Excellent points... unfortunately there is some history of this happening (I have just joined about a month ago). In the end however, each of the plants is responsible for their own budgets and purchasing. We can only set guidelines and preferred vendors and standards and try to help them obtain cost savings through the preferred vendors. For the first time in a while, I am directly involving plant representatives to get their feedback etc... Change management and cultural sensitivities play a huge role. I'd be interested in hearing others' anecdotes, experiences, suggestions, etc...