I believe the most important tool available to the procurement professional, since the introduction of e-procurement software, is the new wave of business information and data visualisation now available.
Most procurement professionals are used to working with raw data, it is one of the reasons we make sound factual decisions. Some of the difficulties we face with this include extracting data from various sources such as ERP or accounting software, databases, personal Excel files and so on. There are then problems in presenting this data in a meaningful way to stakeholders so it is easy to understand and to see where the data has come from. (more…)
In every facet of our life, technology is present. So it should come as no surprise that technology is present in the fulfillment industry and is playing a massive part.
Something as staid as the warehouse has been streamlined and revolutionised as a result of technology making it more proficient and organised. Warehouses must be far more efficient because online shopping has made the fulfillment industry more relevant. A company such as Amazon ships millions of dollars’ worth of merchandise every day, which would never have happened before the internet age. (more…)
Chief procurement officers have long viewed business process outsourcing (BPO) as a way to streamline operations, enhance efficiency and reduce costs.
BPO, however, can do so much more than that. Today, leaders in this space are increasingly looking at BPO as a way of adding value, enabling their procurement functions to play a more strategic role in the business. This involves using their BPO relationships to provide business insight, innovation, and solutions, not just cost cut. (more…)
We are living in times of a growing amount of digital data. Economist writer Ludvig Siegele claims 2012 will be the year in which the trend of ‘big data’ gets noticed more widely. “Many more firms will start to analyse huge piles of data to optimise everything from their supply chains to their customer relationship,” he wrote. (more…)
So far we have looked at the strategies you could use to drive value in both office supplies and IT consumables. This week we are considering the challenge presented by IT hardware.
Galloping technology innovation and an ever-increasing circle of CAPEX and OPEX purchasing choices have changed the IT hardware sourcing landscape. Once relatively simple, it’s a category now crammed with more components parts than the average circuit board. (more…)
A recent survey from energy company npower has uncovered some startling statistics about the buyers of the future. According to its survey of 5-13 year olds, more children can use an iPhone (42 per cent) or iPad (31 per cent) than read a map (19 per cent) or make a cup of tea (35 per cent). (more…)
At the recent CIPS conference, Ellis Watson, a veteran CEO with an impressive CV, called for procurement practitioners to display passion in everything they do. “Step up and take your message out to the business,” was his plea. I’ve been thinking about this and reached the conclusion that passion is not enough. (more…)
Access to cash remains a continued priority for finance and procurement chiefs. The way to make businesses more agile through better availability of funds is by having a more collaborative relationship between procurement and finance – from the top down.
Many of the answers lie in the use of more effective technology, linking together supplier information to strengthen negotiation. But it’s not just technology. Finance is from Mars and procurement is from a different part of Mars. Despite the links between the two, there are two different languages and distinct circles of influence. (more…)
As technological advancements have impacted the business world, the way we work and interact with suppliers has similarly changed.
E-procurement became a buzzword in the purchasing profession as the internet transformed business. Even now, purchasing technology remains a topic of conversation as communication methods and processes adapt to reflect the modern world. (more…)
I believe the most important tool available to the procurement professional, since the introduction of e-procurement software, is the new wave of business information and data visualisation now available.![[Bloglines]](http://blog.supplymanagement.com/wp-content/plugins/bookmarkify/bloglines.png)
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