3M Canada continues to improve its sourcing and sustainability practices.
By Jim Harris
Environmental stewardship and sustainability are relatively new components of the corporate responsibility policies of many companies. For 3M, however, going ”green“ has been a part of its identity since the 1970s.
“We’re one of the few companies that’s been included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 17 consecutive years, since the inception of the Index in 1999, and we have a program called ‘Pollution Prevention Pays,’ or 3P, that we started here over 40 years ago,” says Jeff van Geel, director of strategic sourcing for the global manufacturing company’s Canadian operations. “We have been on the sustainability movement for many decades now.”
The company’s sustainability goals heavily influence its sourcing activities, as it considers the energy consumption and overall environmental impact of potential purchases such as equipment. Company car purchases are mindful of sales representatives’ needs as well as fuel economy, he adds.
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Consumer packaging leader WestRock continues to improve its relationships with suppliers as well as customers. By Jim Harris
WestRock’s international footprint, experience and history of innovation have made it a go-to provider of consumer packaging to major manufacturers in a host of industries. Although the company already enjoys a market-dominant position in the products it provides, it wants to be more than just a supplier to its customers.
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Albertsons Companies invests in automation technology and makes improvements to its distribution centers.
By Kat Zeman, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Publishing
They can work in darkness, eliminating the need for lighting inside a warehouse. They don’t sleep or take lunch breaks and can perform difficult tasks with ease and speed.
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Agios Pharmaceuticals launches its first wholly owned precision medicine, TIBSOVO, in record time thanks to its highly-integrated supply chain.
By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Publishing
Agios Pharmaceuticals specializes in applying scientific leadership in the field of cellular metabolism to transform the lives of patients with cancer and rare genetic diseases. In addition to celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Agios achieved another major milestone in July when it received FDA approval on TIBSOVO, the biopharmaceutical company’s first wholly owned drug, and its second approved medicine from its internal research program within the last year.
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Sonic is ‘razor focused’ on keeping its clients happy and successful.
By Alan Dorich, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Publishing
For Sonic Manufacturing Technologies, the No. 1 goal is making customers happy and successful. “Everything is so razor focused on that one goal,” Vice President of Supply Chain David Ginsberg declares. Regardless of schedule compression or engineering changes, delivering on time is Sonic’s highest priority.
In many companies, he notes, the various departments are at odds. For example, financial departments are incentivized to reduce inventory while customer service teams will want to increase it. This leads to conflicting metrics, unaligned processes and therefore frustrated customers. “We don’t have misalignment,” he asserts.
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Xyngular’s supply chain operations play a critical role within the direct sales nutritional supplement provider’s operations and positive internal culture.
By Jim Harris, Senior Editor at Knighthouse Media
When choosing a vendor, Xyngular looks for more than just the ability to supply goods in a timely fashion. “From a supply chain standpoint, what sets us apart is that we find partners that fit our culture,” Senior Director of Supply Chain Weston Carter says. “There are many manufacturers and [third-party logistics providers] 3PLs out there, but we’ve linked up with those companies that fit what we’re doing, believe in our mission and can be true partners for us.”
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By Andrew Greissman
Convening Nov. 12 to 14 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego, Calif., this year’s ProcureCon Marketing prepares to address changes in the industry and macro trends that have been shaping interdepartmental relations over the past several years.
Procurement’s relationship to marketing is steadily deepening, thanks to the growing influence of procurement overspend within many organizations and costs associated with cutting edge marketing technology. Working with marketing is similar to working with the IT group – procurement is asked to control costs and optimize for value within an environment where changes in the industry require constant adaptation.
This year, as ProcureCon Marketing prepares to convene, event producer Michael Dunlap has developed an agenda that addresses the shifts in the industry that are defining 2018, and will surely play a major role in 2019 and beyond.
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Stelco emerges from bankruptcy protection stronger than ever after rebuilding trust with its suppliers,
and is now a profitable independent company.
By Janice Hoppe-Spiers, Knighthouse Media
Stelco began more than a century ago as The Steel Company of Canada and built a reputation throughout North America for raising industry standards and exceeding customer expectations. The company is known for producing flat-rolled value-added steels for customers in the construction, automotive and energy industries across Canada and the United States.
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