Effective Expediting - more than just order chasing

How to achieve on-time delivery of everything from inexpensive but vital spares to multi-million dollar items of equipment

A 2-day course

We believe that the late delivery of goods often has considerable impact on the buying company’s performance. These include delays to maintenance and project programmes or the consequences of having stock-outs of important spares and consumable materials.

Delivery problems can be anticipated and protected against at two points in the process – before and after award of the Purchase Order.

This course considers the process after a Purchase Order has been awarded, when the focus of the procurement & supply function shifts to getting the items delivered on time.

NOTE

Opportunities to achieve optimal delivery times before award of the Purchase Order are potentially even more valuable than the post award Expediting activity. This topic is covered in “Managing Procurement to Avoid Late Delivery”

Expediting has a pivotal role in undertaking or co-ordinating a range of activities if the items are to arrive on time. Effective Expediting is therefore directly linked to the overall success of the company’s complete supply process.

Introduction:

Staff that perform an Expediting role typically acquire their knowledge and understanding of the topic through on-the-job training and experience handed down by predecessors, and they might feel constrained by the limitations within their in-house Materials Management System.

In addition, we believe that ‘expediting’ is frequently done by staff outside the Procurement & Supply function / Purchasing Department – such as technical staff from end-user departments. These members of staff have often had little if any exposure to other ways of working.

This intensive course outlines a range of tools & techniques that Expeditors can use in their work, with the objective of making them far more effective in their role.

This 2-day course addresses expediting of stock, non-stock materials and equipment. the-job training and experience handed down by predecessors, and they might feel constrained by the limitations within their in-house Materials Management System.

In addition, we believe that ‘expediting’ is frequently done by staff outside the Procurement & Supply function / Purchasing Department – such as technical staff from end-user departments. These members of staff have often had little if any exposure to other ways of working.

This intensive course outlines a range of tools & techniques that Expeditors can use in their work, with the objective of making them far more effective in their role.

This 2-day course addresses expediting of stock, non-stock materials and equipment.

Learning objectives:

By the end of the course, delegates will be able to –

• Recognise where Expediting sits within the overall procurement & supply process.
• Describe the factors that determine the nature & frequency of expediting to be applied to a purchase order.
• Appreciate the difference between activity and progress.
• Identify what needs to be done at each step in the delivery process – from supplier’s premises to receipt at company site.
• Understand the value of effective communications with many groups during the delivery period.
• Develop an Expediting Plan
• Assess their own expediting skills, knowledge & understanding against a model profile

Topics covered will include:

• Brief overview of the total procurement process.
• Factors influencing the type and frequency of expediting to be applied to a purchase order.
• Typical activities and deliverables that need to be expedited during delivery of an order.
• Limitations of “desk” expediting versus “field” expediting
• Developing a pro-active role for ‘desk’ expeditors.
• Selection & mobilisation of ‘field / works’ expeditors.
• Assessing progress – ‘will the delivery be on time or not?’
• Record keeping and reporting.
• What makes an effective expeditor?

This course is designed for: staff that are closely involved with getting the company’s ordered materials & equipment to site at the date it is required. Typically, such staff include:

• Expeditors working in company offices – and those that visit suppliers’ premises during the delivery period.
• Staff in end-user departments – such as project engineers, specifiers and commissioning staff
• Staff in logistics roles – to see ways their activities interface with effective expediting.
• Newly engaged Procurement & Supply staff – to understand the ‘post-order’ activities as part of their Induction programme