People Shape Smith: Strategic Supply Chain Procurement

In the intricate world of electronic-component distribution, procurement plays a pivotal role in ensuring a seamless supply chain and superior service for global customers. Our commitment to adaptable procurement is one of the many reasons Smith stands out in the industry and has been named the leading independent distributor of electronic components for the last twelve years.

Below, Todd Snow, Vice President of Global Purchasing, sheds light on the significance of our procurement practices and highlights how they elevate Smith’s sourcing and services for our clients.

Adaptive Procurement Practices

In a rapidly evolving industry, adaptability is key. Smith’s global Purchasing team consistently remains agile and responsive to market dynamics to ensure we can address our customers’ needs.

“Smith works on a real-time, 24-hour clock in all geographies,” explained Todd. “This allows us to support our customers almost immediately with their requirements and requests.”

One way Smith has adapted to meet the needs of our customers is by creating tools like our internal app, LOOP, which allows our Purchasing team members to easily perform their jobs.

“Whether they’re on a train, subway, or bus, our procurement team is able to use Smith’s systems and tools to communicate and process our customers’ orders,” Todd said.

Customer-Centric Approach

In an era of increasing trade disputes, Smith has remained vigilant of constantly evolving government rules and regulations, and we continually develop and update our internal process to ensure compliance.

“We had done a good job of vetting out vendors, creating new vendors, and supporting the supply chain,” explained Todd. “But we needed to be great to differentiate ourselves from the competition.”

To address this need, we began the journey of streamlining our procurement process and creating a top-notch vendor rating and qualification system. This updated system was created to help Smith identify and partner with suppliers that not only adhere to industry standards but also align with our customers’ unique requirements. With this innovation, we ensure that every component sourced through Smith is not a product, but a tailored solution.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

Smith’s Purchasing department works seamlessly alongside Smith’s other departments to build and maintain strategic supplier relationships and adapt to fluctuating industry dynamics. Our collective global efforts ensure that we meet and consistently exceed our customers’ expectations.

“Our teamwork at Smith is one of our best qualities,” said Todd. “Not only are buyers communicating on a daily basis, but there is also cross-collaboration of different business units such as Accounting, IT, Operations, and Smith’s Data Science team. Everybody has a part to play.”

With the support of Smith’s expert procurement team, our customers can trust that they will always receive the best in electronic components and service.