When I asked the Strategic Sourcing & Procurement LinkedIn group members to suggest topics for upcoming calls, there were a lot of requests pertaining to indirect spend. So, this Friday, the group’s July member conference call will be an open discussion on indirect categories (marketing and consulting will definitely be covered - if you have [...]

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The ISM NMI (Non-Manufacturing Index) came in at 53.8, which is down from 55.4 in May. The Business Activity Index was 58.1, down from 61.1 in May, and New Orders was 54.4, down from 57.1 in May. The employment index came in at 49.7, slightly below the growth threshold of 50. Here are some bullet points about [...]

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Long-time readers may remember a year ago when we interviewed Chris Stockwell, VP of Procurement at Heinz, on their efforts to really go after the company’s indirect spend and bring it under management. No doubt a major opportunity for Heinz and one which required careful planning and execution.
So, it was great to speak with Mauricio [...]

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As many of you know, the Category Managers who contribute to Supply Excellence also create a quarterly report called SupplyWatch. The Q2 issue is posted and includes detailed category breakdowns for…

Metals
Plastics, Rubber & Raw Materials
Transportation
Electronics, Electrical & IT Hardware
Paper & Packaging
Services & Capital Goods, Construction & Engineering

This quarter’s feature article is on Working Capital [...]

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In the recent Top 5 Categories to Source Now webinar, Multifunctional Devices were identified as a category with cost savings potential in the current market (full webinar replay here).
Category Manager Loriann Andersen recommended the following approach:

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