B. Braun Medical Inc.’s strategic procurement department cultivates a base of reliable and high-quality suppliers.
By Tim O’Connor
The medical device market is one of the most regulated industries in the world, and the bar only gets higher every year. “It continues to be more rigorous,” says Michael Stammherr, vice president of strategic procurement at B. Braun Medical. “As an industry, we continue to see more regulations and requirements.”
Keeping up with those requirements is a constant challenge. Government agencies, customers, as well as B. Braun Medical itself continues to demand more transparency regarding its products and manufacturers must keep careful track of every material and compound to ensure they meet standards. “Our customers are constantly asking for product attribute information because they are being asked by their customers and agencies for this information,” Stammherr says.
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American Axle & Manufacturing has implemented new supply chain strategies to increase efficiency as it continues to grow.
By Janice Hoppe-Spiers
American Axle & Manufacturing (AAM) has stepped into the upper echelon of automotive suppliers over the past year after doubling in size through acquisition. Expanding from a $4 billion company procuring about $2.5 billion worth of materials into a $6.27 billion company with more than $4 billion in purchasing power, AAM continues to be a leading global Tier I supplier.
“The acquisition has impacted the supply chain positively,” Chief Procurement Officer Jake Stiteler says. “We have expanded the products that we now buy into – areas we hadn’t bought before – and take synergies between the two companies to consolidate the supply base, but at the same time looking at how we grow it and bring in new technologies.”
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NAL focuses on staying dependable to clients that include Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Ford.
By Alan Dorich
If you have driven a car in North America, you have encountered the work of North American Lighting (NAL) Inc. without even realizing it. “If it’s on the outside of the car and it reflects and emits light, it’s our product,” Director of Sales and Marketing Ron Wheat declares.
Paris, Ill.-based NAL designs and manufactures automotive exterior lighting for all North American automakers, including Toyota, Honda, Ford, Nissan and Cadillac. The company started operations in 1983 as a joint venture between Koito Manufacturing Corporation, a Japan-based lighting manufacturer, and two other firms.
NAL began with only nine employees and a taillight order from Toyota. Today, “We are the largest Tier I supplier of exterior automotive lighting in North America,” President and COO Kirk Gadberry says, adding that NAL is 100 percent owned by Koito Manufacturing Corporation.
The company serves a client base that holds it to high standards for quality, cost, development and delivery. “They define how we are judged as a supplier,” Wheat says. “We have to succeed on all fronts to be a supplier of choice.”
NAL maintains its quality through Koito Manufacturing Corporation’s world-class production system, which was inspired by its work with Toyota. “Our pull system creates a very efficient manufacturing system that gives NAL quite an advantage,” he states.
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Pratt & Whitney drives improvements by working closely with its suppliers.
By Alan Dorich
It can be hard to find the right balance between being environmentally beneficial and keeping costs down, but Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has found it. The Hartford, Conn.-based company has helped its aerospace clients find it, too. “Pratt & Whitney continues to go beyond with its latest engines, demonstrating the tremendous benefits of its geared turbofan technology,” Senior Director of Supplier Performance Darren Bicknell says.
The company, a division of United Technologies, has established itself as a leader in designing, manufacturing and servicing aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. P&W started operations more than 90 years ago and made its mark with the WASP engine.
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Rexel pushes its supply chain forward as it works toward 24-hour order delivery.
By Tim O’Connor
Large projects such as data centers can carry a significant environmental impact. As awareness around carbon footprints has grown in recent years, sustainability has gone from a buzzword to a requirement. Contractors and building owners measure their success not only by staying on schedule and budget, but also by their ability to achieve LEED certification.
For many projects, reducing the environmental impact begins with cutting energy use – and few things move the needle on the energy meter as much as a building’s lighting system. As an electrical distributor that offers lighting products, Rexel is well qualified to help clients find sustainable solutions such as motion controls that automatically turn off lights after periods of no activity in a room.
“All our businesses in the United States have people who are focused on energy efficiency,” Vice President of Transportation and Supply Chain Processes Jim Brady says. “We are seeing an increase in what our customers require.”
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Fujitec continues to improve the way its elevator projects are sourced and staged.
By Jim Harris
For more than 60 years, Fujitec has set an industry standard in the manufacturing, installation, modernization and service of specialized vertical elevator systems.
In recent years, the company’s North American operation has improved on its history of quality and integrity by revamping the way it manufactures and delivers its systems.
“I’m proud of the inventory control and efficiency we’ve created not only for manufacturing and logistics, but most importantly for installation,” says Joseph Smith, vice president of the company’s New York regional office.
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Tecma Group of Companies offers supply chain management and other services to U.S. manufacturers operating in Mexico.
By Jim Harris
Many U.S.-based manufacturers look to Mexico as a place to produce their goods for a number of reasons. Mexico’s proximity to the United States as well as its low overhead costs, among other factors, all contribute to making it an attractive offshoring option.
In recent years, Mexico has proven to be even more desirable as a manufacturing hotbed than China and other Asian countries that traditionally housed factories and exported goods to the United States. The country’s lower taxes and tariffs, more favorable wage structure, economic status and shorter transit times have convinced many to do business there instead of across the Pacific Ocean.
For more than 30 years, the Tecma Group of Companies has made it easy for manufacturers to set up shop in the United States’ southern neighbor. The El Paso, Texas-based company offers shelter partnership services to U.S. manufacturers.
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