I’ve worked in the manufacturing procurement and planning field for over 20 years. My experience covers nearly all aspects of Supply Chain Management (SCM) in various industries but mainly in aerospace and defense. While I did support production and distribution for many years, I specialize in a niche category: procurement for New Product Introduction (NPI) and Research & Development (R&D) programs. I didn’t know it as a kid, but this became my “what I want to be when I grow up” job about 13 years ago. I find it to be enjoyable and challenging work.
The goal here is to shorten the learning curve of new Buyers or Planners supporting NPI and R&D programs. I hope that Production Buyers or Supply Chain Managers can find value as well. By the way, this blog mainly refers to the Buyer or Buyer/Planner role. However, the information will also be helpful to similar roles such as Materials Program Manager, NPI Procurement Specialist, and the like.
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