Objective: During a global mining boom, tyre supply became severely constrained across the industry. For a contract mining business reliant on heavy machinery, securing consistent tyre supply was essential — not only for production and safety, but as a competitive differentiator in winning and delivering client contracts.

The business had an established preferred supplier arrangement with a major Japanese tyre manufacturer known for product quality and delivery certainty. But as global demand surged and internal needs grew, the challenge became securing increased allocation without damaging the long-standing partnership.

Approach: As GM of Supply Chain and Technology, Catalyst Strategy’s founder led a carefully calibrated strategy that balanced firmness with respect and cultural sensitivity. The organisation directly engaged senior leadership at the manufacturer’s Tokyo head office, not just local intermediaries, to ensure message clarity and escalate the issue appropriately.

Internally, the team prepared thoroughly. A disciplined “relationship zippering” approach paired leaders at every level of both organisations, including the CEO, enabling multi-level visibility and clear escalation pathways. Cultural briefings and strategic negotiation planning sessions were delivered cross-functionally to ensure every engagement was thoughtful, aligned, and focused on long-term outcomes.

Respect and realism were tightly balanced. The team didn’t rush to business — time was dedicated to shared visits and informal engagements. Cultural customs were respected, and behind-the-scenes conversations enabled diplomacy, while formal meetings and messaging were deliberately sequenced to allow clear, solution-ready positions to be presented. Equal care was taken to help the supplier understand the organisation’s values, leadership style, and commercial pressures, not just the other way around. This created mutual understanding and moved the relationship from transactional tension to genuine strategic partnership.

Positive Impact: The strategy delivered a successful outcome under challenging conditions, securing the supply needed to maintain operational performance and client delivery without compromising a valuable long-term relationship.

Importantly, the partnership emerged stronger. Both sides demonstrated shared values and a commitment to long-term success. The experience became a case study in leading with cultural intelligence — investing in relationships, aligning internally, and balancing commercial clarity with genuine respect.  Three key lessons emerged:

•             Cultural intelligence isn’t soft — it’s a strategic asset.

•             Strong relationships don't mean avoiding hard conversations — it means knowing how to have them well.

•             The real test of a relationship is how it performs under pressure — not during fair weather.

If you're navigating supply constraints, managing cross-cultural partnerships, or balancing risk and value, let’s explore how Catalyst Strategy can help.