How Tompkins Ventures Procurement Simplifies Global Sourcing

Supply Chain Diversification Doesn’t Have to Be Complex

Procurement has always been a cornerstone of supply chain success. In today’s world of tariffs, disruption and shifting trade lanes, it has become even more critical. This era of ReGlobalization – the rethinking of global trade – is forcing companies to balance efficiency and resilience by spreading risk across geographies.

Against this landscape of supplier diversification, Tompkins Ventures’ procurement practice delivers the insight, access and control companies need to thrive.

Understanding Procurement, Sourcing and Purchasing

Procurement is the umbrella process an organization uses to acquire goods, services or raw materials. It combines sourcing and purchasing – two distinct yet interrelated functions that work together to build a reliable supply chain.

• Sourcing is the strategic selection and management of suppliers. It involves finding and vetting manufacturers and assessing quality and cost. Sourcing also includes maintaining relationships so that a company has a dependable supply of materials or finished goods.
• Purchasing is the tactical act of buying goods or services from those suppliers. It includes placing orders, negotiating terms, managing deliveries and paying invoices.

When executed together, sourcing and purchasing become procurement. The procurement discipline influences quality, cost, speed and resilience across the enterprise.

Procurement Matters Even More in ReGlobalization

Supply chains built on low‑cost, single‑source strategies are no longer sustainable. Procurement departments face ever-changing trade wars, tariffs, export controls and geopolitical conflicts.

That perpetual disruption has forced a paradigm shift in global trade. This ReGlobalization has companies realigning production and distribution networks – and wondering where in the world to look to accomplish that task of optionality.

Optionality – diversifying suppliers and building flexible manufacturing ecosystems to spread risk – is a smart investment in this new business paradigm. In this environment, procurement is not just about purchasing at the lowest price. It is about making strategic decisions that mitigate geopolitical risk, ensure compliance with trade regulations and maintain service levels amidst volatility.

Organizations need partners with global reach and local expertise to navigate tariffs, trade policies and shifting trade lanes. This is where Tompkins Ventures excels – because geography doesn’t limit the solutions we can match you with.

Procurement that Helps Companies Take Control of Global Sourcing

Tompkins Ventures offers a suite of procurement services designed to help companies take control of their global sourcing strategy. Enterprises today are navigating geopolitical uncertainty and searching for new manufacturing hubs. They need boots‑on‑the‑ground support.

Tompkins Ventures pairs U.S.‑based leadership with in‑country execution. That combination delivers faster, smarter procurement built on visibility, reliability and trust.

The company organizes its procurement strategy around three pillars:

• Find a factory: We leverage our global network to source and vet manufacturing partners to meet quality, cost and capacity requirements.
• Get more from your factory: The team works directly with suppliers to improve performance, quality, communication and efficiency. Supplier performance is critical to any enterprise.
• Bring a product to life: From design and prototyping to packaging and launch, we help clients turn ideas into market‑ready solutions.

These pillars provide a strategic framework for engaging with suppliers, managing production and accelerating time to market. To support them, Tompkins Ventures has developed four distinct procurement offerings.

1. Landed Cost Analysis

Businesses often underestimate the true cost of sourcing products internationally. Tompkins Ventures’ landed cost analysis provides a comprehensive analysis of landed costs across geographies. The engagement includes:

• A review of the current supply chain, assessing origin and destination lanes
• HTS code, duties and tariff modeling to evaluate duty obligations under different scenarios
• Analysis of current costs, volumes and quality specifications
• Identification of alternative manufacturing hubs and a curated geography list aligned with quality requirements
• Geopolitical outlook and trade‑off analysis to inform risk decisions
• A landed cost model with hard quotes for freight and factory costs, plus samples available at cost

This project typically takes four to six weeks. It empowers leaders to make data‑driven decisions about where to source products, balancing tariffs, logistics and market demand.

2. Boots on the Ground

Global sourcing often requires local oversight. With boots on the ground, companies can skip the plane ride and leverage trusted locals to be their factory eyes and ears. Tompkins Ventures provides:

• Factory visits, inspections and design‑for‑manufacturability (DFM) support
• Fluent, culturally competent representatives in country to navigate language and time‑zone barriers
• Real‑time escalation and triage to address issues quickly
• Relationship‑building with consistent oversight

These engagements typically run two to four weeks and enable companies to build strong supplier relationships without diverting internal resources.

3. Managed Manufacturing

For organizations that need an ongoing presence abroad, managed manufacturing allows them to be in two places at once. Tompkins Ventures serves as the U.S.‑based point of contact with dedicated support in country. The service includes:

• Regular factory visits, inspections and negotiation
• “Always on” sourcing without the overhead of a full internal team
• Expansion beyond internal capabilities through a trusted network of external teams.

This program begins after factory selection and lasts about six months. Managed manufacturing makes sure production remains aligned with strategic objectives. And it frees client teams to focus on core competencies.

4. Factory Introduction

Sometimes a company simply needs a reliable manufacturing partner. Tompkins Ventures’ factory introduction helps enterprises expand their global manufacturing network with confidence. The engagement offers:

• A direct introduction to a qualified factory ready to produce
• Full transition support from Tompkins Ventures to the client’s in‑house team
• No ongoing management requirement

This typically takes about four weeks. This service accelerates the vetting and onboarding of new suppliers so companies can capitalize on new opportunities quickly.

Procurement that Transforms Uncertainty into Advantage

Many firms claim to offer procurement support, but few combine strategic vision and tactical expertise like Tompkins Ventures. The company pairs U.S.‑based strategy with global execution, giving clients access to a network of vetted factories worldwide. Local teams deliver compliance, quality and speed at scale, while centralized leadership ensures alignment with corporate goals.

This blend of local knowledge and global reach transforms procurement from a transaction to a competitive advantage.

ReGlobalization has redrawn the supply chain map. Disruption isn’t going away — new tariffs, wars and unexpected events will continue to challenge traditional sourcing strategies. Companies that delay will find themselves settling for second‑tier suppliers and lagging behind.

Tompkins Ventures stands ready to help organizations turn uncertainty into opportunity. To explore how Tompkins Ventures can support your global sourcing initiatives, connect with us today.

Related Reading

• 5 Reasons Procurement Can Be the Tip of Your Spear
• How to Find the Right Factories
• Quality Is the Foundation of Supply Chain Risk Management