About Us
DS Group Advisors is a management consulting company that helps manufacturers leverage the power of procurement to create a competitive advantage. We've been there and understand our client's challenges:
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meeting new program price targets or annual business plan cost savings
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improving supplier quality or delivery or minimizing supply chain risk
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very little oversight or leverage of indirect materials or logistics
Drew Sheffield, with 25+ years in corporate procurement, including leadership roles at Ford and leading automotive suppliers, is Principal Consultant and leads most engagements.
Backstory for DS Group Advisors: In late 2019, Drew was Global Purchasing Director and Acting VP of Material Management for a mega automotive supplier. He led large global teams to meet key performance objectives following established procedures for part commodity strategies, sourcing, program management, scorecards and negotiations.
Drew enjoyed this, but missed the satisfaction of creating new initiatives (ex. 1st corporate indirect purchasing organization, 1st global commodity teams & cross-functional commodity strategies, 1st strategic sourcing or nearshoring), for breakthrough results. He founded DS Group Advisors in 2020 to help manufacturers of all sizes implement best-in-class practices and elevate procurement for a competitive advantage!
DS Group Advisors on LinkedIn:
Our Team
Drew Sheffield -
Principal Consultant
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27+ years in corporate procurement
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15+ years at Ford (Buyer up to Director level)
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12 years Global Director+ at major tier 1s ZF Group and TI Fluid Systems
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Led teams to achieve cumulative price saves $1.65+ billion and world class supplier quality, delivery, technology innovation
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Former Board of Governors and Chair of MEMA's Chief Purchasing Officer Council
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Lead in private, P/E, and public companies
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Current member of Wayne State University's Supply Chain Management Advisory Board
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Founder and Principal Consultant at DS Group Advisors since 2020
Drew Sheffield on LinkedIn:
Maria Llama Esteinou -
Lead Consultant, Mexico
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15+ years in corporate quality roles
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3+ years as Supplier Quality & Procurement Consultant
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3 years Supplier Quality Engineer, Chrysler of Mexico
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5 years in quality roles at automotive suppliers Valeo, Hella, and Faurecia (now Forvia)
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3 years as Quality Assurance Mgr at Tetra Pak (food package/processing)
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Lead Consultant, Mexico for DS Group Advisors since 2022
Maria Llama Esteinou on LinkedIn:
Julia Bryant -
Consulting Intern
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Rising Senior at Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business’ National Top 25 Supply Chain Management Program
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Global SCM Major & Global Studies Minor
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Studied Abroad, Central Europe
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Prior Deicer, Integrated Deicer Services
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Licensed Banker, Rocket Mortgage
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Fleet Service Agent, American Airlines
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Brother, Alpha Kappa Psi Business Fraternity
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Vice President, WSU Club Swim Team
Julia Bryant on LinkedIn:
Independent Consultants
DS Group Advisors engages other industry-leading consultants depending on project scope, including a Lead Consultant, Logistics.
Endorsements
I have worked with Drew many times throughout the last decade, sharing a stage with him on industry panels, benchmarking best practices, and collaborating on supply chain initiatives. Drew is an exceptional leader with broad business acumen and an inclusive way of working. He is always focused on total cost of ownership, and both the top and bottom line of the business. His input is insightful and drives value.
Carrie Uhl
Chief Procurement Officer at Danaher Corporation (former CPO at GE Healthcare and Vice President of Purchasing and Supply Chain, Americas, at Magna International)
Achievements
Our Principal led global teams that delivered these outstanding results and can help you achieve similar results:
OEM Production PPV Save
Implemented global commodity team for $2B brake/chassis group:
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Benchmarked spend, prices, supplier quality, sourcing
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Created supplier cost models
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Negotiated record 5% annual non-design savings for OEM & brands
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Entered collaborative supplier and technology contracts (ex. Roll Stability Control)
Tier 1 NPP savings
Installed 1st company Non-Production Procurement organization for global tier 1 with 125 facilities:
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Benchmarked best practices with leading manufacturers
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Cleansed spend data, created KPIs, procedures, category strategies, corporate contracts
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Achieved 9% or $23M 1st year EBITDA/cash improvement
Tier 1 Supply Protection
Oversaw global cross-functional team that:
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Protected supply to all OEMs after supplier explosion crippled ~50-60% of world's PA12 supply
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Daily reviews and coordination with tier 1/2 suppliers and industry association task forces
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Presented study at large pharmaceutical conference