Key Staff

The person we are going to focus on in the design area is Sue Tatford.

Sue's job is a highly complex one. She has to deal with over 1,000 suppliers, and millions of pounds worth of purchasing. She needs a variety of skills, some of which include:

• Good negotiation skills - she needs to draw the best possible deal out from the suppliers
• A detailed knowledge of the parts required by each department - and ballooning itself
• Good organisational skills
• Determination
• Flexibility - one minute she may be having to put pressure on an under-performing supplier, the next trying to persuade them to put themselves out to cope with an emergency order
• An ability to plan ahead - planning can help avoid problems in the future
• Time management - Sue has to ensure she allocates her time in the most effective and efficient way

Much of her time each day is spent on the phone. She spends a good deal of time ordering each day and chasing suppliers to ensure they meet their commitments. Much of the rest of her time is spent checking stock levels and checking the requirements of each department. She will also be involved when new products are being developed to ensure that there will not be any potential supply problems.

The job is a critical one in the firm as most departments will rely on the job being carried out effectively. In fact as long as she does carry the job out effectively it will rarely be noticed that she is doing it at all. Any problems will quickly, however, draw attention to the department, despite the fact that they will rarely, if ever, be of her making.

An efficient purchasing department has enormous benefits for the firm. It increases efficiency, improves profitability and enhances the balance sheet position of the company.