Inside Supply Management Magazine

Procuring a Preview: April Issue

April 10, 2018

The April issue of Inside Supply Management®, published by Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®), is set to hit your inboxes and mailboxes soon. Here’s a sneak preview:

The feature articles:

●In “Managing Supplier Risk with Resilience,” senior writer Sue Doerfler discusses how continuity plans can help organizations quickly handle supply chain interruptions and return to normal operations. Learn the factors to consider for each critical supplier, the importance of collaboration and leadership support, and how, as supply chains have become more complex, it becomes imperative to have a resiliency plan. The article also offers a look at how Zimmer Biomet in Warsaw, Indiana, developed a resiliency initiative to understand its critical suppliers’ capabilities and their resiliency plans — and how the company worked with suppliers to develop plans if they didn’t already have them.

●Author Daniel Sanchez, CPSM, talks about his first six months as a manager in “Taking a Generalist Approach.” He discusses how looking at processes, people and needs can help new and experienced procurement managers develop a successful category strategy. Find out how Sanchez navigated through his first several months and gain insight and strategies that you can use at your own job.

●Meet Charlotte de Brabandt, a category associate with Johnson & Johnson in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, in “The Megawatt Star of 2017 Exemplifies Leadership and Global Thinking” by Sue Doerfler. De Brabandt’s reputation as a leader, problem solver and critical team member are some of the reasons she was chosen for the award, which is given as part of the 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars program. The program, a joint effort by ISM and Thomas, honors young supply management professionals for their contributions and achievements. The article also includes a list of the 2017 30 Under 30 Rising Supply Chain Stars.

Also in the April issue:

●On the Perspectives pages, Preeti Kaur, associate director, global procurement — commercial chemicals, R&D sourcing at Allergan in Madison, New Jersey, answers “Why Is It Important to Develop Enduring Supplier Relationships?”

●Hurricane Harvey wreaked havoc on supply chains. In the Insights column, discover how San Antonio-based supermarket chain H-E-B successfully navigated challenges and the successes it experienced, from Christopher Sower, CPSM, C.P.M.

●In the Competencies column, Jonathan O’Brien lays out “Three Steps to Ensure Suppliers Meet Expectations,” explaining how effective quality management requires practitioners to be proficient in addressing expectation, monitoring and taking appropriate action.

●The Research column looks at automation and digitalization tools that can improve supply management operations. Roberta J. Jennings discusses how robotic process automation can make a difference in data reconciliation and preparation, among other areas.

Plus, check out our usual array of critical information, including the March 2018 ISM® Report on Business®, international news on our Markets pages, and much more.