Dee Ward
Senior Vice PresidentWürth GroupDee’s career includes senior executive positions across the U.S. and as Senior Vice
President for Asia Pacific and Africa where he managed 14 operating companies.
Holding a Doctorate in Business Management with a specialization in Executive
Leadership, Dee is also a recipient of the International Prime Award for
Outstanding Leadership in Global Business Expansion. Dee combines deep
technical expertise in distribution, lean production, industry supply chains and
leverages this expertise to support customers with dependable, scalable solutions.
As an executive leader at Würth, Dee is dedicated to ensuring customers receive
the products they need, when they need them. Through advanced logistics, a
robust global supply network, and unwavering quality standards, Würth delivers
consistent reliability across all customer operations. Dee fosters close collaboration
with manufacturing partners and customers alike, reinforcing Würth’s family-owned
values of mutual trust, long-term partnership, and shared success.
The New Era of Supplier Partnerships: Transparency, Data Integration & Quality Collaboration Across Tiers 1–3
As manufacturing ecosystems become increasingly complex and globally distributed, traditional, transactional supplier relationships are no longer suff…As manufacturing ecosystems become increasingly complex and globally distributed, traditional, transactional supplier relationships are no longer sufficient to meet rising demands for quality, reliability, speed, and resilience. This session explores…As manufacturing ecosystems become increasingly complex and globally distributed, traditional, transactional supplier relationships are no longer sufficient to meet rising demands for quality, reliability, speed, and resilience. This session explores how OEMs and suppliers across tiers 1–3 are redefining partnerships—shifting from reactive issue management toward proactive, performance‑driven collaboration. Attendees will examine how shared accountability, clear expectations, and trust‑based relationships are becoming essential to managing risk and ensuring consistent outcomes across multi‑tier supply networks. Moderated by Peter Zimm, Principal at Charles Edwards Management Consulting, who brings deep experience advising aerospace and industrial organizations on supplier ecosystems and market strategy, this panel features Jeff Hicks, Senior Vice President of Solutions at Fastenal with extensive experience driving global sourcing, customer alignment, and operational performance, and Dee Ward, Senior Vice President at Würth Group, representing a global supplier perspective across fastening and assembly solutions. Together, they bring a powerful combination of OEM, supplier, and advisory expertise, enabling a true cross‑industry dialogue. This discussion will focus on how organizations are improving transparency, integrating data across fragmented systems, and aligning quality expectations across tiers to enable predictable performance. Panelists will share practical approaches to strengthening supplier relationships, driving accountability, and building resilient, high‑performing production ecosystems through better coordination of people, processes, and data across the value chain.Show MoreClick the title to see all details
