Purchasing Blogs
The (purchasing) titles, they are a' changin'
The titles used in the purchasing organization are always changing and each time it seems we get more to do. Remember when we were in the Purchasing Department? We were “Purchasing Agents”. Then one day we changed to “Buyers” and soon we were also inventory control. Why was this, because we managed the inventory? Back then we usually told the suppliers how to ship th ... More
About this blog
CAREER TURNS focuses on issues of professional development and change within the procurement field - or is it the purchasing field?
Welcome Back
Thank you to Caterpillar for doing the math and looking at moving some overseas heavy-equipment production back to the United States. And thank you to General Electric for moving some water heater production from China to Kentucky. Oh, and thanks as well to U.S. Block Windows, which moved a molding operation from China to Florida. An article in last Thursday’s Wall Street Journal spoke abou ... 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.
U.S. remains in a jobless recovery yet steel prices keep rising
Last Friday’s non-farm payrolls report was a bit of a relief with “only” 36,000 jobs lost in February versus a consensus expected drop of 68,000. Revisions to December/January added 35,000 to payrolls, bringing the net payroll loss in February to 1,000. The nation’s unemployment rate remained unchanged at 9.7%. Also, 55% of manufacturing companies added jobs in February ... More
About this blog
COMMODITIES UPDATE written by Bob Garino is a review of supply, demand and pricing activities in various commodity markets.
Inspire Trust
Major global companies have experienced crises the likes of which we may never fully understand. In our generation, we have witnessed companies with industry dominance fail, implode, and cease to exist. Consider the poster children for inconceivable failure - Enron, Worldcom, Adelphia, Arthur Andersen and Bear Stearns to name a few. At the core of spectacular failure one must con ... 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.
Veterans Contracting Rules Change Announced
In a great piece over at GovernmentExecutive.com, Robert Brodsky highlights the recent rule changes impacting Veterans set-asides. Check out the article here. By tightening up the rules, is the Veteran’s Affairs Department taking an unnecessary shot at those who have sacrificed so much for our country? Or is this just a smart move to public confidence in the program? Let u ... 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.
Manufacturing in Asia poised for growth
It is the end of Spring Festival, otherwise known as Chinese New Year, and people are ready to get back to work. In China, though banks are tightening credit, the economy is poised to grow again. Manufacturing will pick up as domestic spending by consumers rises. However, exports will drive GDP in China.Now is the time to plan outsourcing strategies for Asia. Asian countries are well poised for gr ... More
About this blog
Global View provides perspectives on sourcing and supply-chain management in low-cost countries.
Efforts to time the Economy
The word of the year and the word that is the talk of all business meeting, news shows, dinner parties and social events, and the only word that liberal and conservatives, democrats and republicans, independents and those undecided, can agree on, is “Economy.” We all desire to have a robust economy in the United States. We may debate the how, but we all can agree upon the desir ... More
About this blog
The blog is about C-suite concerns and how purchasing addresses them.
What is the opposite of lean?
The attention and efforts given to “LEAN” manufacturing today are significant and becoming universal. “LEAN” is an extension of the “critical path” analysis first introduced during the space effort in the Fifties. To be totally “LEAN” is to be totally efficient in all company functions. Many companies take pride in the advances they make in e ... 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.
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.
