Purchasing Blogs
BIR Report: Nonferrous crowd more upbeat than ferrous folks
Not much in the way of positive ferrous news to report, given the consensus views shared at last week’s Bureau of International Recycling (BIR) meeting in Amsterdam. Most expressed the belief that the current global steel market is over baked, and that the primary price drivers for both finished steel, and ferrous scrap, was nothing more/less than a destocking/stocking cycle that has run it ... More
About this blog
COMMODITIES UPDATE written by Bob Garino is a review of supply, demand and pricing activities in various commodity markets.
ISM membership for sales: What's in it for you?
As many people may have heard, the Institute for Supply Management is voting to allow salespeople into the organization. I ask the question to the salespeople that want to join our organization, what’s in it for you?In our local ISM-Dallas affiliate, we continue to strive to find ways to show benefits to people in the purchasing profession as to why they should belong to the local affiliate ... More
About this blog
CAREER TURNS focuses on issues of professional development and change within the procurement field - or is it the purchasing field?
The definition of insanity…or the emperor has no clothes
Albert Einstein is attributed with saying that the definition of insanity is, “doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” If you shoot pool with a garden hose and you can’t put a ball in a pocket, do you continue with the hose or find another cue stick? Do you continue to look in the mail box for your mail during your lunch time when the mail comes at ... More
About this blog
MRO & MORE focuses on maintenance, repair and operations sourcing strategies and looks at ways purchasing operations can better control costs surrounding the buy. George Krauter has more than 40 years’ experience in the fields of industrial distribution and MRO purchasing.
Will the Suppliers in the Room Please Raise Their Hand?
I had the pleasure of making the closing keynote address at the National Association of Educational Buyers New England Annual Conference on Cape Cod late last week. I spoke about the importance of supplier relationships and right after I began my talk I realized that there were suppliers in the room. Goodness….buyers enjoying breakfast, and a great talk (!) with suppliers. While they seemed ... More
About this blog
BACK TO SCHOOL is a blog focusing on academic and professional development in the supply chain and procurement fields. Blogger Richard Weissman is a 25-year veteran of both the professional and academic worlds of supply chain. For full bio, see Profile.
The ‘Afterward’
As a leader, you are a vital link to the company. You spend your day talking to people. Leadership meetings, business reviews, phone calls and email. You have a view of the company that your staff and colleagues may not see. Your view is broader and longer; encompassing perspectives from the business, the corporate functions and top leadership. What you see and unders ... More
About this blog
LEADERSHIP is a blog covering the skills needed for leadership in purchasing and the supply chain. Lara Nichols has a wealth of experience in supplier management, technology management, risk management, performance metrics and much more. For a full bio, see Profile.
Regulatory changes
In her recent piece for GovernmentExecutive.com, Elizabeth Newell does a great job of highlighting a few of the announced acquisition regulation changes. This is a must read for anyone involved in Government Contracting. You can find the article here. ... More
About this blog
Government Contracting is a blog about purchasing best practices in the government sector, federal, state and local. Lee Crane is a contracting officer with the U. S. Postal Service and has both CPM and CPIM certification.
China's supply chain value
I recently attended the ISM China conference, which was attended by about 200 supply chain professionals from companies like IBM, Cooper Industries, Delphi, Alcoa, Home Depot, BP, Emerson, Cardinal Health and Eaton. The major theme of the conference was about China’s supply chain value. The general consensus at the conference was that sourcing from China was necessary and still an advantage ... More
About this blog
Global View provides perspectives on sourcing and supply-chain management in low-cost countries.
Back to Basics: The RFP for outsourcing
(Note: This post is a continuation of Michael Higgs’ previous “Back to Basics” blog post on outsourcing.) Now that you have your documents and you know what you are looking for, you can put your RFP together. You should also have defined the suppliers that you would like to target, but before you share anything, get your NDAs (non-disclosure agreements) signed and filed. For t ... More
About this blog
Lessons from the Road is a blog focusing on the strategies and challenges of global sourcing in today’s supply chain. Blogger Michael Higgs is a working supply chain professional and writes about his travels in meeting with suppliers in low-cost regions around the world.
