2004 Pros to Know

Mike Katzorke, Senior Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Cessna Aircraft Co.
As a private pilot, Mike Katzorke knows all about soaring high, and as a business process improvement and supply chain management professional with more than 20 years of leadership experience, he has applied Malcomb Baldrige criteria and Six Sigma tools to raise supply chain performance to new heights at three Fortune 100 companies. With a resume that includes positions in operations, materials, manufacturing, quality, systems and strategic supply chain management, Katzorke's career spans Sperry, Motorola and Honeywell. But it was at AlliedSignal and, most recently, Cessna Aircraft that he designed and initiated the rollout of supply chain management. Katzorke is on the board of directors for Mid-America Manufacturing Technology Center, and he is active in the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies (CAPS) and the Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME).

Peter Kelly, Executive Vice President, Global Operations Group, Agere Systems
Kelly has reinvented Agere Systems' supply chain in just under two years by transforming the advanced integrated circuit solutions provider's corporate culture into one that is focused on speed and flexibility. By applying some of the semiconductor industry's best practices, Kelly evolved Agere's internally focused supply chain into a multi-tiered collaborative model, which developed out of relationships with suppliers and customers using lean concepts across the entire supply chain. The result has been improved shipping performance and inventory turns, both of which have brought Agere Systems high levels of profitability and customer satisfaction.

John Leonti, Worldwide Print and Collateral Manager, Global Brand & Communications, Hewlett-Packard Co.
Like many large corporations, Hewlett-Packard's design and advertising agencies used to mange the sourcing and procurement of the printed marketing and sales collateral that they developed for the company, leaving millions of dollars in spend outside HP's control. Under an initiative to bring that spend back into the company, Leonti pushed to identify appropriate technology that would allow HP both to optimize its print and paper management and to better support brand consistency. Ultimately the company implemented a selection of e-business tools, including Web-based solutions from Noosh. As a result, HP has been able to reduce its costs, gain more control over brand consistency and gain greater visibility into its projects, from concept thru production thru shipment. Leonti has been sharing best practices with supply chain and procurement professionals within HP and with strategic HP partners.

Thomas Linton, Chief Procurement Officer, Agere Systems
In his role as CPO, Linton is driving Agere's supply chain transformation by implementing a strategic supply program focused on providing the company's customers with the highest levels of supply chain security through advanced supplier relationship management and collaboration. Agere has shifted from a company with all internal manufacturing to one focused on sourcing its silicon wafers from external foundries to get the industry's best process technology and a flexible financial model. Linton has established Agere's procurement center in Singapore to be aligned more closely with some of Agere's key suppliers in the Asia/Pacific region. He is also establishing e-business initiatives to connect Agere seamlessly with its suppliers to foster the multi-tiered collaborative supply chain model the company is focused on achieving.

Donna Massari, Vice President, Supply Chain, Reichhold
When Massari joined Reichhold two years ago, she began working to transform the chemical company's purchasing and logistics departments on a global basis, integrating these two functions into the operations and commercial organizations. The initiative made purchasing and logistics an integral part of the supply chain team, along with operations and sales, making high-level strategic decisions that affect how Reichhold does business. Speaking of the importance of supply chain in today's environment, Massari says: "With customers demanding more in terms of higher delivery expectations, quality and service, and product innovations, those companies that integrate the total supply chain and the functions that support the [supply chain] will win in the global marketplace. Taking supply/demand chains seriously is critical to surviving in the global marketplace today."