Biggest Challenges Faced by a Global Supply Manager at Relativity Space
Alexander's biggest challenge as a Global Supply Manager at Relativity Space is bridging the gap between commercial realities and the technical expectations of the engineering team, as they sometimes expect parts "very fast" and at a better price, without fully considering the manufacturability, cost, or lead time involved in production. This requires Alexander to translate commercial knowledge and "teach the engineering team the commercial side," often necessitating extensive justification when supplier limitations clash with programmatic needs.
Supply Chain Management, Engineering Collaboration, Manufacturing Processes, Cost Analysis, Communication
Advizer Information
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Alexander Jassemidis
Global Supply Manager
Relativity Space
Arizona State University
Masters of Business Analytics, Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Industrial, Supply Chain Management
Aerospace, Aviation & Defense, Technology
Operations and Project Management
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Translating commercial information and tactics (like manufacturability, cost, and lead time) to the technical engineering team is a significant challenge.
2. Engineers sometimes expect parts very fast, always within quality standards, and for a better price than expected, which isn't always feasible.
3. Teaching the engineering team about the commercial side, including realistic timelines and costs, can be challenging and sometimes confrontational, requiring strong justification.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your role?
My biggest challenge in my role currently is translating commercial information and tactics to my technical team. Engineers can create the best designs for parts, but they may not consider manufacturability, supplier cost, or production speed.
It's often difficult to convey this knowledge to the technical team. They sometimes expect parts very quickly, always within quality standards, and for a better price than is realistic.
A lot of our knowledge relies on "should cost" analysis for parts. This includes understanding how long a manufacturing process might take for a new part, or even creating the program for a completely new design.
We need to create first parts for a new design to ensure they come out well before starting production quantities. Teaching the engineering team about the commercial side and how things can take longer than expected is challenging.
Sometimes this can lead to confrontation. You need strong justification to explain why a supplier cannot meet certain demands, even when they are needed.