Program

CONFERENCE DAY 1 - 19TH JUNE 2007

8.50AM - 9.00AM

Chairman's Address

Andrew K. Reese Editor Supply & Demand Chain Executive

9.00AM - 9.30AM

Keynote Address
Technology and Procurement:  The most profitable way to leverage your technology – and rise above the competition

This presentation is focused on technologies and software applications that you can deploy as tools that enable efficient procurement activity, enhance customer service and improve your bottom line. You’ll learn how to overcome the challenge of stiff price competition from foreign importers by clearly differentiating yourself as a business that places a strong emphasis on product quality, first-rate customer service and rapid delivery.  And with the right technology on board, it’s all easier than you might imagine...

John Ferguson  Ph.D.,Vice President and CIO Optical Cable Corporation

Dr. Ferguson’s career embraces business process automation and software implementation – and his experience with automated software systems dates back to 1983. Optical Cable Corporation is the second largest manufacturer of fiber optic cables for the enterprise market in North America, selling its products worldwide in over 70 countries with tens of thousands of end-users.

9.30AM - 10.00AM

Keynote Address
Strengthen your Procurement Core:  Technology that improves your financial and customer focus

Today’s procurement professionals are expected to become heavily involved in strategic planning – and the pressure is on to deliver bottom line corporate results that are measured by increased earning per share.   This presentation clearly demonstrates e-procurement’s potential to impact on every function in your organization as opposed to  merely the procurement process itself:

• Find out which systems and tools are best equipped to help improve quality for your customers
• Discover how to improve your supplier quality – and find new roles for your current suppliers
• Evaluate five proven ways  to use technology to improve your financial and customer focus

John D "Jack" Cleminshaw  Director of Global Quality Systems-Procurement  Whirlpool

John D.  Cleminshaw has been with Whirlpool Corporation for 21 years, and has held a series of ever-increasing responsibilities in technology, international operations, procurement and supplier quality.  He is currently developing systems and tools to improve internal and external quality for Whirlpool’s customers with a special focus on supplier quality. Whirlpool Corporation is the world's leading manufacturer and marketer of major home appliances, with annual sales of more than $19 billion, more than 80,000 employees, and more than 60 manufacturing and technology research centers around the world.

10.00AM - 10.30AM

Keynote Address
E-Auctions Best Practice:  Effective bidding – and common pitfalls and proper approaches of e-auctions

According to a recent CAPS research study, more than 35% of firms with a spend of over $100 million now use e-auctions – but the level of spend users put through e-auctions is still less than 5%. A growing number of procurement professionals  have found an appropriate niche in their strategic sourcing toolkits, allowing them to efficiently source goods and services that are highly standardized, have sufficient spend volume, can be replicated by a reasonable number of qualified competitors and have insignificant switching costs. However, many procurement executives remain skeptical – not least because suppliers are increasingly reluctant to participate in on-line auctions, citing sour experiences of poor or unethical events.

In this presentation you’ll discover how to re-energize your supply community and encourage them to participate in on-line auctions – ultimately reducing your own costs.

• The rising popularity of e-auctions:  cost reduction, need to reduce costs, integrated ERP systems, emphasis on global sourcing, shift toward buyers’ markets, process improvements
• E-auction benefits:  savings, ease of implementation, negotiation efficiency, real-time communicationWhy do some e-auctions go sour – and how can you make sure it doesn’t happen to you?
• Key considerations:  event planning, proper training, bidder screening, fixing the optimum reserve price, targeting the correct commodity, frequency of your e-auctions
• Ethical standards and the most effective techniques for using online actions as negotiation tools

Art Laszlo Director Strategic Sourcing Brunswick Corporation

Art Laszlo is responsible for the development of raw material purchasing and hedging strategies as well as eSourcing for all Brunswick operations. Brunswick Corporation is the world leader in pleasure boats, marine engines, fitness equipment, bowling equipment and billiards tables.

10.30AM - 11.00AM COFFEE BREAK, EXHIBITION, NETWORKING

11.00AM - 11.45AM

Keynote Panel Session
Your chance to ask world class procurement executives about the specific technologies and solutions they use to reduce costs and achieve other tangible results

Come and quiz the ‘Three Wise Men’  whose first-hand, up-to-the moment experience of using procurement technologies and solutions in their companies is second to none.  It’s your chance to profit from a series of authoritative – and forthright – insights, along with  honest discussion of the common pain points, success stories and lessons learned.

John Ferguson  Ph.D.,Vice President and CIO Optical Cable Corporation
John D "Jack" Cleminshaw  Director of Global Quality Systems-Procurement  Whirlpool
Art Laszlo Director Strategic Sourcing Brunswick Corporation

Andrew K. Reese Editor Supply & Demand Chain Executive (Moderator)

11.45AM - 12.30PM

Lessons Learned Panel Session
Cost savings are important – but what extra benefits can e-sourcing and e-procurement deliver?

• How can you leverage e-procurement to improve contract compliance, reduce material and process costs, eliminate paper purchase orders and increase spend under management?
• What are the three tested techniques where e-sourcing will enhance your analysis capabilities?
• What’s the latest news on increased e-sourcing functionality – and how can you can apply e-sourcing  to services like freight?
• Which  tool sets enable you to operate more complex bidding systems?
• What’s the best way to use e-sourcing to achieve improved supply chain integration via online information sharing with your suppliers?
• Maximizing the critical advantages of a successful e-market place:  Critical mass, legitimacy, expert in the field, functionality, tools to help buyers

Christopher Sollitto Supply Chain Solutions Manager Arrow Electronics

Steve Fisher Global Logistics Manager Kendall-Jackson Wine Estates

Betsy Miller Corporate Director, Sourcing and Procurement Corporate Contracts, Pricing and Supply Chain Northrop Grumman Corporation

Patti Koslovsky Subject Matter Expert eprocurement Avotus (Moderator)

12.30PM - 1.30PM LUNCH

1.30PM - 2.15PM

Panel Session
How to ensure your investment  in procurement technology generates a substantial corporate return.  Expert insights into selecting and implementing the correct procurement solutions – from vendor selection to system integration

• Understand your real needs before buying – and avoid expensive, nice-to-have features that are rarely used
• Identify your procurement pain points, along with the strategy, goals and process changes – and the technology you will require
• How not to let your requirements put you at a disadvantage whilst negotiating with vendors and techniques that will help you understand if you are paying too much for the solution
• Practical advice about easier, less expensive system integration between your own systems and suppliers’  -  and how to avoid implementation cost overruns
• Solutions to help you  optimize your procurement process rather than break it out into separate modules
• How to prove the ROI to senior management and your employees
• Learn how to effectively bring together different people and processes onto a common platform to drive e-procurement compliance
•  How to cooperate with your IT department to enhance systems integration
• Six critical success factors described:
• Developing an holistic view of your e-procurement program,
• Vital investment in complementary applications and services
• Addressing major change management issues
• Investing time and resources in management and training
• Leveraging a powerful e-procurement champion
• Utilizing a power-user structure to drive adoption

Ron Schnur Vice President - Strategic Sourcing Coors Brewing Company
Shahriar Shagafi VP Global Supply Chain & Materials Operation Novellus

John Visaya Director of Procurement Systems McKesson

Patti Koslovsky Subject Matter Expert eprocurement Avotus (Moderator)

2.15PM - 2.45PM

BMW Case Study
How BMW’s Procurement Department  uses e-procurement – including the brand new Automated Supplier Rating System – to spend more time focused on strategic sourcing and supply management activities

BMW Procurement Systems, developed through cross-functional continuous improvement, is an integration of ERP streamlined processes and BMW best practices, that  automate many tactical purchasing activities for capital investments and other operating supplies and services, including Maintenance, Repair and Operations.

In January 2007, BMW’s Technical Purchasing Team launched an Automated Supplier Rating System that uses data generated by the ERP system to measure and drive performance improvement of strategic suppliers and commodity groups.

In this presentation you will discover how this innovative system also tracks the cost of non-conformance to bring visibility to total cost of ownership. You will also hear how e-procurement SRM and SCM tools, such as PO Confirmation, Auto Expeditor and Storeroom MRP, allow the Technical Purchasing Team to spend more time on strategic sourcing and supply management activities.

Jason P. Trevison Sr. Technical Buyer & BMW Procurement Systems BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC

Jason P. Trevison is a Senior Technical Buyer and the process owner of BMW Procurement Systems at BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC, Spartanburg, SC, the automaker’s only U.S. plant.  The plant manufactures the X5 Sports Activity Vehicle, Z4 Roadster and Z4 Coupe, spending more than $500 million p.a. on indirect materials and services.

2.45PM - 3.15PM

Chevron Phillips Chemical Company Case Study
To outsource or not to outsource?  When outsourcing freight payables just doesn't compute

Estimates from Hackett Research show that an average Fortune 500 company could save almost $10 million a year by outsourcing procurement functions such as purchase order processing and sourcing execution – making the potential savings simply too compelling to ignore.   Companies that outsource parts of the supply chain have lost touch with critical data, but careful IT investments can rebuild important links.  For example, multiple third-party freight payment companies now offer services that can provide greater reporting capabilities and potentially save your organization thousands of dollars in processing costs. However, only a careful analysis of the various capabilities of the outsourcing companies versus keeping the function in-house can help you to take the final decision:  To outsource or not to outsource?

In this presentation you’ll investigate the typical competitive advantages that third-party freight payment providers have over most internal payment processes. You’ll also learn about the process that closes the gaps – and ultimately outperforms the outsourcing solutions.

Richard Roberts Manager, Transportation Support Services, Chevron Phillips Chemical Co.

Richard Roberts is responsible for overseeing his organization’s import and export compliance, transportation cost planning and budgeting, freight payables and auditing functions.  Chevron Phillips Chemical Company produces chemical products essential to the fabrication of more than 70,000 consumer and industrial goods.

3.15PM - 3.45PM COFFEE BREAK, EXHIBITION, NETWORKING

Afternoon Roundtables

Here's the chance to get up-to-speed on the topics and issues that are business-critical to you right now. Each roundtable discussion is led by influential industry experts - people who really know their stuff! Ask questions, benchmark and exchange views and experiences with your peers.

Each session lasts for 50 minutes and gives you ample opportunity to get the answers you need, in a highly focused, small group environment.

FIRST SESSION: 3.45PM - 4.30PM

SECOND SESSION: 4.30PM - 5.15PM

1. How to use reverse auctions as a strategic tool – and drive down prices

Betsy Miller Corporate Director, Sourcing and Procurement Corporate Contracts, Pricing and Supply Chain Northrop Grumman Corporation

2. Easy-to-use portals with access to potential suppliers:  Evaluating online suppliers and vertical marketplaces

Jeremy Brofford Sourcing Solutions Manager MFG.com

3. Effective technology tools to assist the MRO buy

Jim Witten Sr. Logistics Manager Qualcomm

4. Liberation Technology:  Tools to free your buyers from the back-office projects so they can  do  more profitable work – e.g. better ways to organize getting suppliers’ products into purchasing catalogues

Ron Schnur Vice President - Strategic Sourcing Coors Brewing Company

John LaPorta C.P.M. Procurement IBM

5. How to benefit from using data warehouses and cost estimating tools

Shahriar Shagafi VP Global Supply Chain & Materials Operation Novellus

5.15PM - 6.30PM NETWORKING PARTY

END OF DAY 1

CONFERENCE DAY 2 –20TH JUNE 2007

8.40AM - 9.10AM

Keynote Address
Procurement Technology and the Public Sector perspective:  The viability of Service-Oriented Architecture

The Economist Intelligence Unit reports that 70% of public sector agencies are using – or intend to use – a  shared-services model to increase efficiency and enhance citizen service.  Hardly surprising when you consider that internal efficiencies and cost reduction across multiple departments now dominate government SOA agendas. This illuminating presentation takes you behind the scenes at the Defense Information System Agency, and reveals their approach to buying information services. You will learn if DISA has developed a sound business case for the SOA approach – and what implications it will have for its defense contractors.

Evelyn DePalma Procurement Director Defense Information Systems Agency Department of Defense

9.10AM - 9.40AM

Keynote Address
How to organize and manage the technology aspect of numerous buying platforms across a variety of geographical locations

Within an eight-year period, Northrop Grumman Corporation acquired over twelve major corporations and created a business portfolio of eight unique operating sectors.  Annual sales increased from $8B to over $30B.  Within the supply chain, the acquisitions accumulated thirty unique buying platforms, with buying personnel located in all 50 states – plus those who worked overseas.  Aggregation opportunities were obvious, but neither the governance nor the technology infrastructures to implement these opportunities were in place.  This presentation spells out both the process and technological challenges the Corporation faced in 2004 and describes the evolution of the One Northrop Grumman supply chain initiative.

Betsy Miller Corporate Director, Sourcing and Procurement Corporate Contracts, Pricing and Supply Chain Northrop Grumman Corporation

Betsy Miller is responsible for overall sourcing strategy and contracting for the Corporation. She works closely with the company's eight operating sectors to develop and implement company-wide procurement strategies and key processes. Stephanie Conover is responsible for overall technology strategy and system infusion in the contracts and supply chain business processes. Northrop Grumman Corporation is the third largest defense contractor in the world, and the number one builder of naval vessels. It has 123,600 employees working at numerous sites in the U.S. and abroad, and an annual revenue of US$30.7 billion.

9.40AM - 10.10AM

Timken Case Study
Strengthen your commodity strategy – the impact of technology on developing purchasing strategies by commodity

To manage their supply bases, commodity managers have at their disposal an arsenal of purchasing tools and processes such as supplier development & analytics, material value analysis and engineering, incoming supply chain management, and manufacturing realignment (outsourcing), among others. In this presentation you will learn how to use these tools in the most effective way.

• Find out everything you need to know about all the elements of commodity strategy – expectations of your business, understanding the commodity to be purchased, supply market analysis of the commodity
• Re-examine your commodity strategies and find the competitive advantages that technology can give you
• Discover the tools that  can help you to improve collaboration with your suppliers and result in savings and increased productivity

Dean Devine General Manager, Direct Materials Timken

In his 25 years with The Timken Company, Dean Devine has held a variety of positions in the areas of engineering, manufacturing and supply chain.  Over the last 8 years, he has helped lead the company through significant growth in the amount and type of material purchased, including substantial growth in global sourcing. The Timken Company is a manufacturer of highly engineered bearings, alloy steels, related products and services and operates in 27 countries, with annual sales of $5.2 billion.

10.10AM - 10.40AM

McKesson Case Study
How to build a perfect business case for implementing new procurement systems – and how to lead your own procurement systems strategy

A powerful combination of optimum technology, harnessed to leading best practices  enables  many leading North American companies to reduce their spending on raw materials and supplies by 10%, and cut the cost of procurement by another 10-20%.  What’s more, timeliness, quality and service are all showing dramatic improvements.  How can you follow suit?  The key is to  build a business case for implementing procurement systems – and recognize the high expenditure, greater complexity and risk and strategic impact of enterprise information systems and the need for a quantum improvement in procurement management skills.  Best practice firms have exceptional, commercially astute people leading IT procurement, located in either IT or business functions, and reporting one or two levels from the executive board. In this presentation you will learn how to lead your own procurement systems strategy and how to build a business case for systems adoption.

John Visaya Director of Procurement Systems McKesson

In his role, John is responsible for setting the strategic direction, building business cases, and implementing procurement systems for all of McKesson’s business units. He has managed several key initiatives including an Enterprise Resource Planning project and Wal-Mart’s Perpetual Inventory initiative. Most recently he has consulted to Wells Fargo, Charles Schwab and Gap, Inc. on supply chain and financial process redesigns. McKesson employs 26,400 people across the nation and around the world dedicated to delivering vital medicines, medical supplies and health information technology solutions.

10.40AM - 11.10AM COFFEE BREAK , EXHIBITION, NETWORKING

11.10AM - 11.40PM

Presentation
It’s not just about the technology:  How to accelerate procurement skills and gain a real competitive advantage

Transforming procurement into a competitive advantage depends not only on applying the right technologies but on winning the battle for talent and staff development, as well. But with the marketplace's shallow talent pool and internal financial constraints, you can’t depend on hiring to fill all of gaps – it’s essential to develop expertise among your staff. And given today’s today's economic and competitive pressures – you need to fast-track your procurement people.

This presentation will show you how to close the gap in skill sets and become a  best-in-class organization in procurement.  Find out how to take high skilled employees and reposition them within your procurement organization with the knowledge and tools they need to perform at the highest level.  You’ll also learn how to plug the void created by retiring staff and talent shortages.

P. John LaPorta C.P.M., Procurement IBM

P. John LaPorta has over 22 years experience in the Procurement & Supply Chain Field,  with a depth of understanding in all aspects of purchasing management and operations. He has practical experience in both direct and indirect procurement in the manufacturing industry and has worked in both the public and service sectors.

11.40PM - 12.20PM

Panel Session
Open debate about the future role of technology in procurement

Hear the trends and developments in procurement technology that will redefine your procurement operations in the next 10 years

• Creating your corporate Wish List:  Addressing the needs of procurement professionals which vendors have yet to meet.  Including:
• Improved usability and ease-of-use to increase adoption rates
• Better third-party validated data about suppliers to inform sourcing decisions  
• How close are we on the road to touchless procurement?  And what will it take to fully automate  the purchase process?
• Nanotechnology:  Is this what will impact on business trends more than anything else in the next two or three decades
• Discover the next generation of e-procurement capabilities and understand the role of new tools that can dramatically impact the bottom line when they are in the hands of skilled procurement staff
• Understand the necessity for continuous education to ensure you’re leveraging the most advanced capabilities:  How can you keep yourself in the loop?

Scott Paull CPO KLA-Tencor Corporation

Jeremy Brofford Sourcing Solutions Manager MFG.com
Jason P. Trevison Sr. Technical Buyer & BMW Procurement Systems BMW Manufacturing Co.

John LaPorta C.P.M. Procurement IBM (Moderator)

12.20PM - 12.30PM

Wrap-up Session
Final advice that will re-energize your approach to procurement solutions

One final opportunity to harness all the information you’ve gathered and put together a practical Hit List of ways to improve your procurement performance, cut costs and achieve other tangible benefits.  All the information you need to impress your management board!

John LaPorta C.P.M. Procurement IBM

LUNCH 12.30PM - 1.30PM

END OF CONFERENCE