Think of commodity managers as the quarterbacks of the supply chain team. They need to collect a lot of supplier information, be quick decision-makers, and negotiate details but yet, see the big picture. The most successful commodity professionals constantly monitor market conditions to purchase when prices are ideal. They analyze risk, develop forecasts, study trends
Commodity Managers: The QBs of the Supply Chain Read More »
Successful sourcing professionals consistently analyze and adjust their sourcing strategy. Now, more than ever, the key to crafting a successful risk mitigation plan for a global supply base is having detailed information for hundreds of suppliers across regions & capabilities readily available to support agile decision-making. Having this information in one online, centralized database improves
How to Engage with Suppliers and Build a Robust Supply Chain Read More »
Die casters typically purchase several grades of aluminum from 3-5 sources. They also purchase a few different grades of lubricants, coolants, and perishable tooling daily. Additionally, they purchase hundreds of different maintenance components and factory operational items from tens of different sources and include small items such as fasteners, gaskets, fittings, and hydraulic parts. A
Advances in Foundry Purchasing & Supplier Management Tools Read More »
Thirty months since our team members first learned about Coronavirus (remember calling it that!) there is a lot we have learned. It is sobering to think about over half a billion people around the world have contracted Covid and we have over 6.35 million recorded deaths (excluding China, which has stopped publishing its counts). According
What We Got Wrong About COVID Read More »
The History of CRM The term “CRM” customer relationship management is now a commonly used term, and the emergence of companies like Salesforce CRM offerings have contributed both to its growth and popularity. The origin of CRM dates to the 1980s; however it wasn’t even called a CRM. It was called a CMS, a contact
CRM vs SRM: What is the Difference? Read More »
RFQ (request for quote) is a business process in which a company or public entity requests a quote from a supplier for the purchase of specific products or services. RFQ generally means the same thing as Call for bids (CfB) and Invitation for bid (IfB). Up until the 1990s, these kinds of requests were issued
ERFx/Sourcing Terminologies Read More »
Many of the progressive industrial companies in the world have successfully digitized their CRM processes using software like Salesforce and others. But their Sourcing and Supply chain teams still use archaic excel, email, and PDF tools to engage in communications with their suppliers, conduct commercial exchanges, and manage contracts & certifications through the full life
SRM Overview & Background Read More »
MESH is built upon years of experience in buying forgings, fasteners, castings, raw materials in different forms and assemblies. Automotive, agriculture, aerospace, lighting, and general industrial customers have teams of buyers who communicate with their suppliers sending drawings, specifications, and standard templates to see the cost drivers from supplier quotes. MESH allows buyers and commodity
Typical buyer for a small to mid-size CNC machine shop with 30-100 employees likely purchases over 100 types of materials in sizes, shapes, quantities which vary frequently. This buyer mostly uses some older ERP type of software to store “some” of the material quotes. He/she also uses a large array of excel files, PDF files
Buying for CNC Machine Shops Read More »
Custom injection molding shops and die casting factories purchase different types of material grades – scrap and virgin materials for their use. The buyer spends an inordinate amount of time working with small dealers and large mills procuring what’s needed. Buyers also work with their sales team to give advanced pricing on projects which will
Buying for Injection Molding and Die Casting Factories Read More »
