by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jul 15, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
Which category should get sourced first? Which supplier is the biggest risk on the books? Where are costs actually rising, and where does it just feel that way? Which plants are buying the same thing from different suppliers without knowing it? These are the questions...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jul 8, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
The RFQ gets run. Suppliers get selected. Pricing gets negotiated. Implementation happens. And then, almost without anyone deciding it should happen, supplier management quietly stops being structured. Delivery starts slipping a little. Quality gets inconsistent....
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Jun 23, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
Most manufacturing procurement teams are sourcing reactively without realizing it. A supplier sends a price increase letter and procurement responds. A plant requests a new supplier and procurement evaluates one option. A shortage forces an emergency qualification and...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | May 8, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing, Featured, News
Nine weeks into what is now the largest energy supply disruption in recorded history, the question procurement teams are asking has changed. It’s no longer “when does this normalize?” It’s “what does our cost structure look like if it...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Apr 24, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing, Featured, News
A real-time view of supply chain risk is no longer optional. Over the past two weeks, global supply chains have entered a more fragile and reactive state driven by geopolitical escalation risk, shifting freight dynamics, and tightening commodity signals. For...
by Mary Ruth Williamson, CEO | Mar 19, 2026 | Direct Materials Sourcing
Supplier consolidation is one of the most common cost-reduction strategies in manufacturing—and one of the easiest to misunderstand. Yes, consolidation can create leverage, simplify operations, and reduce cost. Under the wrong conditions, it does the opposite: it...
