Distributors have ample opportunity to take the lead (and build stronger customer relationships) in creating leaner and more productive supply channels. Author Joel Roth says he wrote The 20% Solution, some of it excerpted in this issue, to address the frustration of purchasing professionals who have difficulty dealing with MRO procurement. He gives the following recent example of how corporate buyers can go amiss:

A well-known international manufacturer of building materials tried for 15 years to install an effective integrated supply program for MRO. Three costly attempts failed. Their fourth attempt led to the following Request For Quotation: Time allowed for bidders to respond -13 working days. Total corporate spend on miscellaneous mill supplies -$1.2 million …