Subtle but profound shifts
Integrating supply management with other corporate activities produces more competitive supply chains.
By Kevin Fitzgerald -- Purchasing, 7/15/1999
Every other year Purchasing Magazine conducts research among its readers about a wide variety of personal and professional data and information. Our research this year, which is summarized in the article that begins on page 74, uncovered some shifts in the industrial purchasing community that might not appear significant at first glance, but when examined in more detail speak volumes about how purchasing continues to evolve.For example, nearly half of the respondents to our survey, up from 39% two years ago, report that they are in purchasing due to a company assignment, not a deliberate career choice. In years past, this might have indicated that more companies are putting veteran employees "out to pasture" in purchasing, where they could quietly spend their last couple of years before retirement in a position where they couldn't do too much damage. But that type of thinking has gone the way of the dinosaur. Today, effective supply management screams out for purchasing professionals whose skills are multifaceted.
In automotive and other equipment markets, in high-tech manufacturing, and in pharmaceutical manufacturing--purchasing pros need technological skills to be able to effectively manage their supply chains. These purchasing professionals routinely interact with design and manufacturing engineers, scientists, and other technologists, both from their own company and from suppliers. They also must make outsourcing decisions that require deep understanding of technology. To meet this pressing need, many companies have shifted people from technical functions into purchasing.
Here's another subtle change in the profile of the purchasing professional that's illustrated in our survey data: Three fourths of survey respondents are responsible for maintaining inventory levels, compared to 66% two years ago. Once again, this is more evidence that top corporate management has caught on to the fact that maximum efficiency is possible only when supply management is integrated with other key corporate functions, especially in manufacturing. The same professionals who are charged with buying the stuff required for manufacturing are being asked to oversee how much of the stuff must be on hand--and how little of it can be on hand--at various links in the supply chain to ensure that production continues.
With the increased load that purchasing pros carry these days, it's rewarding to see that the vast majority of purchasing professionals like what they do. Eighty percent of purchasers responding to our survey would choose to work in purchasing if they were starting their careers again.
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