Bertrand, could you briefly explain what Adaptation Purchasing means?
Sure! In the Adaptations Purchasing team at Volvo Group Purchasing, we are dealing with small volumes and short lead times to meet specific customer and market demands. Some examples of Adaptation projects I can mention are e.g., the CrewCab for fire truck applications, which is a double cabin, the Volvo Black Edition, the Renault Trucks High Edition - Team Alpine.
In fact, all our projects in this Purchasing team are based upon specific customer needs where we adapt all trucks for any application. Our job is really to make sure the customer gets both what they need and what they want.
How does your former experience as a Supplier Quality Engineer help you in your role as an adaptation buyer today?
My previous role as SQE in Volvo Group Purchasing has been a great advantage because it has provided me with extensive experience from supplier management and project activities that I apply in my work today. My technical background also helps me to understand the technical information in supplier quotations, which gives me a leverage in the negotiations. Through my SQE background I have also acquired skills to continue to develop suppliers with a quality mindset. At Volvo Group Purchasing, quality is a core value according to the principle “Quality lasts when we put it first.”
What activities do you personally enjoy doing the most?
Within the Adaptation Purchasing team we have the opportunity to work on numerous projects and different tasks. I personally really enjoy managing project activities with a cross functional team. Together we tackle the main challenge; the “time to market” with low volume parts. With customer satisfaction as a target, we also need to really think outside the box, as each project is different and even unique. This diversity demands a creative and agile mindset, as key for success.
Tell us more about your portfolio so that we better understand the scope?
I’m responsible for the sheet metal portfolio within the Adaptation Purchasing team. The portfolio consists of quite many diverse parts from different suppliers, so that we can support also low volume businesses.
One example of a quite recent success story is the introduction of the new Volvo FM Electrical Low Entry Cab truck that you can see in the picture. The sourcing scope included more than 250 parts in sheet metal. It was quite a big challenge to source all the parts on time to reach the project milestone. In Adaptation Purchasing, project lead time is shorter than in a standard project which means that we can launch a new product in a very short time. And in this case, thanks to the close collaboration with all stakeholders including our supply partners, we succeeded in meeting the short timeline.
What are the key skills you have found most valuable in your role as a customer Adaptation Buyer in Volvo Group?
The most valuable skill as customer Adaptation Buyer is really agility because we really need to move fast and take quick decisions to get the customer what they need as fast as we can. One of the strengths in our team is for sure that we work very closely with all stakeholders, this goes for colleagues in Volvo Group such as engineering, logistics, and with our supply partners. In the end, we could not do this without the good relationship we have with our suppliers to deliver also on low volumes and with short lead times.
How have you developed these skills throughout your career?
I have definitely developed project management skills and business acumen through my different roles and the experience I have gained over time. I have also evolved through working with cross functional and highly diverse teams here within Volvo Group, where we have been learning a lot from each other.
What is the best part about your job?
As a buyer in Volvo Group Purchasing, I work with stakeholders from all over the world. This international business environment is not only inspiring, but we also learn a lot from each other. And to deliver customer value and satisfaction, nothing beats that.
In fact, customer satisfaction has been a red thread in my career here at Volvo Group, even the key driver in my daily work. And this is exactly why I feel so at home here in the Adaptation Purchasing team.
