The biggest procurement myth? That better negotiations automatically create better results.

Host Mike Jansen speaks with Mario Meyer, CPO and Head of Global Quality for the Division Plants at Ammann Group, about why classic negotiation tactics often hit a hard ceiling, and where Procurement leaders should focus instead.

Mario challenges the idea that value is won at the negotiation table. Drawing on real examples from Ammann’s project-driven environment, he explains how deeper collaboration with suppliers and internal stakeholders unlocks value that price pressure alone never delivers.

This way of thinking becomes especially critical in project procurement, where complexity is the norm rather than the exception. With up to half of Ammann’s asphalt and concrete mixing plants customised, Mario shares how his team manages cost, risk and timelines without relying on serial-production logic or simplistic savings metrics.


You’ll learn:

1. Why negotiation-driven saving approaches quickly hit their structural limits
2. How collaboration creates value that price pressure never can
3. What project procurement fundamentally changes about cost control
4. Why total cost and execution matter more than unit price
5. How Procurement can stay in control when every project is different

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Get in touch with Mario Meyer on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mario-meyer-304121150/


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About the host Mike Jansen:
Mike Jansen is Partner at H&Z Management Consulting with over a decade of experience enhancing the value that procurement delivers to organisations. Driven by a passion for tackling challenges, Mike thrives on competition—whether with others or himself. Outside of work, Mike enjoys quality time with his wife and children.


Get in touch with Mike Jansen on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jansen-mike/

Navigating a volatile world with a calm mindset, a collaborative spirit, and a drive for continuous reinvention—that's what true procurement leadership is all about.

In this episode, host Richard McIntosh sits down with Gaël De Martelaere, Head of Direct Procurement at Dow, for a candid exploration of how procurement can thrive in times of disruption and transformation.

Gaël unpacks Dow’s journey as it shifts from relentless cost-out and pandemic-era capacity scrambles to a new era of collaborative, digitally enabled cost reduction. He reveals how a culture built on sustainability, innovation, and inclusion continues to endure, even when the market demands resilience above all.


You’ll learn:

1. How agile, digital procurement adapts to margin pressure and supply volatility
2. What it takes to build a resilient culture—staying true to the long-term ambition while managing the short-term realities
3. How calm, transparent leadership drives focus and clarity when disruption strikes
4. How true supplier collaboration creates value and resilience in an unpredictable market

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Get in touch with Gaël De Martelaere on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gaeldemartelaere/

Gaël’s book recommendation:
Shocks, Crises, and False Alarms by Philipp Carlsson-Szlezak and Paul Swartz | https://www.amazon.de/Shocks-Crises-False-Alarms-Macroeconomic/dp/1647825407

Learn more about Women in Logistics, an initiative to promote gender balance in the logistics sector, on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/women-in-logistics-eu/ or visit the website https://www.essers.com/women-in-logistics-fostering-male-female-parity/

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About the host Richard McIntosh:
Richard McIntosh, Partner at H&Z Management Consulting, has spent over 23 years helping procurement leaders succeed. Richard is an avid rugby fan, and a children's rugby coach, with a passion for helping children to become their best selves through sports. He spends his time outside of work with his wife and children.

Get in touch with Richard McIntosh on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mcintosh-richard/