Legrand North Central America’s (LNCA) is currently without a formal supplier diversity program. As the Company formalizes its diversity and inclusion initiatives, we’re becoming more aware of customers requiring their suppliers to demonstrate metrics for supplier diversity. Therefore, the primary goal will be to develop effective policies and procedures that ensures diversity and inclusion in LNCA’s procurement process. 

In 2021, Legrand will launch its new Supplier Diversity Program in order to support and advance the company’s efforts in diversity and inclusion-- specifically within the US and Canadian spend perimeters. The call to action is to include in our Request for Proposal (RFP) or Request for Quote (RFQ) process a diverse slate of qualified suppliers for our goods and services, ultimately to increase our spend with diverse suppliers. All suppliers will be subject to our supplier qualification and quality requirements.  

This program will be communicated both internally and externally in early 2021. Our procurement group has begun initial communication with our current suppliers requesting any of them to identify if they are considered a diverse supplier. Additionally, changes will be made to LNCA’s website to include a diverse supplier registration site with the intent of connecting to potential new diverse suppliers.   

Metrics will include:

• # of diverse suppliers in a quotation process
• # of diverse suppliers awarded business
• Additional standard performance metrics to be applied to each applicable Sourcing/Purchasing personnel in LNCA

The rollout will include the following measures:

Launch and Educate: Defining and educating our stakeholders, as well as establishing a baseline with which to measure against re: current suppliers

Develop and Grow: Once a baseline has been established, the program will set targets to incrementally increase our diverse spend. 

Accelerate and Sustain: Once the Supplier Diversity Program becomes common practice within the procurement process the program will work closely with the pool of diverse suppliers to ensure they become a viable and sustained supplier to LNCA. 

To benefit from the learning of other corporations on supplier diversity Legrand has recently become a member of the National Minority Supplier Diversity Council.

LNCA’s Supplier Diversity Program will be an integral part of the Company’s sourcing strategy and operating practice moving forward. Success of this program will be measured by the advancement of the key metrics mentioned above, as well as increased diversity spend.

Legrand anticipates multiple positive benefits from the program including:

• Innovation through the introduction of new products, services, and solutions;
• Multiple channels from which to procure goods and services (i.e. Gov’t programs)
• Fostering of competition (on price and service levels) between the company’s existing and potential vendors; and new opportunities for business expansion and help uplift its local economy

Steven Liu