The Supply Chain Procurement Environment:
Supplier Relationships

Speaker: Dr. David Lehmann [see biography]

When we consider supplier relationship strategies, there are generally two competing ideologies for “the right thing to do”: either implement an IT solution or a people solution. Join us for an energizing evening showing that in today’s globally focused, integrated supply chain models, both ideologies are necessary for success .

The focus of this presentation is to present tools that will help practicing supply chain managers work with their supply partners and bring strong competitive advantages to their companies. Because a good supply chain manger knows they must be as good as or better than the suppliers they work with, these tools will work most effectively when the supply chain manager and their company can be held open to the same scruntity as the supplier.

A key element in strong supplier relationships is trust. A level of openness is a tough, but essential ingredient to the supplier - customer relationship. How many years does it take to build/earn trust? What happens when someone acts in a less than trusting way? What is the role of senior managment in gaining trust from our supplier partners? Can we facilitate the development of this level of trust if it means we must show the way by our behaviors?

Come discuss the many different issues in supplier relationships and learn to use a few simple, powerful, tools Dr. Lehmann will show us. Then develop your own tools.

It isn’t magic that builds the strong supply chains we love to read about, it is honest, hard work. It is holding ourselves to new standards and a new model for performance. You will be given the tools to develop a good model for the supplier relationships that work best in your supply chain.