In this episode of Smarter Sourcing, John speaks with Brent Rohrs, VP of Global Procurement & Program Management at Mayville Engineering Company (MEC), to discuss the evolving world of procurement and supply chain management. Brent shares insights from his career, including the importance of centralizing procurement operations to enhance supplier collaboration and efficiency.

Brent and John also explore lessons learned during the pandemic, such as managing supply chain risk and balancing cost with lead times. Brent offers advice on embracing cross-functional learning and building resilient teams in today’s dynamic environment.

Topics discussed:

• Navigating global supply chain disruptions and the need for stronger risk management strategies in an unpredictable world.
• The benefits of centralizing procurement operations to leverage scale, reduce costs, and enhance supplier collaboration.
• How cross-functional learning fosters team collaboration and problem-solving across diverse groups and industries.
• Lessons from the pandemic, including balancing cost, lead time, and inventory to meet unprecedented demand.
• Strategies for building supplier partnerships and treating suppliers as extensions of internal operations.
• The value of understanding numbers and cost drivers, even without a finance background.
• Developing resilient teams by encouraging open communication and communal learning across all levels of an organization.
• Embracing diverse career experiences and taking on challenges outside your comfort zone to grow professionally.
• The role of technology in modernizing procurement, from supplier portals to artificial intelligence applications.
• Key skills for supply chain professionals, including emotional intelligence and effective relationship-building with vendors.

Guest Quote: 

“I think the hardest thing is you don’t know what you don’t know. So we talk about the risk. I think that is probably one of the things that does keep me up at night is the risk management piece of it. So you talk about geopolitical risk, we talk about dock strikes, you talk about weather-related changes. I mean, take a look at what happened to southeast of the US with two hurricanes coming through there. You got climate change that is occurring, you’ve got pirates in the seas that are attacking in certain areas, tsunamis. I think that’s probably what keeps me up at night right now.”

Get in touch with Brent Rohrs:  

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Website

Get in touch with your host, John Pavia: 

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