Executive Search Success Story: Placing a VP of Supply Chain to Rebuild Procurement and Supply Resilience for an Industrial Equipment Manufacturer
How JRG Partners executed a confidential North American executive search that equipped a publicly traded industrial equipment manufacturer with the VP of Supply Chain and strategic sourcing leadership required to resolve chronic component shortages, restructure a concentrated global supplier base, reduce material costs, and restore production stability across its plant network.
Engagement Snapshot
| Client | Confidential — publicly traded industrial equipment manufacturer with $1.4B in annual revenue (name withheld at client’s request) |
| Industry | Industrial Manufacturing & Capital Equipment — encompassing global strategic sourcing, supplier management, materials planning, inbound logistics, and multi-plant supply operations |
| Geography | North America — wide-scale candidate mapping across industrial manufacturers, capital equipment OEMs, automotive and aerospace suppliers, and global sourcing organizations |
| Engagement | Confidential retained search — VP of Supply Chain placement with supply resilience, strategic sourcing, and material cost reduction mandate |
| Roles Searched | VP of Supply Chain, Director of Strategic Sourcing, Director of Materials Planning & Supplier Performance |
| Talent Assessed | 325+ industrial supply chain and procurement leaders evaluated across the industry |
| Timeline | VP of Supply Chain placed in 51 days; sourcing and materials leadership deployed within five months |
The Challenge
A publicly traded industrial equipment manufacturer had suffered two years of component shortages, with single-sourced electronics, castings, and hydraulic components halting assembly lines and pushing deliveries months behind commitments. The procurement organization was transactional, supplier relationships were concentrated in a few regions, and material cost inflation had compressed margins. The incumbent supply chain leader had retired, and the board had made supply resilience a strategic priority. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the business:
- Line stoppages from component shortages costing more than $20M annually in lost output and expediting
- More than 40% of critical components single-sourced, many from a single geographic region
- A transactional procurement function with no category strategy or supplier development capability
- Material cost inflation absorbed without structured negotiation or value engineering
- Materials planning disconnected from production scheduling, driving both shortages and excess
- Investor and customer pressure to demonstrate supply resilience and delivery recovery
Recognizing that resilience required a strategic supply chain executive, the CEO and COO engaged JRG Partners to recruit a VP of Supply Chain, supported by a Director of Strategic Sourcing and a Director of Materials Planning & Supplier Performance. The company required an executive search partner with deep industrial expertise and access to supply chain leaders who had rebuilt global sourcing and resolved supply crises in complex manufacturing businesses.
Why They Chose JRG Partners
Industrial Supply Chain and Procurement Expertise
JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across industrial manufacturers, capital equipment OEMs, and automotive and aerospace suppliers, including supply chain, strategic sourcing, and materials leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of global component sourcing, supplier development, and the planning disciplines required for complex configure-to-order manufacturing.
Supply Resilience Transformation Experience
Our team specializes in identifying supply chain leaders who have resolved component shortages, diversified concentrated supplier bases, and built strategic sourcing organizations that deliver sustained cost and availability improvement.
Public Company Supply Chain Leadership
Our firm has extensive experience recruiting supply chain executives for publicly traded manufacturers, with a clear understanding of margin expectations, investor communication, and board-level supply risk governance.
Our Executive Search Strategy
Phase 1 — Supply Chain & Sourcing Review
Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, COO, CFO, and plant leadership to review shortage data, supplier concentration, procurement capability, and planning integration. This review defined a VP of Supply Chain profile combining global sourcing transformation, supplier development, and materials planning leadership.
Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping
Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting supply chain and procurement leaders at industrial manufacturers, capital equipment OEMs, and global sourcing organizations who had led documented resilience transformations. Over 325 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.
Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement
Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of eliminating line stoppages, dual-sourcing critical components, building category management and supplier development functions, reducing material costs, and integrating materials planning with production. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.
Phase 4 — Selection Process
Finalists presented a supply resilience and sourcing transformation plan to the CEO and COO, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified availability, cost, and supplier outcomes.
Results Delivered
JRG Partners successfully completed the mandate, placing a VP of Supply Chain and supporting sourcing and materials leadership.
- VP of Supply Chain Appointed: A former VP of Global Supply Chain from a diversified industrial company who had led a supply resilience program across fourteen plants joined within 51 days.
- Line Stoppages Eliminated: Shortage-driven stoppages were reduced by more than 90% within twelve months, restoring delivery commitments to customers.
- Supplier Base Diversified: Single-sourced critical components fell from over 40% to under 10% through qualification of alternate and regional suppliers.
- Strategic Sourcing Built: Category management, supplier development, and value engineering functions replaced transactional purchasing.
- Material Costs Reduced: Structured negotiations and value engineering delivered $34M in annual material cost savings against inflation.
- Planning Integrated: Materials planning was connected to production scheduling, reducing excess inventory by $22M while improving availability.
Key Outcomes
- 325+ industrial supply chain and procurement leader profiles mapped across North America.
- Placed a VP of Supply Chain with proven resilience transformation experience in 51 days.
- Reduced shortage-driven line stoppages by more than 90%.
- Cut single-sourced critical components from over 40% to under 10%.
- Delivered $34M in annual material cost savings and $22M in inventory reduction.
- Established a strategic sourcing organization supporting board-level supply risk governance.
Planning a Confidential VP of Supply Chain or Strategic Sourcing Search in Industrial Manufacturing?
JRG Partners recruits VPs of Supply Chain and senior procurement, sourcing, materials, and logistics leadership for industrial, capital equipment, and engineered products manufacturers across North America — discreetly, and with deep sector expertise.
Connect with our supply chain search experts today to discuss your mandate.
Connect With Our VP of Supply Chain Search Experts