Webinar Details
25 Years of Buying Experience Meets AI: Find Hidden Savings in Manufacturing Procurement
Thousands of parts, years of purchasing data, and a small team with limited time to analyze it all. Where are the savings hiding, and how can AI help you find them?
Join Ryan Smith, Senior Strategic Sourcing Specialist at Dimplex Thermal Solutions, to hear how a U.S. manufacturer uses AI to uncover sourcing opportunities and prepare for supplier negotiations. Drawing on 25 years of buying experience, Ryan shares what worked, what didn't, and how he decides which AI recommendations to trust.
Johannes Groll, Chief Product Officer at Tacto, a Sequoia-backed procurement platform that serves customers like Dimplex Thermal Solutions, Index Corporation and Makino, then demonstrates how AI turns spend and supplier data into savings opportunities, from comparing part prices to challenging supplier price increases. That includes the hardest case: custom parts with no catalog price, where comparable parts and market indices help buyers estimate what a part should cost and walk into negotiations with a defensible number.
You'll learn how to:
· Identify savings potential across your parts and suppliers.
· Use AI-supported cost analysis to assess quotes and price increases.
· Build a should cost for custom parts from your own portfolio and market indices.
· Validate AI recommendations with your team's purchasing expertise.
· Get started with the data you have, without a large IT or data team.
Member Price: $0.00
SPONSOR WEBINAR
Date
Nov 10, 2026
Time
12 PM - 1 PM ET
Location
Additional Information
Presenters
I’m Co-Founder & Managing Director of Tacto. I spend a lot of time working directly with customers to understand where procurement teams get stuck — whether that’s tariff exposure, supplier dependencies, lack of visibility, or too much manual effort in day-to-day processes.
Results-driven Senior Purchasing and Commodity Management professional with 15+ years of progressive experience in strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, cost reduction, and supply-chain optimization across metals, castings, fabricated components, and complex manufacturing environments.
I have led teams managing up to $60M–$200M in annual spend, delivered multi-million-dollar savings (including $2.5M in six months and 15% reductions on at-risk categories), implemented supplier performance systems, and supported successful new-product launches.
Project Management Professional (PMP).
Terms And Conditions
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Cancellation Self-Paced Learning: Upon purchase, these courses are non-refundable.
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