Joining the Supply Chain Management Council

A Q&A with Eula Gaddis, Director of Quality – Jireh Metal

The membership resources, collaborative opportunities with other supply chain professionals, and the building of new relationships with industry experts are just some of the benefits of being an active member.

What is the Supply Chain Management Council?

Many West Michigan business professionals have probably heard of The Right Place. Either they have attended a meeting hosted by The Right Place or have participated in one of many of their manufacturing and technology summits. The Right Place brings together West Michigan manufacturing and servicing industries to enhance their business and for networking opportunities. One of the groups The Right Place has brought together for this purpose is the Supply Chain Management Council. The council’s mission is to collaborate with top ISCM leaders to offer resources to area organizations and our members to achieve Supply Chain Management excellence.

How did you become involved with the Supply Chain Management Council?

My earliest experience with The Right Place goes back to 1999 and working with the Furniture Council to develop and implement the Office Furniture Industry Standard (OFI-9000). Later during my consulting career, I worked with The Right Place to perform training and participate in workshops. I reconnected with The Right Place when I joined Jireh Metal Products in 2017. My current position was expanded to include the purchasing department and supplier relations. My quality background and auditing experiences were more along the line of supplier development and compliance. Immediately, I found a need for a network of area professionals familiar with procurement, logistics, and commodity challenges.The monthly council meetings, company tours, discussion opportunities, and manufacturing leadership summits, helped me to discover best practices and learning opportunities.

What have been some of the benefits of becoming involved with the Supply Chain Management Council?

As participant in the Supply Chain Management Council, it has been the relationships developed with other manufacturers sharing best practices, collaborating on business and industry challenges, as well as supporting one other. When the pandemic emerged, I recall the previous chair Nick Kuhn, sharing the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Data Tracking System. During the meeting, all members were urged to begin working with our supply chains on their contingency plans as the threat of closing ports were looming. Shortly thereafter, The Right Place team put together a listing of local manufacturers and suppliers to secure PPE supplies that were in high demand. There were forums on COVID-19 best practices, navigating COVID-19, information on the Work Share Program, and templates on developing your organizations COVID-19 plan. The continued networking opportunities were a great benefit to Jireh Metal, which like many other companies was trying to navigate the ever-changing landscape.

Why should an organization become involved with the Supply Chain Management Council?

As a member of the Supply Chain Management Council, member organizational leaders interact with other member manufacturing companies. Together, the membership discovers how to face the challenges of customer demands, supplier relations, logistics, leading edge and innovative technology. Through the workshops, tours, and summits, member organizations hear from leading experts on how to resolve challenges, commodity trends, and to develop strategies to combat the trends. Member organizations have the opportunity to voice the learning and development opportunities that are most pressing to their organization. The Supply Chain Management Council is a blend of organizations that mirror West Michigan manufacturers and suppliers. The membership resources, collaborative opportunities with other supply chain professionals, and the building of new relationships with industry experts are just some of the benefits of being an active member.