5 Questions with Joseph Manson, Purchasing Manager at Smiths Detection
“5 Questions With…” is a recurring BioBuzz series where we reach out to interesting people to share a little about themselves, their work, and maybe something completely unrelated. This week we welcome Joseph Manson, Purchasing Manager at Smiths Detection, a global leader in threat detection and screening technologies.
Joseph’s professional experience includes over 16 years as a Purchasing and Logistics manager in Baltimore. Prior to that, he spent 3+ years in Executive protection. Joseph is a hardworking, passionate, pro-active Supply chain professional with a positive attitude who is results-driven and able to use creativity to develop proactive solutions to supply chain areas of opportunity, while having an active and dynamic approach to working efficiently. His specialties include identifying an issue before it becomes a problem, negotiations, and creative thinking to solve issues.
Joseph was born and raised in Towson, MD, and resides nearby with his wife, son and two dogs. Outside of work he enjoys cooking for family and friends, dining out, traveling, movies, and sports.
1) Please introduce yourself to our audience by looking back at your education, training, and career.
I have been with Smiths Detection since January 2014 when I was brought on as a Senior Buyer to support a large government contract build. I was promoted to Purchasing Supervisor in March 2015 and then to Purchasing Manager in early 2018 where I manage a team of six buyers to support local production of multiple product lines manufactured in Edgewood, MD.
Smiths Detection is a global leader in detection and screening technologies of advanced systems and solutions to detect and identify threats including explosives, chemical agents, biohazards, nuclear, radiation, narcotics, weapons and contraband contributing to the protection of people and assets, supporting safety, security and freedom of movement in today’s world.
2) You have been in the Purchasing and Logistics roles for over 16 years—what has motivated you to stay in the field for so long?
Working in supply chain in general is challenging but when you throw the past 2 years of global challenges into the mix, it takes it to a whole new level. I remember being told long ago that “We don’t grow when things are easy, we grow when we face challenges.” Far too often we question why is this happening, instead of asking ourselves, “what is this trying to teach me?” While challenging at times, I’ve learned to try and find the purpose in what occurs so that I can learn and grow from it. I genuinely enjoy the challenges associated with supply chain and that’s what sparks my passion. There’s never a dull moment.
With the type of business I’m currently in, our contributions day in and day out go into products that may save someone’s life. Our equipment is in the hands of government agencies, military, law enforcement first responders, etc., and is being utilized constantly to detect threats around the globe.
3) Could you elaborate on the STAR award you received from your peers and what that means to you?
I’ve been fortunate enough to receive 2 awards while at Smiths—the first being a STAR (Smiths Thanks and Recognition) award for Customer Focus, Operational Excellence, Leadership, and Teamwork. This was given to me by my peers early on in my tenure at Smiths as a Senior Buyer and recognizes my efforts in supporting the business’s and our customer’s needs.
The second award was a Momentum STAR award given to me by management for going above and beyond over the past fiscal year in support of the business’s and our customer’s needs. We had a large special project which required a lot of time, effort, and support to get across the finish line. Ultimately through my and the team’s efforts, we were able to exceed our customer’s expectations.
Both of these awards are meaningful to me in that they reaffirm that our contributions to the business and our customers don’t go unrecognized. Far too often we don’t highlight achievements nor use those as coaching moments. As a manager of a team, I’ve found that praise and recognition go a long way in getting your team to perform at a higher level than even they thought was possible.
4) If you could go back to the beginning of your tenure in the industry, what are some words of advice you would give to your younger self?
Listen to the life lessons of those before you who have shared their story and learn from what they’ve said. Far too often our younger selves think we have it all figured out, and we really don’t. I was fortunate enough to have some strong mentors to help mold me along the way and firmly believe I wouldn’t be where I am today had they not taken the time to help me.
Trust yourself and don’t be afraid to take a chance. When I made the switch from Mann-Pak to Smiths Detection, I left a business that I felt comfortable in, knew the players in the industry, etc. to go to a business where I knew no one or anything about it. It forced me to learn/develop quickly and to figure out who the key players were, where the relationships needed to be made to help me and, ultimately the business, succeed.
5) If you had an all-expense-paid trip anywhere in the world, what is your destination of choice?
I will graciously accept an all-expense paid trip anywhere that BioBuzz wants to send me… I assume the ‘checks in the mail’?
In all seriousness, I’d be happy going anywhere with my family and friends. Having a 4 year old little man, perhaps Disney to see the excitement on his face every step of the way during that experience. Besides Disney I’ve heard of a “cruise the world” cruise where you visit 60+ countries over the course of almost a year. I think that would be an amazing opportunity to learn about different cultures. This way you’re not locked into one location and it’s truly the experience of a lifetime.
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