Manufacturing update with Susan Spence, Chair of the Institute for Supply Management’s Manufacturing Business Survey Committee

Topics covered in this podcast included: the current state of manufacturing; the impact of trade policy and tariffs on manufacturing; the role of automation, through things like AI and robotics, within manufacturing; and the ongoing federal government shutdown, among other topics. 

Susan (Sue) Spence serves as Chair for the prestigious ISM® Manufacturing PMI and acts as the official spokesperson for the nearly century-old ISM Report On Business. She holds this position in a volunteer capacity, contributing her industry expertise to one of the most closely watched economic indicators in the world.

Sue retired from FedEx in July 2023 after she joined in October 2013 as the VP of the newly centralized Sourcing & Procurement group.  Her responsibilities included leading a team of over 250 professionals managing $25B+ of spend, systems and policies related to the corporation’s global sourcing and procurement activities. Sue is a member of several Supply Chain Management Industry and University councils, and in 2020 was honored with the Institute of Supply Management’s J. Shipman Gold Medal Award, a recognition of individuals whose career accomplishments have promoted the advancement of the procurement and supply chain management profession. 

Prior to joining FedEx, Sue spent 28 years at United Technologies Corporation in positions of increasing responsibility at the aerospace divisions of Pratt & Whitney, Hamilton Sundstrand and Sikorsky Aircraft. She also served as Director of Supply Management at UTC’s Corporate HQ, where her team earned Purchasing Magazine’s annual Medal of Excellence award and was chosen as a YWCA Woman Achiever in Business.  Her career included positions in both Supply Management, Operations Transformation, and Continuous Improvement.

Sue received her BA in Economics from the University of Connecticut, and an MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.  She has two adult daughters living in Boston and New York.