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Theyre feeling the heat most, as sudden trade policy curveballs throw procurement plans into chaos. Traditional procurement, with its long-term contracts and rigid supplier ties, just isnt cutting it anymore. Traditional procurement, with its long-term contracts and rigid supplier ties, just isnt cutting it anymore.
AI in supply chain automation is gradually reshaping how core functions operate, particularly in procurement, warehousing, and logistics. Key Insight: The use of AI in supply chain automation is producing tangible benefits across procurement, warehousing, and logistics.
They follow “if-this-then-that” (IFTTT) logic, meaning that when certain conditions are met, the contract automatically executes an agreed-upon action, such as releasing a payment, updating an inventory record, or verifying a shipment. Inventory counts often require manual audits, which are time-consuming and prone to mistakes.
Direct and indirect procurement are two fundamental approaches in supply chain management, each serving distinct functions within an organization. Together, these procurement strategies are essential for robust, efficient business operations. Discover how Ivalua can transform your direct and indirect procurement.
Enterprise procurement leaders are under more pressure than ever—juggling cost control, compliance, supplier risk, and internal complexity, all while trying to modernize outdated systems. AI, automation, and generative tools are redefining efficiency, allowing procurement teams to move from reactive to proactive decision-making.
Just-in-time (JIT) inventory models, lean supplier networks, and offshore manufacturing reduced expenses but left companies exposed to disruptions. The COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing geopolitical shifts demonstrated the risks of relying on single-source suppliers and minimal inventory buffers. Resilience is now taking precedence.
This is amplified across the supply chain into an exponential impact on inventory and planned orders for manufacturing. When we measure the bullwhip impact (in my class on outside-in process thinking), the bullwhip between manufacturing and procurement is 2-3X. Inventory Health. Does it increase error and inventory targets?
In a previous post , I made a case for how the Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) and Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) are smarter together. Accordingly Supply Chain and Procurement will need continuous collaboration. By aligning supply chain and procurement, spend can be considered more holistically.
The most common trading partner collaborative processes covered in MSCN suites are purchase order/procurement collaboration, demand forecast collaboration and the transportation shipper tender/carrier accept process. They also cover supplier-managed inventory, quality collaboration, manufacturing line collaboration, and asset collaboration.
Traditionally, procurement has been a process weighed down by manual tasks, fragmented systems, and endless paperwork. Today, procurement is undergoing a transformation. While procurement teams have long worked to add strategic value, Artificial Intelligence (AI) amplifies their impact.
By harnessing the growing power of AI to not only sense demand at a very fine-grain, real-time level, but also to govern decisions about pricing and inventory. AI can help. The company says its new approach uses agentic AI to transform consumer feedback into profitable retail growth strategies.
Do Set Clear KPIs and Governance Structures : Establish transparent metrics for sales, coverage, and service levels. Do Embrace Technology and Data : Use real-time data for demand forecasting, inventory management, and route optimization. A well-equipped distributor is an extension of your brand and a key to market penetration.
Automakers must model dual-path sourcing strategies and reintroduce buffer inventory—not just for parts, but for regulatory flexibility. Emergency tariffs have raised the landed cost of essential imports in medtech, forcing procurement teams to seek alternative (and often less validated) suppliers, which is a regulatory risk.
With the rise of logistics and procurement constraints, an analysis of only manufacturing does not yield a feasible plan. MRP Alone Is Not Sufficient for Procurement. Procurement planning inside of lead time is not sufficient. Procurement planning inside of lead time is not sufficient. My response is a big YAWN.
If you’re evaluating procurement technology or exploring ways to drive more value from existing systems, chances are you’re looking beyond tactical fixes – you want a smarter, scalable strategy. Misaligned priorities across finance, legal, and procurement create friction that delays decision-making and reduces impact.
In our work with Georgia Tech using data from 1982-2023, we find that the R² of the Regression analysis of Cost-of-Goods Sold/Inventory Turns when compared to correlations of Operating Margin/Inventory turns to Market Capitalization/employee is 40-65% lower. Be purposeful in building a global coalition and defining governance.
Supply chains are in the news, on governments’ agendas, and in the spotlight. Sourcing and procurement comes in close second at 88 percent, followed by innovation at 87 percent. Logistics and inventory management rounds out the top four focus areas at 82 percent. This is an important time for the supply chain profession.
In 2025, efficient spare parts inventory management is no longer a competitive advantage — it’s a business necessity. Yet for many organizations, spare parts inventory remains a critical blind spot. Obsolete stock, fragmented procurement workflows, and disconnected data only make the challenge harder.
GEP and the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Supply Chain Resource Cooperative surveyed supply chain, procurement and IT professionals across a range of industries to gain insight into their priorities and strategies regarding supply chain resilience and optimization. Procurement solutions are often updated with purchased information.
Managing spare parts inventory has always been a delicate balancing actexcess inventory ties up capital, while shortages risk costly downtime and production delays. Thats why a growing number of organizations are turning to AI software for spare parts inventory management. What is Spare Parts Inventory Management?
nodes), flows of the products between origin-destination pairs, and policies (inventory, replenishment, asset utilization etc) with no clear accountability on how the recommendations make their way into planning and execution. Strategic placement of inventory buffers to ensure sufficient ability to absorb shocks.
Local/Global Governance. Clear governance of global planning and local decisions. Monthly design of the supply chain including form and function of inventory and inventory placement. Focus on the level of inventory. Inventory is often focused on as a singular metric, not as part of a complex supply chain system.
Only four percent of companies compared to their peer groups improved balance sheet performance of growth, operating margin, and inventory turns. When compared to pre-recession years, we ended the decade with twenty more days of inventory. Days of Inventory Comparison. Now, let’s take consumer products. What can we learn?
Supply chain management typically does not fit very well with procurement, which is a challenge at the best of times, and can be a disaster in difficult times. The success of this globalized model rested on three assumptions, the first of which was that governments would act in a rational manner to ensure frictionless trade.
Well, there are a number of different types of supply chain fraud that impact global supply chains, from the procurement of materials to the end delivery of a product. These include: The Procurement bidding process and business awards. Stock rooms, warehouses and any inventory holding points. Inventory records integrity.
Subscribe Are Ghost Assets Haunting Your Inventory Control? This process involves tracking, managing, and optimizing hardware, software, and network components from procurement to disposal. Compliance Management : Ensuring that the company adheres to software licensing agreements, government regulations, and internal policies.
I am a big believer in procurement getting involved as early as possible in new product development based on all the market knowledge available. The worst-case scenario is product engineering developing a new product, selecting a supplier and then telling procurement to get on with negotiation.
Understanding and assessing the tradeoffs between the costs of labor, inventory, transportation, and carbon footprint while going through these pivots will be crucial. Organizations will exploit the government incentives and avoid penalties: Governments around the globe are looking to secure the supply chains for their citizens.
That’s the question we set out to answer in our recent panel discussion with Procurement and Supply Chain experts. A best-in-class solution may also offer inventory management features to enable you to auto-replenish orders, as well as workflows with client-defined business rules to enforce payment channel buying strategies.
To deal with the new challenges in managing and planning the supply chain , the procurement department is one of the functions that should look at changing. It is no longer sufficient for procurement to focus just on supplier costs, placing orders and ensuring goods are received. Resiliency. Risk management.
If we don’t plan better, efforts in procuring sustainable palm oil, making medicine with less carbon, or delivering to customers with electric vehicles can still be built on top of inefficient processes that waste the savings we made. Reducing inventory saves money but also reduces waste, because obsolete inventory becomes another problem.
Tesco and Walmart have announced procurement policies aimed at reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability throughout their extended supply chains. AI can integrate with procurement platforms, utility meters, logistics trackers and internet of things sensors to gather real-time data. Retailers are following suit. In the U.S.,
Category management isn’t just another procurement trend. What procurement teams need is a clear view of their spend, tighter control, and a strategy that delivers lasting value—exactly what category management provides. The goal is to get the best results from every category. It’s tactical and short-term.
Leveraging powerful tools like Inventory Management Software , todays COOs gain real-time visibility, streamline operations, and make faster, smarter decisions that keep their businesses ahead of constant change. Integrate logistics, procurement, manufacturing, and distribution for seamless delivery.
Disruptions like the pandemic, supply shortages, global trade barriers, high customer expectations and inflation all add tremendous pressure on the procurement process. Despite this, only 33% of businesses invested in procurement and sourcing technologies. Using ERP to improve purchasing transparency.
Why Procurement Transformation Can Fail! The duties of procurement managers are diverse, ranging from creating solicitations to collaborating with vendors. The importance of digital procurement is increasing rapidly. Along with cost savings, procurement managers are focusing on optimizing and automating processes.
It is no secret that procurement executives are constantly seeking innovative ways to maximize efficiency and address unexpected supply disruptions. However, procurement is evolving into much more than the most cost effective option since the cheapest option often involves real world atrocities like child and forced labor.
Procurement operations are no exception. In fact, 43% of GPOs that took part in the 2023 Global Chief Procurement Officer Survey cited overall procurement risk had increased significantly as compared to 20% in the 2021 study. Keep reading to learn: What is an online procurement system?
You’re juggling production schedules, managing inventory, keeping an eye on finances, and making sure everything runs smoothly on the shop floor. Think of it as the central nervous system of your operation, connecting everything from production planning and inventory control to supply chain management and financial reporting.
Earlier this year, QAD hosted a live webinar to explore and analyze the trends that are likely to dominate the procurement world over the coming months. It’s no secret that procurement teams have an amplified role within their businesses and that many are left with questions — our goal was to offer answers.
RFIs tend to work well for certain industries (like government) or for purchasing equipment and industrial assets, bu t t hey often fall short in helping supply chain teams select a new software vendor. Procurement then pulls together a summary file with the vendors’ different scores for the supply chain decision maker to evaluate.
The global supply chain that we know today is built on three assumptions: rational government policy, low variability, and availability of logistics. We can no longer assume that government policy is rational, variability is low or logistics are available. Focus on right-sizing inventories. This reset is not an evolution.
Companies tightly coupling the budget to S&OP have significantly higher inventories and lower growth than their peer group. Deployment of deeper statistical engines for inventory management with a focus on safety stock will improve inventory levels. Industries carried on average 32 days more inventory in 2020 than in 2007.
Disruptions like the pandemic, supply shortages, global trade barriers, high customer expectations and inflation all add tremendous pressure on the procurement process. Despite this, only 33% of businesses invested in procurement and sourcing technologies. Using ERP to improve purchasing transparency.
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