Precision and performance are not just goals at MJS Designs – they’re the driving forces behind our mission to deliver electronic solutions on a fast track. A major reason why we are able to achieve this, even before a single component hits the production floor, is the MJS Designs Purchasing Department. This dedicated team of seven highly skilled, detailed-oriented professionals – with over 50 years of combined experience – plays a vital role in quoting and sourcing quality parts, managing supplier relationships and ensuring that timelines stay on track. Not only does their expertise bridge many departments at MJS Designs, including the stockroom, sales, design and engineering, but their pulse on market changes, regulatory updates, and supply chain issues continues to support our commitment to excellence and efficiency.
“The purchasing team’s role at MJS Designs is to quote all of the individual components on the assemblies, which is a variety of parts from capacitors to resistors to flat packs. We also quote different types of materials, services, and fabrication of parts. We have a vast array of suppliers that we use to achieve the goal of quoting. We also quote all kinds of components, services and sometimes fabrication of parts. In addition to quoting, the buyers on our team procure the materials required for the project once we are awarded a purchase order from our customer,” says Josh Follansbee, Purchasing Manager.
Over nearly five decades, MJS Designs has undergone many changes and expansions across multiple departments, including the Purchasing Department. Twenty-six years ago, this team consisted of just one employee – current Supply Chain Manager, Shannon Boysen. Today, the team has grown to include seven highly dedicated members whose primary responsibilities include quoting, purchasing, coordinating with internal departments, and overall, ensuring seamless operations.
Josh Follansbee, our newly promoted Purchasing Manager, has been a vital member of the MJS purchasing team for almost 2 years. He plays a crucial role in not only quoting and buying, but also training, instructing and managing the team as well as the everyday processes of the Purchasing Department. Managing support also comes from Shannon, who has the important job of managing a highly defined process, updating supplier information, system and protocol for tracking trends and parts, and understanding the department needs of MJS Designs.
With five years on the MJS Designs purchasing team and over a dozen years of experience, Shoshana Richter, Purchasing Support Specialist, brings expertise to the team, while Rick McClain, also a Purchasing Support Specialist, has been an integral part of ensuring excellence for the past four years. Together, Shoshana and Rick are responsible for creating accurate and comprehensive material estimates for customer projects. They achieve this by analyzing customer project specifications such as project files, bill of materials (BOMS) and client flow down requirements.
Junior Buyer Chris Dragon and Purchasing Support Specialist Brandon Chung are two of the newest additions to the Purchasing Department team, and they have already made a significant impact in supporting operations. Chris focuses on quoting and procuring while Brandon specializes in preparing quotes and submitting pricing information to the sales team.
“Our quoters don’t only do quoting, their focus is quoting,” explains Supply Chain Manager, Shannon Boysen. “They have to scour through technical drawings to review information that may not have been passed down during the quoting process. They search for specific details on parts and examine drawings for fabricated parts. They do all of this detailed background quoting information to make sure that we have all of our I’s dotted and all of our T’s crossed – so we know exactly what we’re doing.”
At MJS Designs, we take pride in our reputation for comprehensive, transparent, and thorough quoting—a standard made possible by the meticulous efforts of our Purchasing Department. A cornerstone of this process is the component stipulation worksheet, a vital tool that highlights challenges that may impact a project during the build cycle. Our commitment to excellence means that we will not compromise quality components, and we will only work with credible suppliers who value the integrity of the parts, requiring our purchasing team to maintain many strong relationships.
“MJS is organized – Quoting here is easier than my past experiences. We focus on our customers,” adds Purchasing Support Specialist, Shoshana Richter.
MJS Designs maintains strong relationships with its clients thanks to the efforts of the Purchasing Department to align with each customer’s needs. Over the past two decades, the team has cultivated strong relationships within the supply chain, enabling them to provide personalized attention to each project and each customer. With every project presenting distinct requirements and requests – whether it involves procuring parts, accepting components from clients, or managing varying quantities of parts—the team is well-equipped to handle any need with their expert and tailored approach.
“We are so thorough and detail-oriented, we can catch material discrepancies which helps streamline the production process. Our goal is really to catch everything upfront,” explains Josh.
With the attention to detail necessary for consistency and success, the Purchasing Department places great value in the work required at the initiation of each project. While the team acknowledges that the initial process can be challenging, and the time spent producing accurate estimates can be demanding, it is also the most rewarding aspect of the job. The hard work and attention to detail truly pay off, as evidenced by the past seven aerospace audits, in which each member of the Purchasing Department participates annually—resulting in zero findings, a significant accomplishment, being AS9100 Certified.
The Purchasing Department goes above and beyond by closely monitoring and tracking market trends, staying informed about changes in regulations and proactively addressing any supply chain issues. Their diligent efforts ensure that MJS Designs remains adaptable to shifting market dynamics as well as being prepared to mitigate any interruptions — critical during this period of uncertainty and continuous change, particularly with the impact of new tariff charges. When changes in prices or inventory occur, the Purchasing Department works endlessly to stay on track and on budget when procuring. A key advantage that MJS Designs has is our internal design and engineering departments that work closely with the Purchasing Department. This partnership equips us with the tools and expertise needed to efficiently adjust parts or components, ensuring on budget material costs.
“I am incredibly grateful for the talent and dedication of our Purchasing team. Early in my career at MJS Designs, back in the 1990s, I had the opportunity to work in procurement. It quickly became clear that it was not in alignment with my skill set— but that experience gave me a lasting appreciation for the challenges this role presents. Managing supply chains, ensuring critical components arrive on time, and coordinating with external partners all require tremendous skill, attention to detail, and perseverance.
Every day, I am thankful for the exceptional efforts of our Purchasing team as they work diligently to meet our customers’ demanding schedules and keep our projects moving forward.
Additionally, when Shannon first joined MJS Designs, I could not have anticipated that we would go on to spend our careers together. It has truly been an honor to work alongside her. I am deeply appreciative of her loyalty, expertise, and unwavering commitment to MJS Designs and our leadership team. We are fortunate to have her as part of our organization.” – says Dawn Northrop, President of MJS Designs.
For over 45 years, MJS Designs has been a trusted leader in PCB engineering, CAD Layout, assembly and test driven by a commitment to delivering exceptional quality and precision. We partner with industry leaders in the semiconductor, agriculture, medical, commercial, aerospace, and military sectors, providing reliable PCB assembly solutions that bring their projects to life. Learn more about our capabilities and how MJS Designs can support your next project by visiting our homepage here.