Negotiating in a Global Purchasing Environment 

Negotiating in a global purchasing environment can be rewarding but also prevents challenges if you are not aware of different global negotiating practices. When working with different cultures, customs, and business practices, it is important to adapt negotiation strategies to drive successful outcomes.   Here are some tips APD recommends that will help you navigate the…

Why Understanding and Using Cost Models Drives Successful Outcomes 

Cost models can play a crucial role in driving successful outcomes for purchasing departments. Used effectively, they help drive optimal design, reduce the time required to bring products to market, and help companies succeed. Here’s how cost models contribute to achieving favorable outcomes in purchasing: Supplier selection: Cost models enable purchasing professionals to evaluate potential…

7 Tips to Get Back to Important Work on Commodity Management 

During the past 3 years, Purchasing teams have been consumed with urgent firefighting tasks requiring immediate attention.   At the same time, we changed how we work: going from in-the-office to work-from-home and then back to the office or a hybrid of the two.   These factors have taken the focus away from Important activities like employee…

Achieving Cost Savings in the 3rd Year of Covid

2023 started off with Covid once again impacting the daily routines of many.  Time will tell how badly manufacturing and logistics will continue to be affected and how much of a delay this will add to supply chain recovery.     Purchasing organizations have been consumed by the urgent demands of ensuring supply to keep factories running. …

Finding Untapped Savings Opportunities

Having experienced unprecedented upward pricing pressure over the past 2 years, purchasing leaders are telling us that they are under increasing pressure to increase cost savings efforts and results.   A commodity-by-commodity review of company spend can often turn up untapped, easily implementable savings.   To start, take the time to write down the questions you should be asking about each commodity that…

5 Steps to Cost Success

Purchasing success cannot be achieved by purchasing organizations or individual buyers without cost success. But what is cost success?  One of the best purchasing leaders in the manufacturing industry explained it to us this way:  “The best purchasing organizations and buyers can answer these questions:  What does it cost?  What should it cost?  What is…

Recovering from unprecedented price increases – 4 tips for using a commodity-by-commodity approach

Have you experienced unprecedented upward pricing pressure over the past 3 years?   Purchasing leaders are telling us that they are under increasing pressure to increase cost savings efforts and results.  This has been a challenge to say the least, with unrelenting price increases for the last 3 years.   When working with clients on engagements, we are finding that a commodity-by-commodity…

5 Ways Cost Models Help Companies Succeed 

Cost models provide companies valuable benchmarks to validate supplier pricing. Used effectively, they help drive optimal design, reduce the time required to bring products to market, and help companies succeed.  Coupled with advanced analytics they can be used to predict supplier pricing.  Jeoff Burris started Advanced Purchasing Dynamics in 2004 to help companies with collaborative,…

5 Tips for Understanding Costs Better 

Purchasing success cannot be achieved by Purchasing organizations or individual Buyers without understanding costs. But what does it mean to understand costs and how can you expand your costing skills?  One of the best Purchasing leaders in the manufacturing industry explained understanding costs to us this way:  “The best purchasing organizations and buyers can answer…