Top companies depend on savvy purchasing techniques to increase supply chain performance measurements, according to research by benchmarking and consulting firm Best Practices LLC.

Supply chain and inventory management professionals will gather in San Diego Oct. 10-13 for the 2004 APICS International Conference and Exposition.

Six Sigma Brokers LLC has announced the public launch of its new deployment methodology, STARR.

The Professional Development Institute has announced that it has entered into an agreement with Motorola University.

Albertsons Inc. has started a major roll-out of a companywide Six Sigma quality program designed to reduce management layers, increase leadership spans, improve customer focus, drive new format leadership and formalize its quality program.

CommerceQuest Inc. and Savvi International have announced an alliance that expands the effectiveness of Six Sigma throughout the subscribing business enterprise by leveraging business process management (BPM) information technology.

Breakthrough Management Group, a provider of Six Sigma training, consulting and software, has signed a strategic reseller agreement with Iowa-based GeoLearning Inc., a developer of learning management platforms and Web-based training solutions.

Microsoft Corp. has released new enhancements for its Microsoft Office Solution Accelerator for Six Sigma.

Minitab Inc. has agreed to include Rath & Strong’s two latest publications--Who’s Fault Is It Anyway?, and Rath & Strong’s Guide to MINITAB: Release 14--in Minitab’s companion textbook list, available on the Minitab Web site.

PowerSteering Software, the leading provider of Six Sigma enterprise program management software, has announced the availability of PowerSixSigma, its first software solution designed exclusively to meet the advanced requirements of Six Sigma quality initiatives.