USA Supplier Fairs were held recently at two USA member station locations; Cook Nuclear Plant and Fermi 2 Power Plant. Both fairs were a success, with strong turn-outs and many connections.
“This was a great opportunity for many Suppliers to have a first time visit to Fermi and meet the actual plant users of their products,” stated Diane Goodman, strategic supply chain category manager for Fermi 2. “Suppliers could showcase their items and talk specifics on how they could provide value to Fermi. Several Fermi employees used the time to set up future meetings with the Suppliers to discuss potential opportunities.”
USA Supplier Fairs are held at different member stations each year. Twelve to fifteen (or more, depending on the space) USA suppliers are invited to attend the fair to talk to plant employees about what they can do. The goal of the fairs is to get site employees familiar with USA agreement-holding suppliers and, in turn, increase agreement usage. The site fair coordinators choose the suppliers who are invited and base their choices on their own usage goals.
“The USA Supplier Fairs provide an excellent forum for collaboration between member utilities and vendors,” stated Erik Haas, business manager – cyber security solutions from AREVA, who attended the fairs. “Every discussion leads to a deeper understanding of our customers’ needs and solution requirements. They drive us to innovate and deliver efficient solutions that further improve safety and performance, and reduce operating and maintenance costs.”
The next USA Supplier Fair will be held at South Texas Project in October.
For more information about the USA supplier fairs (and more photos of the Cook and Fermi fairs) please go to www.usainc.org/supply-chain/supplier-fairs.html.
Fermi CNO Joe Plona gives the opening remarks at the Fermi fair.
Fermi employees visit with USA suppliers during the fair.
Dave Palmer, Cook Site Purchasing Supervisor, left, talks with USA Supply Chain Manager Sarah Vandermast while Cook employees check out the booths.