Outsourced Procurement for OEM Manufacturers

Chapman Smith acts as an extension of your purchasing team. Since 1997, we've helped OEM manufacturers source aluminum extrusions, steel tubing and pipe, castings, flat rolled steel and fabricated components, and we manage the suppliers, quality and delivery behind them. Most companies don't come to us because of their industry. They come because of their situation. Find yours below.

Private Equity Firms and Portfolio Companies

Purchased materials and components are often the fastest lever for margin improvement in a manufacturing portfolio company. We review what a company buys, identify savings, and then do the work to make them real: sourcing, qualifying and transitioning suppliers alongside the purchasing and operations team.

  • Purchased cost reduction that shows up in margin and EBITDA
  • Vendor consolidation across one company or an entire portfolio
  • Inventory programs that improve availability and working capital
  • Added production capacity without new capital investment
Talk to us about your portfolio

Start-Ups and New Product Launches

Order size isn't the test. If a part matters to your product and has a future, we're glad to start where you are. We choose suppliers and processes with production in mind from the first order, so when your volume grows you don't have to re-source everything.

  • Tooling, design input and supplier selection for new parts
  • Early orders and pilot builds with a path to production
  • One partner from first order through recurring production

Learn more about our Tooling & Product Development services.

Tell us about your product

Growing OEMs Outgrowing Their Purchasing Team

When revenue grows faster than purchasing headcount, buyers end up firefighting instead of planning. We add sourcing capacity without adding headcount: finding and qualifying suppliers, setting up alternate sources, and keeping parts arriving on schedule.

  • Sourcing capacity without new hires
  • Alternate and dual sources for critical parts
  • Stocking programs that keep production moving
Add capacity to your purchasing team

Established OEMs With Lean Purchasing Teams

Many OEMs build a finished product but buy custom parts from a long list of extruders, tube suppliers, foundries, fabricators and coaters. We become one point of contact for those parts and coordinate every operation, from laser cutting and forming to welding and powder coating, into one finished component.

  • Fewer suppliers to manage
  • One accountable partner for quality and delivery
  • Multi-operation parts delivered finished

See how we coordinate manufacturing and fabrication.

Send us a part to quote

Companies Going Through a Supply Chain Change

Reshoring production, opening a new plant, replacing an incumbent supplier or integrating an acquisition all put pressure on purchasing at once. We source, qualify and transition suppliers so production keeps running through the change.

  • Replacement sources when a supplier fails or exits
  • Domestic sourcing for reshored parts
  • Supplier transition support for acquisitions and plant moves
Talk to us about your transition

Larger Manufacturers With Tail Spend

Even strong procurement departments have a long tail of small vendors, spot buys and hard-to-find parts that take time out of proportion to their value. We take that work off the team's plate so buyers can focus on strategic categories.

  • Hard-to-source and low-volume parts
  • Spot buys and shortage recovery
  • Fewer small vendors on the approved supplier list
Hand us your hardest parts

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a procurement partner? +

A procurement partner is an outside company that handles sourcing, supplier management, quality and delivery for parts a manufacturer buys. Chapman Smith works as an extension of an OEM's purchasing team, giving buyers one point of contact instead of many suppliers.

How is Chapman Smith different from a distributor or broker? +

A distributor sells from inventory and a broker connects buyers and sellers. Chapman Smith takes responsibility for the part: we source materials, coordinate every manufacturing operation, manage the suppliers, and stand behind quality and delivery.

Is there a minimum order size? +

No. Order size isn't the test. If a part matters to your product and has a future, we're glad to start where you are and grow with you into recurring production.

Do you manufacture parts yourselves? +

No. We don't run our own production floor. We coordinate a nationwide network of qualified suppliers and manufacturing partners, which lets us match each part to the right process instead of the equipment we happen to own.

What materials and processes do you work with? +

Our main materials are aluminum extrusions, steel tubing and pipe, castings and flat rolled steel. We coordinate laser cutting, bending and forming, tube rolling, punching, drilling, welding and powder coating to deliver finished components.

Where is Chapman Smith located? +

Chapman Smith Corporation is based in Warsaw, Indiana, and has supplied OEM manufacturers since 1997.

How do we get started? +

Send us a part, a drawing or a problem through our contact page. We'll review it and recommend a sourcing approach.

How to Get Started

  1. 1 Send us a part, a drawing or a problem.
  2. 2 We review it and recommend a sourcing approach.
  3. 3 We source, manage and deliver, and keep reviewing for better options.

Don't see your situation? Most of our work starts with a conversation.

Request a Quote