The Farmer Group brings such expertise; a diverse group of engineers, managers, manufacturing experts and entrepreneurs with savvy business sense.  To assume that the primary role of commodity purchasing is to buy an item or block of similar items is a drastic oversimplification.  We are able broach through a seller’s product descriptions to find out not only how much it costs, but when, how and where it can be delivered and whether it will provide satisfactory quality and utility to the end user.  Inherent in our purchasing function is to additionally track substitutions that will provide the end user the desired role but may additionally provide advantages in one or more of the cornerstones, price, delivery and quality.