Purchasing power

Can you buy purchasing expertise? During the last twenty years or so there has been a quiet revolution in procurement, a shift from the functional to the strategic. Purchasing professionals now find themselves increasingly asked to work as supply chain managers, ensuring the flow of supplies and services to customers. As technology changes, they need to be aware of the implications for business. Moreover, as decisions about sourcing become the responsibility of cross‐functional teams, purchasing means managing complex organizations. A case study from the aerospace industry points to the potential and pitfalls of procurement‐specific training.