Greetings, everyone.
It’s my pleasure to provide this month’s Executive Spotlight as it very well could be the last time you hear from me until I see you at next year’s Summit in Naples FL. Retirement is just a few weeks away and after September 29 I’m happy to say that Shari Bella will be your contact for the Director Procurement Systems duties. The last six and half years with USA have been some of the best and most rewarding times of my life. Working with the suppliers, members, and USA staff continues to remind me that we work for an industry with the highest integrity and deliver the highest quality goods, services, and generation to a world that truly needs every one of us to succeed. To my old friends I want to thank you for your support dating back to 1996 when USA was first formed. That’s a long time ago, but some of us were there during start up and look at USA now. For my new friends, I hope that you will carry the torch and continue to help USA thrive in the future. My four adult children and four grand children are counting on this industry to be there for them.
That said, looking at the first half of 2023 I’m seeing Supply Chain spend and savings that could potentially lead us to another great year for rebates, first cost savings, and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) savings. We continue to add new suppliers to our portfolio and our relentless pursuit of contract utilization for our existing USA agreements never stops. The concepts our members and suppliers institutionalized during the three years I served as the project manager for the Material Cost Reduction (MCR) initiative led to $30M in documented savings. Reverse engineering, refurbishment, repair strategies, Inventory reduction sales, and many other low-cost alternate solutions are now a part of the daily pursuit of the right parts at the right time at the right price. Our services supplier agreements are also a key component for savings, and I’m amazed at the innovation, technology, and new service agreement opportunities that suppliers continue to bring to the table.
I have always said the key to success is to surround yourself with people smarter than yourself and make sure they have the tools they need to flourish with the skills and abilities they possess. Thankfully all of you have been there supporting me during my time with USA. I hope that I have made your life better as well.
Brad Vickery – Director, Procurement Systems