Overcoming the challenges of supply and demand in a changing world
My role of purchaser at Unusual Projects has a great amount of variation from day to day with the purchasing of anything from a piece of steel to a children’s’ jigsaw. The variation in the products I purchase helps with the manufacturing of our amazingly unique exhibits.
This role also includes quality checking items that are delivered to make sure they are up to the high standards in order to ensure the quality of our exhibits. I am mainly based in the office but I’m also out and about in the workshop speaking to our experts about what goods they will require in the near future.
The current climate for purchasing is difficult due to ongoing world events which are changing the prices of items on a daily basis. We are overcoming this issue by building ongoing relationships with suppliers to ensure our items will arrive on time and for the price agreed. Some items will inevitably have price increases due to the nature of the product, which I will advise to our Project Managers as soon as I am made aware so we can keep our client up to date and able to make informed decisions.
Lead times are also a consideration; especially for items that we use frequently. To prevent long lead times causing potential delays in production, we identify which items could be an issue at the start of each project and let our client know the current situation. This ensures that these elements are the first to be designed, allowing additional time for procurement.
As a company, we make sure the client is kept up to date with any challenges we may face when procuring the items needed for an exhibit. This is all part of our customer service commitment. The experience of the team and myself makes sure that projects have the required goods on time and for the right price to keep costs down and our clients happy.
In an ever changing world, my experience in the manufacturing and engineering workspace has helped us overcome the challenges that are being presented to us on a daily basis. I have found that since joining Unusual Projects, relationships with suppliers are flourishing and growing stronger everyday, which I believe is due to the great reputation of our company.
One of the most important parts of my job is keeping costs down without reducing the quality of the products which can be challenging at times with unpredictability of the markets. The best part of my job at Unusual Projects is the wide variety of items I am tasked to source on a day to day basis, there is never a dull moment in the Unusual Projects purchasing department!
Aaran Kirkbride, Purchaser