Author Archives: Sheena Moore
Supplier Network Debate, SPM Optimization, Suppliers at the Heart of Procurement
It’s the time of year at Spend Matters where if we’re not furiously writing or attending or speaking at any number of procurement events, we’re putting together free webinars just for you, our readers, to attend. Here are three that will be coming your way in the next few weeks: Tuesday, May 21, 2013 9-10am CDT The Great Debate: Will Supplier Networks Thrive, Implode, or Evolve? This is what AP, treasury, procurement, and supply chain managers need to know about the future of eProcurement, e-invoicing and business connectivity – featuring a live panel discussion that incorporates audience questions and commentary [...]
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Upcoming Webinars, Google Wallet, 101 Carat Perfect Diamond
Here are some upcoming (free!) webinars that you might find interesting: 5/21/13: The Great Debate: Will Supplier Networks Thrive, Implode, or Evolve? 5/30/13: Good Data: Spend Analysis Tactics to Attack Supplier Performance Management 6/5/13: Putting the Supplier at the Heart of Procurement Ever wanted to send money through Gmail? Google Wallet allows you to “attach” money to an email, just as you would a photo or document. Harry Winston has bought a 101 carat “perfect diamond” at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction. The alarming issue of factory safety is escalated as a roof collapses at a shoe factory in Cambodia, killing [...]
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Supreme Court and Monsanto, Pressure in Bangladesh, Supply Chain Efficiency
The Supreme Court ruled that farmers can’t use Monsanto’s genetically altered soybeans to create new seeds without paying the company a fee. Western retailers hurry to improve safety and working conditions in Bangladesh during the aftermath of the massive Rana Plaza factory fire. Don’t bother tracking Apple’s supply chain build plans. KPMG says that manufacturers are “motivated” by supply chain efficiency.
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Conflict Minerals Questions Answered
Where do US manufacturers stand on conflict minerals compliance as we approach 2H2013? At Conflict Minerals EDGE earlier this week, we sought to find out. We’re proud to share some audience takeaways:
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Portable Electronics on Airplanes, Shipping Market Improves, US Military Supply Risk
The FAA is considering allowing the use of portable electronics during take-off and landing. People are ordering container ships again – China Shipping Container Lines just signed a $683 Million deal for five new ships, which “provided a glimmer of hope for the beleaguered global shipping market.” The current level of the US Military’s supply chain risk is “frightening,” according to the Alliance for American Manufacturing. xkcd.com
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Indirect Category Sourcing Savings?
Today we’d like to feature a new research paper authored by Spend Matters UK/Europe’s Peter Smith: Indirect Category Sourcing Savings : Fact or Fiction? Delivering Credible Benefits from Sourcing and Category Management Programmes. You can download it for free by clicking the link above. Peter says: “I’ve co-authored it with Ed Cross, (pictured here), Executive Director of Xchanging Procurement Services, also a serious triathlete and heavy metal music fan. (I’d love to say we developed the material during our regular 20-mile training runs… but I’d be lying). We start by looking at what makes sourcing and category management programmes successful. As well as [...]
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Cadillacs in China, Cicadas are Coming, 787 in India, Visa in Rwanda
GM is building a new $1.3 billion Cadillac plant in China. Cicadas are coming this summer. Here’s everything you need to know. Air India is lifting the ban on Dreamliners. Visa is attempting a fledgling mobile payment venture in Rwanda.
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Conflict Minerals EDGE: Steel, Stainless Steel, and Distribution Roundtable
Moderator Lisa Reisman (MetalMiner) takes the stage with Jennifer Diggins (Nucor), Jeffrey Friedman (Kloeckner Metals), Rose of Sharon DeVos (Stainless Sales Corporation), Michael Pfeifer (Industrial Metallurgists, LLC), and Lawrence Heim (The Elm Consulting Group) to kick off the afternoon session of Conflict Minerals EDGE. (Click image to enlarge)
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Wedding Planning: Procuring “The” Dress
This post is part of an ongoing series about “procuring” a wedding, Spend Matters-style. See previous posts here: Wedding Planning: Spend Matters Style Procuring the Perfect Chicago Wedding Venue Wedding Planning: Venue, Menu, Hotel Blocks, Stationary, Oh My! …and thank you so much for all of your advice and congratulations so far! Oh, the wedding dress. I didn’t think I’d spend what I spent. But before we get to that, here’s some background: I was going to get some minor alterations (shortening to cocktail length and then cutting the sleeves off) to my grandmother’s gorgeous lace wedding dress from 1955, [...]
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Factories in Bangladesh Improving, Air India and Boeing, Her Majesty’s Royal Kitchen
After the deadly fire at Rana Plaza, arguments for improved safety standards and working conditions outweigh abandoning manufacturing in the region altogether. Air India seeks compensation from Boeing due to losses incurred by the grounding of the Dreamliner fleet. What does it take to be head chef in the Royal Kitchen? (It sounds a lot like Downton Abby…) Uber is tossed out of NYC…again.
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Basware’s Record Growth, When Legal Pot Isn’t Pot, Bird Flu, Japan 787 Standards
Basware reports over 50 million e-invoice and e-order transaction records sent and received across its business commerce network. Washington State debates the ins and outs of legalized “marijuana” versus “unregulated cannabis.” Forbes says that we aren’t prepared for bird flu. “We have the capacity for a vaccine, but we don’t have the time.” Dreamliner flights are to resume in Japan – with MUCH tighter regulation and rigorous standards.
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US Gov’t Sues Lance Armstrong, Airbus Wins China Deal, NYT Tiered Pricing, Sugar Tax?
Lance Armstrong’s legal troubles grow – the US Government filed court documents accusing Armstrong of defrauding the US Postal Service by taking millions in sponsor money. China has ordered 60 jets from Airbus – at the list price of around $8 billion. The NYT has moved to a tiered pricing model. Of Bloomberg, Big Gulps, and taxing versus banning things.
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Goodbye Tax-free Internet Shopping, Japan’s Dreamliner Decision, HTC Supplier Barred
A bill is moving through the Senate that could make tax-free internet shopping a relic of the past. Japan will make a final decision about resuming Dreamliner service as early as Thursday, after the US are expected to allow service to resume this week. A court rules that HTC cannot use microphone components that were developed exclusively for Nokia. Different incomes = different purchasing habits: Is living in NYC a relative bargain for the wealthy?
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MetalMiner Seeks Senior Sales Position
While Spend Matters brings you your daily fix of procurement content, the MetalMiner side of the house is busy not only providing global pricing trends through their monthly MetalMiner IndX (MMI) series, but also digging into the global issues and considerations behind the sourcing and trading of all metals. The site that started at 100 views per day is now the number one North American metals trade publication by traffic. They’re looking for their very first full-time hire for the MetalMiner sales team. See an excerpt from the full job description below: “Our Sales Director will serve business-to-business advertisers with [...]
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Chicago Flooding, Texas Fertilizer Plant Explosion, H7N9 Affects Tourism
Be careful out there, Chicagoans: A huge swath of overnight storms brought massive sink holes and flooding to the Chicagoland area. Parts of the Edens, Eisenhower, and Kennedy are closed. There’s no word yet on the cause of a fire that caused a West Texas fertilizer plant to explode, killing between 5-15 and injuring more than 100 people. The spread of H7N9 will likely affect the business at some of eastern China’s hotels and vacation hot spots for the upcoming May Day holiday. MetalMiner takes a look at the US strategic minerals and metals supply chain for the US Military [...]
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H7N9 Update, Safe Baby Formula, HP Releases Smelter List, Horsemeat Test Results
63 humans are now known to be infected with H7N9 and 14 have died – flu experts are headed to China for a fact-finding mission focused on the poultry market. Chinese families are being penalized for buying foreign baby formula, despite Chinese product containing dangerous levels of mercury and aflatoxin. HP is the first IT company to publish their smelter list for independent review, in the hopes of achieving a conflict-free supply chain. (What are you doing to prepare for Conflict Minerals compliance??) The European Commission is publishing horsemeat test results today.
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- US and Chinese Comparative PVC Price : Jake said: I can also see this trend continuing, and i also think the west as a whole will struggle t... more
- SAP Sapphire: Moving to Frictionless AND Sticky Commerce : Jason Busch said: Pierre, Great stuff ... I personally think the proprietary network / apps approach t... more
- Three Lessons from LeBron James for Procurement Organizations : bitter and twisted said: I despise these sporting analogies.... more
- Procurement Inertia: When Did You Last Run Through the Seven Steps? : US Army M1A2 SEP - Voyager PE35557 US Army said: [...] Procurement Inertia: When Did You Last Run Through the Seven Steps? (spendmatters.co... more
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