Bo Andersson, General Motors’ chief of global purchasing operations, has always taken a hard line against suppliers’ price increases. In the face of increasing prices and costs, he says “We may need different designs. We may need to replace things with something else. We minimize scrap and the use of other materials. You can use different grades, and you can buy from different places”. Andersson says recent pricing pressure, caused in part by ever-increasing energy costs, have created “a sense of urgency to find alternatives and reduce consumption”.