Today’s keynote speaker was Paul A. Laudicina, managing officer and chairman of the board for A.T. Kearney. His topic of discussion was “Managing a Global Supply Chain in a Globally Challenged World.”

There are few audiences where a discussion about the economic crisis and how to manage it is more appropriate than those attending the Conference. Like the Purchasing Managers Index that ISM developed during the Great Depression, supply management professionals need the same insight...

94th Annual

John Zapko, executive director, global strategic procurement for Lenovo discussed the company’s worldsourcing process and the challenges of integrating Western and Eastern culture following Lenovo’s 2005 acquisition of IBM’s PC Computing division.

The worldsourcing process drives Lenovo’s innovation across the globe and has several unique characteristics:
• Operational centers worldwide but no headquarters
• Diverse global perspective
• Ideas come from everywhere...

94th Annual

Would you describe your supply management organization as a leader or a laggard? In his presentation “Leading Edge Trends in Supply Management,” Robert A. Rudzki, president of Greybeard Advisors LLC, and former senior vice president and CPO for Bayer Corporation and Bethlehem Steel Corp., put forth several trends that supply management professionals should be using in their organizations.

Highlighted in his presentation were the following trends:
• Speaking, and writing, in...

94th Annual

Change is certain in business. In these volatile times, organizations must have the capabilities to adapt to the changing environment. Achieving a successful change management initiative requires effective leaders (formal and informal) who can communicate with staff and guide them through the transition, says Ernest G. Gabbard, J.D., CPSM, C.P.M., CPCM, director, corporate strategic sourcing for Allegheny Technologies, Inc. and workshop presenter.

Leadership is not exerting authority...

94th Annual

The 94th Annual International Supply Management Conference & Educational Exhibit began this afternoon with a Q&A panel discussion among some of supply management’s leading professionals. Moderated by Jami Coop, CPSM, C.P.M., procurement manager, labels and miscellaneous packaging, enterprise procurement for ConAgra Foods Inc., the panelists included Shelley Stewart, Jr., senior vice president of operational excellence and chief procurement officer at Tyco; Lisa Martin, C.P.M., senior vice...

94th Annual