Case studies: Purchasing manager: Mike

Mike's responsibilities include liaising between Japanese suppliers, manufacturers and the responsible persons from each division within the company, investigating and reporting the latest status of ongoing orders and projects, discussing price trends and the impact on future and existing projects.

I work for a mid-sized engineering procurement construction company, which designs and manufactures ships, power stations, desalination plants, bridges, turbochargers and other 'heavy industry' items. I work in the head office, which is in Tokyo. The company also has engineering centres and workshops throughout south east Asia. The main overseas purchasing functions are based in New York and London. My job is to assist the separate sectors of the company for material purchasing. As a heavy industries company, every project has a great demand on materials and our main role in the materials group is to ensure that the best price and delivery time can be achieved.

When I was younger, I wasn't sure what career path I wanted to take, and studied physics, politics and communication studies at A-level, intending to leave the door open by studying different fields. I eventually chose to study politics at degree level and I believe my course trained me in high-level reading and writing, analysis and reasoning, skills that are useful for any career. I also involved myself in the social side of university life, taking part in sports and events management, which also gave me an opportunity to work on my time management skills as well as improve my awareness of my own role when working in a team.

After graduation I took part in the JET exchange program and spent three years in Japan working for a Board of Education, primarily involved in English curriculum and teaching. It was during this time that I started studying Japanese. However, even without the language, the experience of working in a foreign office was a real learning experience and helped me realise what would be expected when working for an overseas company.

My first priority was to join a Japanese company, to have an opportunity to retain my Japanese language ability. My second priority was to join a project-based company so that my work yields visible results and has a beginning, middle and end. I was also attracted by the opportunities to travel, have direct interaction with manufacturers and be an integral member of a project team.

Since joining my company, I have been given more freedom to handle problems independently and been introduced to new areas of responsibility. At the beginning of this year I was given the opportunity to transfer from the London office to the HQ in Tokyo. My role in Tokyo is radically different from my role in London as I'm working in a specialist area of purchasing (steel plates and sections) whereas in London I was purchasing machinery, bearings and pipes, among other things. My current position is closer to the action, whereas my original role was more downstream.

Currently, my responsibilities include liaising between Japanese suppliers, manufacturers and the responsible persons from each division within the company, investigating and reporting the latest status of ongoing orders and projects, discussing price trends and the impact on future and existing projects, problem solving for delayed delivery schedules and urgent requests from our project job sites, data and cash flow management, as well as meetings with makers/trading companies to discuss ongoing orders/projects. It's good to be working in a challenging environment surrounding by people you respect. It's also interesting to work in an international company as you can learn a little about other working cultures and practices and hone your own communication skills. The pressure is sometimes intense and we're often caught up in intra-company politics that can sometimes delay the decision-making process, although I'm sure that this happens in any large company.

I'd like to stay in the same position and learn to carry out my current role more independently and efficiently. Once I've achieved that, I'd like to consider moving to a different position within the same company in order to gain a more holistic understanding of what our company is involved in.

If you’re interested in pursuing a job in this area, it's important to be open-minded, and take an interest in what you could be purchasing. It endears you to both the suppliers and engineers within your own company and also makes you more interested in your work. It's also a good idea to take a professional qualification with the as soon as you get the chance or at least state your desire to take it, and an employer will be sure to take you more seriously as a professional buyer.