To Promote Your Supply Chain Performance In A Recovering Economy, Use The News!

Your purchased products and services get delivered on time. Nothing arrives with defects. Your supplier responds appropriately to inquiries. There are no unpleasant invoicing surprises.

Does that make you a supply chain superstar in the eyes of your management?

Probably not. Those results are expected.

Anything less is a disaster, but meeting expectations seems so...unspectacular.

So how do you communicate that meeting supply chain expectations in a recovering economy is worthy of praise?

Use the news.

What do I mean by this?

Well, it's no secret that the economic situation is difficult right now. Some sectors of - and companies within - the economy are recovering faster than others. And that can lead to difficulties getting the right quantities of materials through the supply chain in sufficient time.

A recent article in the Financial Times (hat-tip to Brendan Gibbons) says that "big manufacturers could be held back by their inability to secure vital components from supply chains weakened by the downturn and unable to increase production fast enough to meet demand." The article goes on to cite some statistics that indicate that supply chain disruptions were rampant in the second quarter of this year as the economy grew.

The article also said that Caterpillar, Boeing, and General Electric were three examples of companies who have suppliers that are struggling to keep up with demand. General Electric was even quoted as saying that "around $50m of revenue maybe got hung up at the end of the quarter in the supply chain."

So, if you are achieving perfection in supply chain performance these days, it actually is a spectacular accomplishment. Share these types of articles with your management to show that meeting supply chain expectations is worthy of recognition!

To Your Career,
Charles Dominick, SPSM
President & Chief Procurement Officer
Next Level Purchasing, Inc.
Struggling To Have A Rewarding Purchasing Career?
Earn Your SPSM^® Certification Online At
Next Level Purchasing . com