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“It really feels like ‘my’ company”
“What I really love about Fancom is the sense of freedom, which is also partnered with a sense of responsibility. You have the freedom to define the path to reach your own goals, within the context of a certain framework of course. These are very important aspects for me, Fancom really feels like ‘my’ company.”
Ludo Peeters is Purchase Manager at Fancom, and he has enjoyed his work there for 30 years: “We are a performance-oriented company, which suits how I operate. Meeting our goals gives me a real boost. And not having to travel too far each day is another plus. It helps to maintain a good work-life balance. And working from home is not a problem either."
“I joined Fancom 30 years ago as Assistant Purchasing and now I am Purchase Manager. At Fancom, purchasing is split into strategic and tactical purchasing and operational purchasing. This division is actually crucial as it avoids you being sucked into the complexities of daily operation each time. My focus is on the strategic/tactical side, which means ensuring that clear agreements are made, recorded and kept to."
What does a normal day in the life of a Purchase Manager at Fancom look like?
“The first part of our daily routine is an LDMS or ‘Lean Daily Management System’ session: that means checking our results and our processes for that day. We share the outcomes with our department, but also with other departments. I have a short work meeting every afternoon with my two colleagues, but the rest of the day varies.”
“We are involved in all kinds of projects where purchasing is important, that’s where we can add our value – or that of suppliers – to benefit our customers. But facility management is also part of our remit, for example work that concerns the building. In addition, we are in close contact with our partners, although in the past two years this has mainly been via video calls."
By ‘partners’ do you mean suppliers?
“That’s right. I consciously use the word ‘partners’, after all, you try to build a relationship with them. Not with all of them naturally. It depends on their classification in the ‘Kraljic matrix’ we use in supply chain management. This is a model that helps you segment the types of suppliers and define which ones should receive the most attention."
“You maintain a very intensive relationship with a limited number of suppliers and together you try to get the maximum results for both parties. We have to stay a healthy company, and so do our suppliers: that’s what we call cooperation. It is important that suppliers feel that they matter to us, that we are in an equal relationship. But that's not always possible. In some cases you are just one of their many other customers, or vice versa."
Are you facing challenges with the scarcity of parts and materials?
“The scarcity of materials is currently a huge issue in purchasing. The situation we are now in is unprecedented in all my thirty years of experience. Up until two years ago we worked with price ranges, but in the last two years price increases have completely wrecked all stability. And in the last year, the shortages and scarcity have simply made the situation even more critical."
“Speaking for myself, all these developments led to unease and apprehension to start with, partly because I had never experienced anything like it before. And you also wonder about the impact these price hikes will have on the financial results, as the purchasing department you have an influential role to play here. I've got to know my partners very well over the last two years, it's at times like this that you discover the value of a true partnership. And fortunately our relationships are strong and stable."
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