Conor Robins
CEO, Sphere trading co.
Sphere Trading supports manufacturers of premium beverage, CPG, and lifestyle products across multiple production facilities. With complex BOMs spanning more than 120 suppliers, tracking material status and supplier lead times after a PO was placed had become a constant challenge.
The procurement team lacked a single view into where materials stood at any given point, and cost surprises on landed goods were compressing margins before product even hit the production line.
THE CHALLENGE
Sphere’s procurement team had strong supplier relationships, but once purchase orders were placed, visibility into supplier progress and material readiness quickly fragmented.
Tracking material status required constant follow ups across email threads, spreadsheets, and supplier updates. As production programs scaled, that lack of visibility started to create operational friction.
Common issues included:
• Limited visibility into supplier progress after POs were issued
• Supplier lead times shifting without early warning
• Individual BOM components arriving late and delaying production runs
• Landed cost surprises discovered too late in the cycle
• No centralized view across suppliers and materials
Even a small delay in one component could ripple across the entire production schedule.
the solution
Sphere implemented Tenkara to create a single operational layer across their supplier network and material flows.
By connecting purchase orders, supplier updates, and BOM structures into one system, the procurement team could monitor supplier progress and material readiness across every production program.
Key capabilities included:
Material Status Visibility - Each BOM component could be tracked through ordering, production, and shipment stages, providing a real time view of readiness.
Supplier Lead Time Monitoring - Supplier performance and lead time changes were tracked continuously, flagging delays early.
BOM Risk Alerts - If a single component threatened to delay a production run, the system surfaced the risk immediately.
Landed Cost Monitoring - Freight and supplier pricing changes were surfaced earlier, helping protect margins before materials reached the floor.
THE RESULTS
Within the first phase of implementation, Sphere’s procurement team moved from reactive supplier follow ups to proactive supply chain management.
28% reduction in production delays
120+ suppliers monitored in a single operational view
Early detection of BOM bottlenecks
Procurement time reclaimed from manual supplier tracking
Instead of discovering issues after schedules slipped, the team could now identify risks early and coordinate adjustments before production timelines were affected.
