Supply Chain

How Do You Build Relationships?             The best way to build relationships is to do what you say you are going to do always, follow through on your words with actions, and to hold yourself accountable for your actions. Working together problem solving with the suppliers you are trying to build a relationship with is […]

How to Transform an Organization into a Supply Chain Centric Model. It Starts and Ends with People. Why not use Pay-For-Skill?           Most supply chain professionals are familiar with the best practices of a supply chain organization and how to transform purchasing into a lead strategic partner in a company. These usually include a thorough

Most purchasing professionals are familiar with the usual quantifiable supplier metrics and measures.  Sophisticated computerized tracking programs exist to measure these traditional performance factors. There are nontraditional supplier metrics/activities that can help not only to rate a supplier, but also to build much stronger supplier relationships. First off, you can learn a lot about a

One of my stories in my book Common Sense Supply Management tells of me setting up an entire future plant layout on a large boardroom table in a conference room. We kept the conference room well stocked with free coffee and treats. Employees from all levels of the company would come in the conference room

Backdoor or maverick buying is a perplexing problem that plagues many procurement organizations. The methods to counteract this behavior are highly dependent upon the cultural climate and ethical standards of your organization. There is no universal solution. People’s behaviors are influenced by consequences. If there are no consequences for backdoor buying the behavior will continue

The rush to e-procurement and e-procurement technologies continues to be fraught with mistakes that have left some companies with unfilled high expectations and little to show for their e-procurement investment. According to Forrester Research, the cost of a traditional procurement transaction or a purchase order can vary from $50 to $250 per transaction. Many companies

Best practices for Office Supplies are many and varied. They greatly depend on what the customer wants or the Voice of the Customer (VOC). Once I was tasked with completing an office-supplies sourcing search for a client in a major western state city at their headquarters, which housed approximately 5,000 employees downtown. I had much

The Billion-Dollar Boys and Mega-Negotiations Story           I and a supply management colleague had been working diligently for a year to try and standardize MRO (Maintenance Repair and Operating) parts to include pumps, pipes and valves, electrical and operating supplies. We divided the storeroom parts into these four bucket areas. These were storeroom related parts

Introduction An information-based negotiation is a radically different approach to negotiations. It emphasizes deep knowledge of the supplier and its industry. It transgresses from some traditional approaches to negotiations. It is not the adversarial win-lose negotiation style with the emphasis on game playing, theatrics and taking full advantage of a supplier’s weaknesses. An information-based negotiation

Autonomous Vehicles (Robot Trucks) Will Redesign the Entire Supply Chain By Dr. Tom DePaoli For more supply chain insights read my book Common Sense Supply Management on Amazon. Avoiding a Supply Chain Apocalypse will also help. Many supply chain professionals do not completely understand the disruption and improvements that autonomous vehicles, specifically what I call