Supply Excellence

Entries from September 2006

An Open Apology…and Good News

September 14th, 2006 · No Comments · supply management

I would like to apologize to Supply Excellence readers for abandoning you much of this week. I was tied up at Empower 2006 where nearly 300 supply and contract managers and executives networked and exchanged best practices on issues ranging from “What’s the Right Organizational Structure for Supply Management Success?” to “Secrets to Fast-Tracking a [more]

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Will a Dose of Boeing be the Right Remedy for Ford?

September 11th, 2006 · 2 Comments · supplier management, supply management

My recent diatribes on the aggressive supply management goals of General Motors and Ford Motor Company raised the attention of Industrial Maintenance and Plant Operation (IMPO) magazine. A reporter from the trade pub called me earlier this week for a column she was preparing on whether automotive manufacturers are “only hurting themselves by squeezing suppliers [more]

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Hidden Supply Costs and The Importance of Agility

September 6th, 2006 · No Comments · costing, design and development, supply management

Thanks to rising energy costs and raw-material hogs like China, India, and Boeing, supply markets these days have more faces than Sybil.
Supply managers received good news this week as oil and gas prices continued to decline, with oil slipping below $68 per barrel for the first time since June. Industry experts also downgraded earlier concerns that a [more]

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SaaS: A Tale of Two Articles

September 5th, 2006 · 1 Comment · supply management

Last week, SpendMatters master Jason Busch held up an article on Software as a Service (SaaS) by CMP Media’s Shyamanuja Das as evidence of the type of thought-provoking analysis old-school business-to-business trade publications will need to adopt to remain viable. Writes Jason: “From the start, I like the attitude and style of the author, as [more]

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Selling Supply Management to the C-Suite: Make it Personal

September 1st, 2006 · 1 Comment · best practices, skills rectruitment and development, supply management

During my tenure as supply management editor, advisor, analyst, and now solution provider, I received countless questions on strategy and technology. One common inquiry: How do I convince C-level executives of the importance of supply management?
In his book Straight to the Bottomline, Supply Excellence contributor Doug Smock offers sage guidance on how supply managers can [more]

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