SUPPLY CHAIN

“ We ’ re making sure we have the right people with the right training , and the right development in the right locations of our growth ,” he explains . “ We ’ ve done some adjusting . The majority of the electronic component requirements today are in China , so we ’ re making sure we are staffed up appropriately there . We ’ re growing significantly in Europe and are building a team there with a Michigan expert to lead the supply chain operation . We ’ ve also done a lot of internal alignment around engineering , procurement management , cells , and operations .” This is also where Zerbe ’ s KPIs fully come into force , to track a baseline of how A123 is performing and what continuous improvements need to evolve or be implemented . Many procedures have been introduced to ensure perfect execution and better development of supplier relationships .

Suppliers , partners , and staff form A123 ’ s most valuable commodity – people – and are the most important element of the business .

“ I ’ m a strong believer that supply chain is a team sport ,” says Zerbe . “ We have to continue to work

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