As Supply Excellence’s Managing Editor (which is a euphemism for “Principal Cat Herder”), I would be a remiss if I didn’t point out that the blogging efforts by many of our contributors are a byproduct of their ‘day jobs.’ These folks spend their days digging deep into their respective categories to uncover the opportunities and risks that impact buying decisions, global markets and supply chains. Their findings are published quarterly in SupplyWatch, a collection of category/commodity analyses, LCCS country spotlights and supplier profiles.

If you’ve found the posts from our contributors insightful, I invite you to take a look at some of their latest SupplyWatch articles:

• Rachel Rutkoski - Transportation & Logistics: Hot on the heels of her Truckload and Less-Than-Truckload posts (which pointed out opportunities for savings and improved contract terms for shippers), Rachel’s Transportation & Logistics Core Category Detail dives further into the excess capacity brought on by the soft economy. The most important point, which she touched on briefly in the blog, is that it’s wise to look at freight contracts more holistically, rather than simply trying to cut short terms rates. If you can lock in better terms for accessorial charges (which have risen a staggering 900% in the last 10 years!), the savings over the life of the contract could be substantial.
• Mike Petro - Metals: In a 2 part post, Mike broke down the real root causes of the steel price surge (Part 1 & Part 2). Taking that analysis quite a bit further, he and the rest of the metals team discuss strategies for dealing with the challenging market. The case study of a medical instruments manufacturer saving 33% on syringe manufacturing by outsourcing it to a specialized partnership of suppliers is a great example of spend management savings in spite of rising raw material costs.
• Bob Zieger - Plastics, Rubber & Raw Materials: Recently Bob explained the diminishing dollar’s impact on oil prices…and why that means high prices for some time to come. Now he and the Plastics, Rubber & Raw Materials team dig further into how decreasing demand in some categories and the credit crunch further complicate the pricing equation.

Let’s also do a quick community poll: Which article in this quarter’s SupplyWatch best helps you address a current challenge in your supply chain? Leave your answers, questions or observations in the Comment section of this post and I’ll make sure they find their way to the right Category Manager’s desk.

Justin Fogarty is Managing Editor of Ariba’s Supply Excellence blog. He can be reached for story ideas, feedback or questions at jfogarty[at]ariba[dot]com.