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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.
More recently, fluctuating trade policies have emerged as a persistent challenge, especially for firms with global footprints. Sudden tariff increases can quickly make a cost-optimized procurement strategy untenable, leaving companies scrambling to adjust. Procurement is another area seeing change.
Trade policies are constantly evolving, forcing companies to assess how these changes impact customer demand, supply networks, fulfillment strategies, and cost to serve. Establish inventory reserves in key markets to avoid supply chain disruptions. Diversify customer base outside of United States to avoid tariffs on broader sales base.
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than ever—juggling cost control, compliance, supplier risk, and internal complexity, all while trying to modernize outdated systems.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.
This policy shift is being positioned as a voluntary industry transition rather than an outright regulatory ban. Sourcing and Ingredient Availability A central impact of this policy is the need to replace synthetic colorants with natural alternatives. This raises complexity in planning, labeling, and inventory control.
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?
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.
Automotive: Can JIT manufacturing survive legal disruptions to tariff policy? Automakers must model dual-path sourcing strategies and reintroduce buffer inventory—not just for parts, but for regulatory flexibility. Many fabs depend on protectionist policies for viability. But failing to seek alternatives is also risky.
Inventory management is one of the most important tasks for supply chain management professionals. However, most inventory control theories are too complicated or too difficult to apply to real world situations. The reason is that most people now realize the value of planning practice like Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP).
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. It is now a matter of planning the procurement system and the supply management system outside-in and then look at the true demand to minimize the latency.
Do Embrace Technology and Data : Use real-time data for demand forecasting, inventory management, and route optimization. All rights reserved Privacy Policy Cookies Do Set Clear KPIs and Governance Structures : Establish transparent metrics for sales, coverage, and service levels.
Ask a procurement or transportation professional if they have a good demand signal and expect a laugh. Technology can automate role-based views up and down the river of demand for all roles: marketing, sales, finance, manufacturing, procurement, transportation, and human resources. A negative FVA increases cost, inventory, and risk.
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. For additional insights check out our presentation at Informs.
In this article, we’ll explain what centralized purchasing is, the challenges it tackles, the benefits of centralized procurement, and the types of companies that can benefit most from it. That’s when a centralized procurement organization structure proves beneficial.
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.
Smart inventory allocation and deployment starts with the right digital supply chain platform. For most businesses, the past two years have been a much-needed teaching moment on the state of their inventory planning, tracking, and management capabilities. Decades-old, tried-and-true rules ?
Koganti urged the procurement audience to look for whats referred to as “foresight function” in planning tools, which is capable of enhancing data analysis, scenario generation and trend identification , allowing for more informed and proactive decision-making, albeit with human oversight.
The process as is implemented in many companies focuses on balancing demand and supply based on preestablished rules and policies that serve as guardrails for the planning process. Strategic placement of inventory buffers to ensure sufficient ability to absorb shocks. One off recommendations are made about facility locations (i.e.,
How will the policy be executed? I find that in this world of the global multi-national that procurement processes have become convoluted and increasingly complex. (In In my opinion, we have made procurement increasingly complex without adding value. How do they buy from you? Why does it matter to you? It is systemic.
I know that your primary focus is procurement. If S&OP efforts were that effective, don’t you think that we would have made more progress against inventory levels, margin, and growth? In part, this results in increasing swings in inventory in response to shifts in consumer demand as one moves further up the supply chain.
In today’s fast-paced industrial landscape, managing spare parts and MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Operations) inventory is more than just keeping shelves stocked. With effective Spare Parts Inventory Optimization , businesses can strike a balance between availability and cost, ensuring seamless operations without overburdening budgets.
This article is derived from our newest SRM White Paper, “One Platform, One Vision – The Benefits of a Unified AI-Driven Supply Chain Planning & Procurement Decision-Making Platform” Ask a procurement leader and a supply chain planner about their biggest priorities, and you’ll likely hear two very different answers.
Tesco and Walmart have announced procurementpolicies 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.
Within this setup, an ERP procurement module helps companies make purchases and manage suppliers. Numbers speak louder: According to Procurement Tactics’ top procurement trends in 2025 , 83% of CPOs prioritize digitization. Keep reading to learn: What Is ERP in Procurement?
More advanced supply chain leaders model the role of complexity (product and customer), the impact of risk, and opportunity of innovation as well as product shipping and manufacturing locations, and inventorypolicies. The average supply chain leader has five distinct supply chains. Technology Evolution.
Procurement Operates On An Island. Business process outsourcing and procurement automation evolved to make the procurement organization more efficient and less effective. For example, Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) systems, a useful stream of customer data, do not connect to planning. The reason? Broad Strokes.
Inventory management is important because it provides a buffer to balance out the uncertainties between demand and supply. However, while it can be viewed positively, holding inventory also creates problems. As an asset on a company’s balance sheet, reduced inventory results in a higher return on assets.
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.
Inventory, in this time of uncertainty, is the organization’s most important buffer to protect against variability. However, organizations are not good at managing inventory. Cash-to-cash is a compound metric: (Days of Receivables+Days of Inventory)-Days of Payables=Cash Conversion Cycle. Inventory. My takeaway?
Over the last six years, we studied the connection between business results (growth, operating margin, inventory turns and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC)) and the link to company characteristics. We like the metrics of growth, on-time and in-full orders, operating margin, inventory turns, and Return on Invested Capital (ROIC).
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.
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. Procurement. Procurement programs are implemented as standalone processes.
From the new tariffs impact on supply chains to newer policy shifts between the U.S., Tariffs are reshaping sourcing strategies, forcing tech upgrades, and making inventory planning a lot more complicated. Instead of waiting for an unexpected EU tariff to force a reaction, the brand closely monitors market and policy trends.
2022 saw China’s economy grow at a historically low level of 3%, owing to the zero-COVID policy and slowing export volumes. However, with the zero-COVID policy now relaxed, the GDP growth is forecasted to be 5%. As the U.S. are experiencing these pressures, China will pick up some slack.
On our budget then, this felt like a fortune and fueled my interest in energy policy. 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.
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.
According to McKinsey & Company, procurement accounts for 50% to 80% of a company’s cost base. That’s why organizations zero in on strategies to achieve procurement cost reduction. The key thing to remember is that cost reduction in procurement isn’t just about slashing expenses.
Others are negotiating price reductions or short-term increases in inventory to avoid disappointing customers with increased costs or temporary stockouts. However, it will become more challenging to minimize exposure to multiple international trade policies as other regions are impacted. goods were “ rapidly dropping.”
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?
In the realm of efficient procurement management, understanding the various types of procurement reports becomes paramount. These reports serve as navigational tools, offering insights into different facets of the procurement process.
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.
In-transit inventory is a frequently overlooked aspect of inventory management and accounting for product businesses. What is in-transit inventory? In-transit inventory is products that have been shipped by the seller but have yet to reach the customer. Who owns in-transit inventory?
They go over plans and analyze how they will affect inventories and distribution systems. They are in charge of making sure that any inventory shipping in and out of the department is handled with care and delivered in a timely fashion without unforeseen budgetary expenditures. Inventory Managers. Transportation Manager.
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