Fakkeeraswami (Raj) Hiremath

Mechanical Engineer with 22 +years of proven expertise in Supply Chain Management, Procurement, Strategic Sourcing, and Vendor Development across diverse manufacturing sectors including Mining & Construction, Defense, and Aerospace. Demonstrated success in cost reduction, operational excellence, contract negotiation, and supplier relationship management. Skilled in developing and executing global sourcing strategies, managing end-to-end procurement cycles, ensuring quality compliance, and optimizing inventory & logistics management. Proficient in ERP systems (SAP, Oracle), category management, and supplier performance improvement programs. Recognized for delivering measurable savings, reducing lead times, improving supplier quality, and driving business growth through data-driven decision-making and cross-functional collaboration. Strong leadership in managing multi-million-dollar procurement portfolios, building strategic alliances, and aligning supply chain strategies with corporate goals.

• Achieved 7–18% cost reductions across multiple categories over 4 years through strategic sourcing, supplier negotiations, and value engineering initiatives
• Improved commodity On-Time Delivery (OTD) performance from baseline to 92% within 3 years, enhancing production continuity and customer satisfaction
• Optimized supply chain for critical parts, driving process improvements and delivering measurable cost savings
• Reduced PR-to-PO cycle time, accelerating procurement lead times and improving responsiveness to operational demands
• Led digitization of RFQ processes and supplier communications, improving efficiency, transparency, and traceability
• Developed and streamlined manufacturing processes for critical heavy fabrications and complex mechanisms, reducing rework and increasing throughput
• Boosted team productivity by implementing multi-tasking and entrepreneurial work models, fostering ownership and accountability
• Consolidated supplier base through product/process mapping, improving supplier control, quality consistency, and cost competitiveness

• Global Strategic Sourcing: Supplier selection, negotiation, contract management, supplier performance evaluation, supplier relationship management, supplier mapping, vulnerability analysis, commodity management, vendor development, NPD, process development, overall supplier development, E-Sourcing, exploring Low Cost Countries (LCC) and Best Cost Countries (BCC)
• Supply Chain Management: Procurement (S2P Cycle), demand planning, inventory management, logistics, supply chain visibility, risk management, SCM Industrialization
• Quality Awareness: Supplier quality, supplier audits and selection process, inspection methodologies, FMEA, PPAP, Six Sigma, Kaizen, CSR audits, Supplier Quality Assessment (SQA)
• Technical Competence: Sheet metal and heavy fabrication processes (raw material, machining, welding, painting, NDT), Casting, Forging
• Defense Manufacturing: Understanding of Defense industry regulations, inspection criteria, security requirements, and complex supply chains
• Project Management: Cross-functional collaboration, milestone tracking, risk mitigation, cost control, quality management
• Leadership, Collaboration, Adaptability, Time Management, problem-solving: Team management, strategic planning, problem-solving, decision-making, communication, negotiation, conflict management

• Team Lead - Handling team of Commodity Management, Direct Purchase, Buyers, Expedition, BID Cost, Estimation, Supplier Development and Quality (Total team size of 18 members across India) and overall annual Material Spend of 200+ Cr INR
• Establishment of Commodity strategies for Fabrication, Machining, Casting, Forging, Raw material, Actuators, Electromechanical, Outriggers, Hydraulics, Imports and Commercial components (bearings, gear boxes, Hardwares, C Class, etc)
• Developed strategies for fast conversion of PR to PO with automation of RFQs, price comparison and PO awarding process to suppliers
• Developed and implemented sourcing strategies to identify and qualify suppliers, resulting in an annual savings of around 15% reduction in supply costs without compromising on quality or delivery timelines
• Managed strategic supplier relationships, negotiating favorable contracts, and driving supplier performance improvement initiatives
• Oversaw the implementation of a supplier risk management program, ensuring continuity of supply and minimizing disruptions
• Collaborated with engineering and manufacturing teams to optimize product design for manufacturability and cost reduction
• Implemented supply chain visibility initiatives, utilizing technology solutions to enhance transparency and improve decision-making
• Developed and monitored key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure supplier performance and drive continuous improvement
• Responsible for entire S2P cycle, exposure to ERP processes (SAP, Oracle)
• Responsible for savings on entire product using different sourcing levers
• Responsible for planning, implementing and monitoring overall supply chain strategies
• Collaborate with stakeholders (Design, PPC, Integration, QA, Finance)
• Worked on forecasts and inventories, keeping an accurate record of the process and analyzing performance

• Solo Travel, Car Driving, Trekking
• Listening to Music
• Nature Lover, Photography
• Exercise, Yoga
• Cooking

• Diploma in Master CAD (Pro-E 2001, Wildfire 2.0 & 3.0, Ideas, Catia V5, Solid works, Auto CAD 2007, AMPUNCH, BYSOFT, BYLASER)
• Successful completion and implementation of Structured Approach to Strategic Purchasing (SASP) with negotiation techniques
• Certified Internal Quality Auditor for ISO 9001: 2000 (year 2005-06)
• Sandvik Global Leadership (SGL) training from Global certified body
• Qualified Supplier Quality Assessment (SQA)