by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Feb 12, 2026 | Manufacturing Procurement
Manufacturing procurement hasn’t returned to “normal.” The acute shocks of the early 2020s may have cooled, but the pressure on procurement hasn’t. In 2026 and beyond, procurement leaders are operating in a permanently higher-stakes environment: supply instability...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Feb 4, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
When manufacturers talk about cost reduction, the conversation usually defaults to negotiation. Sometimes that works. More often, it turns into an annual ritual: squeeze the supplier, celebrate the spreadsheet, then watch costs creep back in through surcharges,...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jan 28, 2026 | Manufacturing Procurement
Strategic sourcing is one of those phrases that gets tossed around like everyone agrees on what it means. Then you walk into a manufacturing environment and realize: half the strategic decisions are just yesterday’s emergencies wearing a nicer title. In manufacturing,...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jan 21, 2026 | Manufacturing Procurement
Manufacturers are under constant pressure to reduce costs, stabilize supply, and improve operational performance. Procurement sits in the middle of all three—acting as both the glue for the business and the captain of the performative ship. So when internal teams...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jan 16, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
Most manufacturers might not choose to source direct materials reactively. They get there the honest way: supplier fires, price increases, shortages, expediting, and a plant that (understandably) cares more about keeping the line running than building a beautiful...
