Supply Chain Cost Management: The AIM & DRIVE® Process for Achieving Extraordinary Results

Chapter 1. Introduction

It was a warm summer afternoon in August of 1994. I returned home to Del Mar, California, weary from the long flight from Tokyo. As I expected, there were a bunch of messages on my answering machine. One, in particular, caught my attention. It was from my mentor and good friend, Gene Richter (1937–2003), then head of Corporate Procurement at Hewlett-Packard. In his typical nonchalant voice, his message went something like this: “Jimmy, this is Gene. I wanted to let you know before you read the Wall Street Journal tomorrow—I’ve accepted a job at IBM. The challenge was too good to turn down. Anyway, we can talk about it when you get back. I’m counting on your help like you’ve given me at HP.”

I had known Gene since 1989 ...