Last week, we looked at some of the benefits of supplier site visits and the Prework steps you should take before going onsite. Whether you are truly looking for greater collaborative effort or evaluating the relationship from a cost/value standpoint, there’s nothing as effective as seeing the operation in person, meeting key people face to [...]

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As the graph below shows, steel prices have risen a staggering 400% in the last six years - far outpacing other commodities that are receiving more media attention. It doesn’t take a math whiz to realize steel producers have made extremely healthy profits during that time. But, if your experience in metals dates back all [...]

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In his book, An Entrepreneurial University: The Transformation of Tufts, 1976-2002, Dr. Sol Gittleman, who served Tufts for nineteen years as its Provost, describes how tumultuous changes occurring in American society during his tenure affected the leadership of higher education in the United States.  Squeezed on the one hand by a loss of revenue [...]

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“We paid what?!?! For that?!?!” I suspect that line has been screamed by management since the dawn of business. And once the boss calmed down and was faced with tightening the business’ belt/tunic/animal skin, his next question was probably…”Can’t we make it ourselves cheaper?”
Make vs Buy is a question being asked by manufacturers everywhere in [...]

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No matter how good your relationship may be with your suppliers, there’s always room for improvement. That improvement may be in the form of greater process efficiency, product development collaboration, minimizing supply risks, or a host of other areas. But at the end of the day, what you’re really looking to do is reduce costs [...]

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