Purchasing - December 11, 2008

Since receiving Purchasing's Medal of Professional Excellence in 2003, the supply management operation at Cessna Aircraft Co., a Textron Inc. company, has had a single focus: To be the aerospace supply base "customer of choice." And with good reason. Operating in a global economy, Cessna has grown 20% each year since 2003, nearly doubling in size to $5.

• Electronics Edition
• Electronics Trends
• Fed exec tells NEDA conference economy will recover in 2009
• Electronics Briefs
• Leadtimes for variable resistors may stretch
• Microcontroller prices will fall despite strong demand
• Electronics Business Intelligence

• Features
• Pfizer's procurement provides 12 tips for reverse auction success
• Purchasing raises beat the averages
• Chemical Price Forecasting
• Chemical Price Forecast: Storm clouds block chemical buyers' view of the horizon
• Consumer Electronics
• More consumer OEMs consider outsourcing electronics manufacturing
• Electronics Distribution
• Catalog distributors enhance online offerings for buyers

• Metals
• Metals Chips
• Metals Industry Business Intelligence
• Nickel
• Nickel prices at five-year low as demand from stainless steel mills collapses
• Strategic Sourcing
• Steel bargains could be coming from Mexico
• Titanium
• Titanium: RTI delays expansion as 2009 demand outlook has softened

• News and Departments
• Black Belt Negotiators
• How to ensure supply meets demand
• Chemicals
• ConocoPhillips delays Saudi refinery plans
• Chemicals Business Intelligence
• Sulfuric acid price bubble bursts as demand softens
• CMAI: Middle East capacity will push PE market to oversupply
• VeraSun files bankruptcy
• Corporate Travel
• Procurement takes lead at setting sourcing strategy for marketing events at Microsoft
• The ground transportation spend provides procurement more opportunity to reduce costs
• Economy + Supply
• Bayer Back Online in Texas
• Paper Makers Cut Capacity
• Cell Phone Sales Drop
• Sun Sees Demand Slump
• PC Demand Down
• Business Conditions Dive
• IEA: New Oilfields Needed
• LCD Makers Plead Guilty
• Chip Demand to Fall
• China's Production Slows
• Titanium Demand Down
• Economy + Supply
• OECD: Recession is Here
• U.S. Steel Starts Layoffs
• Logistics
• Credit crunch sinks ocean freight
• Logistics Business Intelligence
• Honeywell sees broad benefits from logistics contract management tool
• TomTom leverages logistics outsourcing partners to meet increasing demand
• UPS, FedEx issue rate increases for 2009
• TSA: Container cargo may drop 8% by year-end as global trade slows
• Boeing predicts long-term air freight growth after short-term turbulence
• Carriers revamp networks amid continuing trucking demand slump
• MRO + Distribution
• For improvements in MRO spending, buyers need to set challenging goals
• MRO briefs
• MRO Business Intelligence
• A winning MRO sourcing strategy requires communication, teamwork
• My Turn
• Another profitable year for purchasing professionals
• Office
• Steel manufacturer streamlines document management
• Commoditization of print buy means easier spend consolidation
• Office Technologies Business Intelligence
• Prices
• Express Shipping Rates Up
• Prices
• Macquire Cuts Commodity Price Forecasts
• Energy Information Administration Cuts '09 Forecasts
• Platinum Prices Plunge
• Valve Price Inflation Seen
• Base Metals Prices Near Bottom
• Lumber Prices Have Splintered
• Copper Supply Cuts Price
• CITI: Iron Ore Prices to Drop 20%
• Producer Prices Plummet
• UBS: Commodity Prices Down This Year
• Polysilicon Prices Plunge
• Paper Prices Down in '09
• No Rise in Corrugated Prices
• Speaking Out
• Make business leaders strategic-sourcing partners
• Trends
• Government program provides Lean and Green supplier assessments
• Sonoco leverages SRM techniques to build procurement team
• Logistics merger activity slows in 3Q
• Domestic air fares hit record highs in 2Q
• Banks tighten credit even further in 3Q
• Strategic Sourcing Business Intelligence
• DHL to exit U.S. express shipping market