2004 Pros to Know

Russell A. Miles, Sourcing Strategy and Systems Manager, Thomson Inc.
Miles has led key global initiatives within Thomson Strategic Sourcing, including selection and implementation of an online sourcing/reverse auction application, the development of a Web-based contract archive and development of a standard bid package. As Thomson's e-sourcing and sourcing process improvement guru, he has raised awareness of the benefits of e-sourcing within the organization, challenged his colleagues' assumptions about the sourcing process and personally assisted many buyers through their first online sourcing events. His goal: teach people within Sourcing how to fish for themselves rather than hand out fishes. Miles continues to drive sourcing initiatives at Thomson, with an eye toward process improvement and the ultimate goal of a complete -- and affordable -- online sourcing process workflow with integrated tools. A realist, he says, "Companies need to get their own house in order before they can plug into the utopian vision of a fully connected e-supply chain."

Robert W. Moffat, Jr., Senior Vice President, Integrated Supply Chain, IBM
Not long ago, IBM had about 30 different supply chains; essentially each part of the business had its own. When, in January 2002, Big Blue set up the Integrated Supply Chain under Moffat, the company consolidated its operations into one supply chain. The group is credited with saving IBM more than $7 billion in 2003, making 96 percent of the company's purchasing "hands-free," driving inventories to the lowest levels in 20 years, and taking nearly 2 days out of the cash collection cycle. In the process, the reforms have raised supply chain's profile within the company: Moffat has addressed the board of directors regarding the ISC, and the supply chain was a discussion point in the company's annual report last year. "Being in the supply chain is actually pretty cool now," Moffat says.

James L. Polak, Director, General Purchasing, PPG Industries
Polak, who began his career at PPG in 1974, had a vision for a global database of spend information for the company. He led the initial investigation into a purchasing data-warehouse project that would eventually lead to dramatic savings for the global supplier of coatings, glass, fiberglass and chemicals. In order to ensure executive and employee buy-in, Polak created the capital justification documents and presented the project for approval to PPG's Executive Committee, he evangelized the need for the addition of technology to others within the company, and he personally taught spend analysis training sessions to buyers globally. Polak says that companies should focus on their supply chains because "by focusing on taking costs out of the total supply and demand chains in any corporation, you can grow the bottom line faster than by increasing revenue to accomplish the same bottom-line result."

Helmut F. Porkert, Chief Procurement Officer, ChevronTexaco Corp.
Porkert leads ChevronTexaco's global procurement, strategic sourcing, supplier management and integration activities, as well as supply chain management activities, for all of the company's worldwide operations. He also is responsible for supporting all the company's operating units in delivering cost reductions for operating and capital expenses. In his previous role as CPO of Chevron (prior to the Texaco merger), he was credited with realizing major savings on Chevron's $10 billion to 15 billion annual spend, and under his leadership, ChevronTexaco has worked to leverage its global buying power and has put in place procurement and supply chain processes that have supported corporate drives for operational excellence and produced major savings for the company. But Porkert has also said that ChevronTexaco's efforts to better compile its spend data have helped the company to improve its spend with diversity suppliers. Porkert sits on the board of trustees for the Center for Advanced Purchasing Studies, and he has been a member of the board of directors at the National Minority Supplier Development Council.

Steve Rogers, Director, Worldwide Purchases Mastery, Procter & Gamble
Rogers, a member of ISM, the American Management Association and the Supply Chain Council, has been honored by P&G with the Phoenix Award for his contributions to the Purchases area. He began his career at P&G some 30 years ago and has since worked in every business unit with both the direct and indirect spend areas, delivering over $1 billion in hard savings to the company. He has been credited with four major transitions at the company, beginning with the institution of an Internet-based sourcing strategy methodology in the mid-1990s, which prepared the company to use e-tools when they finally appeared on the scene. He also collaborated with P&G's Treasury group to implement a risk management organization, redefined the company's supplier relationship management methodology and led the effort to change P&G's contract management process. Rogers told S&DCExecutive that by the time this article appears in print he will have retired from P&G to try his hand as a professor, writing and speaking on supply chain and procurement issues.