How One Buyer Used Supplier Innovation Days to Find Breakthrough Ideas

In this episode of The Buyer's Side, Lucas and Luna explore how a mid-size automotive parts buyer used Supplier Innovation Days to surface new product ideas and process improvements. They walk through the story of a procurement director at a $2 billion supplier who invited 15 key suppliers to a day-long event, asking each to present a problem they could solve together. The result: three patentable ideas, a 12 percent reduction in scrap waste, and a new collaborative framework that turned transactional suppliers into strategic partners. Lucas breaks down the logistics: how to structure the day, the importance of setting ground rules around intellectual property, and why the buyer must lead by asking the right questions rather than dictating problems. Luna challenges whether smaller buyers can replicate this, and they discuss a scaled-down version using virtual sessions. The episode closes with a reflection on how procurement can shift from cost-focused to innovation-focused without a huge budget. #SupplierInnovationDays #ProcurementStrategy #StrategicSourcing #Innovation #SupplierPartnerships #Automotive #IntellectualProperty #ScrapReduction #Collaboration #CostSavings #ProcessImprovement #BreakthroughIdeas #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TheBuyersSide #B2B #Purchasing Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo