SRM Supplier Relationship Management Archives - Page 7 of 10

Is the commodity price environment today different from the past?

In short, Yes. A new higher cost profile has been placed under many commodities, says John Mothersole of economic analysis and forecasting organisation IHS. “Volatility has increased significantly – and is likely a permanent feature of supply chains,” says Mothersole. This raises the need to not only track commodity prices, but also the corresponding factors […]

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Forecasting making way for customer engagement

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Procurement Strategy, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management, Supply Chain Management SCM, Talent Watch / Editor

Increased flexibility, agility and responsiveness has been cited as the top medium-term business objective by respondents to the 2012 SupplyChainForesight survey, sponsored by Barloworld Logistics. The fact that using the supply chain as more of a competitive advantage was selected a close second is evidence that these two objectives are closely interlinked, and demonstrates the

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Procurement’s cost focus will become a network growth focus

Leave a Comment / Procurement Strategy, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management, Supplier Partnerships / Editor

The last 10 to 15 years have seen intense inward cost focus. The coming 10 years will see attention turn to growth via digitally connected networks that empower buyers to discern, qualify, connect, and collaborate with suppliers, peers and partners. This is the consensus among Procurement Executives who responded to an Ariba survey on Procurement

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Build strong relationships with SCM recruiters to advance your supply chain

Leave a Comment / SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Talent Watch / Editor

Organisations willing to apply the same procurement processes to recruiting human capital as they do to other processes are making big strides to advancing their supply chains, Clarence Manuhwa of TechPro Personnel, tells SmartProcurement. Supply Chain Management has always been a topical and pivotal field because of its significance to the bottom line of organisations.

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Case study: software improving use of materials master

Leave a Comment / e-Procurement, Procurement Strategy, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Technology / Editor

Several organisations invest effort into improving their material master only to have their material master improperly used. The problem is firstly that users often place a unique (free-text) order for goods and services that have already been created in the material master, and, secondly that the material master is incomplete and does not cater for

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Collaboration will reign in Procurement’s future

Leave a Comment / SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management, Supplier Partnerships / Editor

Organisations will dramatically increase their dependence on suppliers for products, services, manpower, expertise, and new ideas. This is the consensus reached in a report ‘VISION 2020: Ideas for Procurement in 2020 by Industry-Leading Procurement Executives’, which is the outcome of a dialogue between Ariba and leading procurement practitioners and influencers. Innovation comes from without 2020

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Procurement transformation: more than squeezing suppliers’ margins

Leave a Comment / e-Procurement, News, Procurement Strategy, Professional Development, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Technology / Editor

Transferring pressure onto your suppliers’ margins is not sustainable in the long-term. In fact, it is the shortest route to supply disruption as you will risk supplier failure, Duncan Jones, Principal Analyst for Forrester Research, told supply chain leaders at SAP and SmartProcurement’s CPO Forum early in March. He noted that successfully implementing a new

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Red flags that your suppliers may be facing difficult times

Leave a Comment / Procurement Strategy, SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management / Editor

The recession has made it clear that organisations of all sizes in all geographies face the possibility of going out of business, which would have a ripple effect both upstream and downstream. In a perfect world, relationships with suppliers would be truly collaborative, with the supplier communicating well in advance of failure or disruption. But

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How effective SRM can keep you competitive

Leave a Comment / SRM Supplier Relationship Management, Supplier Management, Supplier Relationship Management Systems / StaffWriter

In the contemporary economic climate supply chains compete against each other, rather than individual organisations. If it is ultimately a supply chain’s total cost of ownership (TCO) that will determine the affordability of its products, then to be competitive there needs to be transparency, knowledge sharing and collaboration of the different cogs within the supply

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SRM: How not to bite the hand that you feed

Leave a Comment / SRM Supplier Relationship Management / StaffWriter

The financial meltdown and global economic downturn has put tremendous pressure on suppliers. This, in turn, has strained client / supplier relationships as clients rightfully expect continued supply and service levels while suppliers may be struggling to ensure continuity. The saying goes “Don’t bite the hand that feeds you” but experienced procurement people know that

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SRM Supplier Relationship Management