forecasting, production planning, and more.

 

The APICS CSCP designation demonstrates mastery of the extended supply chain, from organizations’ suppliers through to the end customers. It validates professional understanding of supply chain management and the integration of operations across the extended supply chain.

 

Both CPIM and CSCP programs come from the APICS body of knowledge and, depending on a professional’s desired area of focus—internal operations or extended supply chain management—are a critical step in the career paths of supply chain and operations management professionals worldwide.

 

THE TABLE BELOW SUMMARIZES THE MAIN DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE CPIM AND THE CSCP PROGRAMS.

 

Criteria	CPIM	CSCP
Focus	Internal focus, Primarily manufacturing operations	External focus, Encompasses entire supply chain—including suppliers and customers
Depth/Breadth	Depth within specific manufacturing, service, and operations topics	Breadth across many topics, including globalization, IT enablement, logistics, service industry, and more
Topics Addressed	Demand management & Forecasting External sourcing Inventory management Master scheduling Materials management Materials requirements planning Operations planning Product planning Quality improvement Sales and operations planning Strategic and business planning Supply planning	Supply chain strategy and design Supplier Relationship Management Customer Relationship Management Warehouse Management Logistics Supply Chain Risk Management Supply Chain Globalization Role of IT in the supply chain  Demand Management Inventory planning
Number of Exams	5 Exams	1 Exam
Exam Format	Multi-choice, 105 questions for the Basics exam and 75 questions for the rest	Multi-choice, 175 questions
Exam Duration	3 HRs for each module	4 HRs

 Imparted from here