Purchasing salaries are on the rise
By Paul Teague, Editor in Chief -- Purchasing, 12/13/2007 7:00:00 AM
Once again, we are happy to report that total compensation for purchasing professionals has increased this year. As our cover story (Page 44) by Senior Editor Susan Avery reports, companies in virtually all industries are recognizing the unique contributions purchasing staffs can and are making to operational efficiency and bottom-line performance.
While the recognition of purchasing's value in the direct arena has been in place at progressive companies for quite some time, corporate executives are now recognizing that purchasing can bring the same value to indirect areas of their business. And so they're asking their procurement staffs to source services such as travel and human resources, as well as information technology and logistics. In fact, some of the biggest raises this year went to those who have taken on sourcing responsibility in those nontraditional areas.
As much as the special skills in negotiations and other tactics, success in purchasing today requires a certain attitude or outlook. Angelia Wilson, global purchasing human resources leader at Dow, is charged with finding people with that outlook for her company. What she looks for in purchasing recruits, she told Avery, is a propensity for strategic thinking, an ability to sell ideas internally, the instinct to think beyond the status quo and look for the "wow" options, the willingness to be flexible, communications skills and a comfort level when working with people from other cultures.
One other personality trait she looks for is an ability to function in and enjoy ambiguity. In the fast-moving pace of business today, where strategies and organizational structures can change quickly, that trait is especially important. Those who can handle ambiguity will also take risks, and it's in the taking of risks that they make progress.
Look for those traits in yourself as you think about your career. And congratulations on the recognition you now have from the executive suite.
The engineering-supply chain connection
One of the major characteristics of purchasing today is the close collaboration between buyers and the engineers they serve in manufacturing companies. Smart engineers know that their colleagues in purchasing can help them achieve the intent of their new designs and still save money in components, materials and manufacturing processes. One such engineer is Brett Williams, engineering manager at Mid-Continent Instruments Co., Inc., a supplier to the aviation industry that's based in Wichita, Kan. Working with purchasing, he finds suppliers through mfg.com for such components as machined parts, circuit boards, fasteners, springs, bearings and other parts, then taps their engineering expertise. "Purchasing and engineering have a great relationship," he says, "and working together we make parts cheaper." That success, plus positive economic signs from the aviation industry, mean the future looks bright for the company. "We're planning for a double-digit increase in business in 2008," he says. Looks like the purchasing-engineering connection is about to get tighter at Mid-Continent.
Our new face on the Web
Purchasing.com has a new look, and we invite you to visit and see it for yourself. Our redesigned site is better organized, has more graphics and is loaded with more content. Some of that content consists of special packages of stories that relate to specific themes. For example, you'll find a special link to case studies on how companies buy, as well as links to a new Purchasing Manager's Survival Guide, our new Logistics Outsourcing and 3PL Resource Center and our Black Belt Negotiators.
Visit the new Purchasing.com and tell us what you think.
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