Procurement Archives - Page 12 of 14 - Supply Chain Game Changer™

Confessions of a High Priced Expediter!

Part Shortages? What is your Supply Line Strategy?

The CEO called. “We’re out of Parts … I need your help!” And so it began. These are my confessions as a high priced expediter.

Every Supply Chain is going to have supply disruption and raw material shortages at some point. So if you work in Supply Chain you are going to get involved in some fashion. Maybe you are calling suppliers, qualifying new, replacement parts, or maybe you are arranging for fast delivery of the shortages.

I have been involved directly or indirectly in resolving part shortages throughout my career. Even as an Executive I still got pulled in to these situations and asked to personally get them fixed. Once an Expediter, always an Expediter.

Here are my Confessions!

Our 2017 Top 10 Blog Posts … So Far!

It’s been 6 months since we launched supplychaingamechanger.com. Our goal has always been to share experiences and expertise. The site has evolved. The number of categories has continued to grow. And the response has been absolutely tremendous. We can now present our 2017 Top 10 Blog posts.

In that time Supply Chain Game Changer was also selected by Feedspot as one of the Top 75 Supply Chain Blogs on the Internet.

So we thought that this would be a good point at which to share a list of the 2017 Top 10 Blog posts that we have published so far. We would be remiss if we didn’t also thank the phenomenal Guest Bloggers who have given us such great content.

So here is the 2017 Top 10 Blog List, so far …

Our 2022 Top 10 Articles Plus One!

It has been another exciting year for sure, with supply disruptions and issues continuing to keep Supply Chain in the headlines, impacting every aspect of our lives.

The year is also marked by the end of the global Coronavirus pandemic and its restrictions, which has caused us to add content about what the future of Supply Chain could, or really should, become. As we state, “Supply Chain’s Moment of Truth Has Arrived!“

Make sure you read our 2022 Top 10 articles, along with a bonus article, which are amongst our best ever!

Responsible Sourcing! Making Sustainability Happen for Real!

The Green Supply Chain: True Sustainability or Just a Marketing Stunt?

Sustainability and responsible sourcing.

The word with so much focus and buzz surrounding it, it has almost become difficult to speak or write about.

It’s become the keyword that you see in article titles and hit like or share when scrolling by — so your friends and professional network see you care about the future of the earth — but seldom click on the link to read.

Unfortunately, sustainability and sustainable development are beginning to turn from green to grey, considering its ever-increasingly washed-out idealistic applications in business and society at large.

Business Practices Disrupting Procurement!

7 KPIs Your Procurement Team May Be Ignoring!

When I was a kid, my mom had a ’93 Ford Escort.

I remember that car as clearly as I remember banging with my fist on it’s ceiling singing Tom Petty’s Makin’ Some Noise.

Days and years went by, and eventually, the ’93 Ford Escort was living in the hybrid-dominated world of the year 2004. My mom decided that the Escort had seen better days, and started a new/used car hunt. She soon selected the Prius as her car of choice for its environmentally friendly features. The Escort joined its fellow junk metal comrades in an automotive-parts junkyard a few miles away from my childhood home.

Procurement Integrity Breach – A Sure Way to Get Fired!

Could the CPO Be Replaced by the Chief Value Officer?

The following story about Procurement integrity is true; no names or companies will be mentioned.

“Hello, Rebecca. Great to hear from you this morning. What can I do for you today?” I said to my direct report on my cell phone.

“We have a situation that needs your attention.” Her voice foretold that this was one to pay extra attention to.

“What’s up?”

How to Compare Metal Fabricators!

Strategic Supplier Relationship Management – Do’s and Don’ts

Are you in a dilemma in deciding which company, like https://www.steelproductsdirect.com/, to choose for your next big project for steel equipment? There may be lots of metal fabricators and options springing up as you open the Internet, and they are all pretty much impressive enough to confuse you.

Also, there may be companies who have offered you their services for the same thing with a really tempting quote! This may create confusion in your mind as to whether to choose them (or not!).

When your contract is a really big one and influential enough, you just can’t take risks anywhere. Even when going for a metal fabricator company, it’s better to be very sure about your choice. (We know the contract may be worth a really big amount).

10 Vital Supply Chain Lessons from the Coronavirus Pandemic!

Coronavirus Exposes Global Supply Chain Fragility!

The Coronavirus pandemic has taken the world by storm. With accelerating rates of virus transmission and deaths the global response for containment has increased as well. We need to learn Supply Chain lessons from this tragedy.

Every aspect of our lives has been disrupted: our health, freedom of movement, employment, the economy, our ability to buy goods, and virtually every Supply Chain.

We started to hear about shortages of toilet paper, hand sanitizer, foods and household goods. Now we are starting to hear about shortages of ventilators, masks, and medical equipment.

The list of shortages will only increase at this stage. Apart from the panic buying are there Supply Chain lessons that we should learn from the Coronavirus pandemic to improve the robustness of Supply Chains in the future?

Effective Sales Contract Lifecycle Management Best Practices!

Vendor Agreement: What is it and How to Create it!

Supply chain management and contract lifecycle management are key ingredients to business success. The journey from idea to end product to shipment and delivery is exciting, yes, but rather complicated — fueled with many moving parts.

How well a company manages its supply chain processes can directly impact its bottom line. In a 2021 Statista survey, over half of businesses surveyed found the supply chain disruptions to be extremely challenging, with faster response time as the most difficult hurdle to conquer.

How Russian Sanctions Are Impacting Global Supply Chains!

The Single Point of Failure in Supply Chain – Semiconductor Fabrication!

There are a variety of ongoing disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the resulting economic Russian sanctions coming from other countries. The foundation of international markets is shaky, and threats of food insecurity could push other regions at greater risk.

The modern supply chain is global and often depends on Russia for production, either equipment or materials. Sanctions make these elements harder to procure elsewhere while preventing many companies from using existing Russian sources. Some companies have walked away from billions of dollars worth of infrastructure as they moved operations out of the country.

Now is a time when businesses must consider recalibrating their supply chains, not out of optimization potential but out of necessity.

Our 2022 Top 10 Articles (Part 2)

Our 2022 Top 10 Articles Plus One!

As 2022 draws to a close it is interesting to reflect on the fact that while many of the restrictions put in place during the pandemic are no longer in place, the Supply Chain disruptions caused by the pandemic continue to persist.

These continued disruptions reinforce our belief that Supply Chains continue to be structurally weak. They fall far from the ideal of having much more robust and resilient Supply Chains.

On that note it is important to take the time to reflect on our top 10 articles for the second half of 2022.

Vendor Agreement: What is it and How to Create it!

Overcoming Vendor Management Challenges!

Written business agreements and contracts, such as a Vendor Agreement, are vital parts of a business. Given the importance of vendors to the business supply chain, few business owners appreciate the importance of drafting an agreement while employing one.

A Vendor, also called a supplier, is a person or company who purchases goods and services – from distributors or directly from manufacturers – and resells these items to other businesses or the final consumers.

Every business depends on vendors to operate successfully. You can lay down rules and guidelines for your vendors but let’s be real, without any written agreement, they will find it difficult to remember and efficiently execute them.

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Digital Procurement!

The Digital Supply Chain Road is Full of Potholes, Construction and Accidents!

Navigating the complexity of the global supply chain as a procurement professional can sometimes feel like taking a walk through the Amazon without a compass, or entering into outer space without an oxygen tank, especially when considering digital procurement.

It’s important that procurement teams take into account the new risk reality and challenges that face them, their organizations and their value chains. As the world around us continues to put the pedal to the metal within the digitalization of business solutions, procurement can’t decide to slow down for every speed bump.

At the same time, it’s never smart to punch the gas if you haven’t packed a spare tire. You never know when you might run into something sharp along the way.

Finding the perfect balance between preparation and action can be tricky.

Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS)!

Preparing Business for the Digital Supply Chain! Oracle Interviews Mike Mortson!

I began my career working in a manufacturing plant within an international company that was completely vertically integrated. From component manufacturing through to subassembly manufacturing and end product assembly they did it all.

Within 10 years the company experienced a number of site closures and declared that manufacturing was no longer a core competency. For the site that I was a part of this meant that closure was an inevitability.

Faced with this stark reality we made the choice to spin off from the parent organization and start our own new company, entering the world of Contract Manufacturing.

This was my first experience with Outsourcing, or what I refer to as “Supply Chain as a Service” (SCaaS).

The Future of Procurement!

The Future of the Chief Procurement Officer … Is Already Here!

There has been transformation in the Procurement function over the past decade. From the starting point of the traditional buy-sell, transaction-based purchasing, the practice has moved through stages of change that redefines most aspects of the business and the future of Procurement.

A typical Purchasing Function is limited to the transactional job of collecting information about the requirements of user departments and carrying out commercial checks and balances to finally procure the product & service based on cost reduction only and focused on supply continuity.