The Strategic Procurement Practice Guide: Know-how, Tools and Techniques for Global Buyers

This practice guide on procurement strategy brings together methods and tools used by global purchasers across different industries. The authors lay major focus on the themes of global sourcing, risk management, and the dynamic topic of negotiation strategy. The authors present their perspectives on all important questions of strategic procurement such as: how to manage a heterogeneous supplier structure across different branches and how to deal with partners from diverse cultures? How to solve procurement crisis and proactively avoid them? How does off-shore team management work and how to increase the value-add for both internal and external purchasing? These themes are discussed along with numerous practice-based cases. The authors lay an ideal ground for global purchasers to help with their strategic and operational needs, including technological topics such as e-procurement.

About the Authors

Ulrich Weigel is Vice Chief Operating Officer and Head of Purchasing at Leica Camera AG. Over two decades he gained global management experience of strategic- and operational purchasing organizations up to complete supply chains in the automotive-, the consumer goods-, aircraft- and optical industry. Furthermore he also has many years of international experience in project management, strategy developments and lead buyer functions - at Johnson Controls Automotive, Joachim Loh Group at Hailo, the Sell GmbH and since 2009 at Leica Camera AG. Mr. Weigel has extensive global sourcing experience in South East Europe, but especially in Asia (China, Japan and Korea). His passion is modern and sleek purchasing management with continuous and sustainable cost reduction and transparent procurement controlling. Since 2010 Ulrich Weigel acts also as coach and lecturer for purchasing management and global sourcing at various European universities.

Marco Ruecker is strategic procurement manager at Leica Camera AG where he leads the efforts of the indirect procurement team and the Leica transfer group. He has advanced knowledge in strategic purchasing management disciplines and proven expertise in cost optimization, supplier management and risk management solutions. Additionally he has strong experience in process engineering and strategy planning and implementation. Mr. Ruecker holds a Master degree in process management and a Bachelors degree in engineering economics.