Bijan is a senior consultant and co-founder of Symphony Consulting, a management consulting firm located in Sunnyvale, California that specializes in sourcing, procurement and supply chain management. This article originally appeared in the Symphony quarterly newsletter. As supply chain and procurement professionals, Symphony Consulting is regularly called upon to…

If you’ve had any luck with your first product, chances are you’re beginning to think about adding a second product to your line. Last year, we found that nearly 47% of manufacturers polled in Arena’s 2011 manufacturing survey plan to introduce a new product into their current market,…

Strong supplier relationships are a fundamental part of a smooth production schedule, but the associated costs are also a major part of your production budget. So when it comes time to lower your supplier costs, you have a choice to make. You can either double down on your current…