An MAA day learning about Rolls-Royce Indirect Purchasing

50 MAA members learned what it takes to supply indirect products and services to a global competitor like Rolls-Royce at the latest “Inside . . . with the MAA” event.

Our hosts were Dean Fell, Head of Category Management, Group Indirect Purchasing, Rolls-Royce and Wendy Stopher, Head of Group Purchasing, Rolls-Royce and Director, Midlands Aerospace Alliance. The keynote presentation was made by Gordon Tytler, Director of Purchasing, Rolls-Royce.

Indirect Purchasing is responsible for buildings, machines and tools, consumables, engineering services, consulting, IT, office equipment and many other services. At major companies like Rolls-Royce, Indirect Purchasing can be as much as 25-30% of total external spend. At Rolls-Royce it accounts for more than £2bn of expenditure annually. Half the MAA's 300 members focus on the supply of indirect goods and services to the aerospace industry.

What we learned

This one-day intensive site visit for a strictly limited group was designed to make sure MAA members -- as aerospace suppliers or potential aerospace suppliers -- have the knowledge they need to meet the indirect purchasing requirements of global companies such as Rolls-Royce.

Participants learned that the approach to indirect purchasing at Rolls-Royce is currently undergoing major reform, making this an apt time to learn more about the drivers and direction of the change programme.

Participants were given:

• in-depth knowledge about the structure of Indirect Purchasing at Rolls-Royce relevant to potential suppliers.
• a thorough understanding of how the Indirect Purchasing function operates and makes decisions.
• opportunities to meet and network with senior Rolls-Royce executives.
• their company’s capabilities presented in an Inside Rolls-Royce Indirect Procurement with the MAA supplier capabilities brochure published at the visit.
• tours of Rolls-Royce's operational hub, technology development and heritage areas.

Speakers

The excellent speakers included:

• Gordon Tytler, Director of Purchasing, Rolls-Royce
• Carl Bourne, Vice President Strategy Analysis & Intelligence, Rolls-Royce
• Frank McQuade, Strategy and Enterprise Architecture, Rolls-Royce
• Wendy Stopher, Head of Group Purchasing Strategy, Compliance and Process Development, Rolls-Royce
• Dean Fell, Head of Group Category Management, Rolls-Royce
• Daniel Tunnicliffe, Programme Lead, Rolls-Royce

Following lunch and networking with all the relevant Rolls-Royce Global Category Managers who then joined the day, in-depth workshops and site visits took place.

Rolls-Royce Purchasing Director Gordon Tytler speaks to participants

In-depth workshop on procurement process with Rolls-Royce indirect purchasing global category managers

Feedback from participants

• Well organised and informative.
• Honest and open approach from Rolls-Royce helped convey the strategies and information expected from suppliers and how this can achieve a good working partnership
• Best event yet
• Good overview of Rolls-Royce business
• Excellent event - all round thanks to Rolls-Royce
• Good content - thank you
• Brilliant - best event yet keep it up!
• Well organised, well run and very interesting
• It was a great day and I look forward to the next event.
• The event was very informative, and well put together, many thanks to the MAA team.
• WOW - what can I say about this event? It was excellent, how the MAA managed to pull that off I have no idea!!

 A special MAA thanks is due to Mike Moreton of Rolls-Royce for putting so much effort and thought into organising the day.