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However, as carbon taxes and emissions reporting requirements continue increasing, supply chain professionals face mounting pressures from inside and outside their organizations to measure and improve performance against new, nebulous sustainability metrics. Freight transportation makes up over 10% of total global carbon emissions.
Sorting through this to make a decision on a new planning solution at this time is tough. The problem is that the reduction of costs within one function does not necessarily drive value. In today’s architectures and functional metrics, value optimization does not exist. My advice? You are right. The reason?
Procurement and supply chain management are often used interchangeably—but in practice, the lines between them can blur in ways that create real friction. Misaligned priorities, siloed systems, and unclear ownership can directly impact key performance indicators like cost savings percentage and procurement cycle time.
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.
The transition to renewable energy and the adoption of sustainable practices are now essential for reducing environmental impact, ensuring regulatory compliance, and maintaining competitiveness. Reducing dependency on fossil fuels can mitigate these risks and improve operational predictability.
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.
As supply chains become more interconnected and risks more dynamic, traditional procurementtools fall short. AI agents offer a smarter, faster way to manage sourcing, risk, and spend across the entire procurement lifecycle. What’s the technology behind autonomous procurement agents? You may also have heard of Agentic AI.
As supply chains become more interconnected and risks more dynamic, traditional procurementtools fall short. AI agents offer a smarter, faster way to manage sourcing, risk, and spend across the entire procurement lifecycle. What’s the technology behind autonomous procurement agents? You may also have heard of Agentic AI.
In this type of environment, traditional procurementsoftware and manual processes are insufficient – and many procurement teams are looking to artificial intelligence (AI) for answers. Key Takeaways Understand the potential impact of AI – including Generative AI & AI Agents – in procurement.
For most CPOs and CFOs, deciding on the right purchasing setup — centralized or decentralized — is no small task. 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.
Strategic sourcing and innovative solutions are often viewed as two distinct procurementtools, but they should not be seen in isolation. Think of them as apples and gearseach essential and effective on its own, yet when combined; they create a formidable mechanism for achieving procurement excellence. Click here!
In follow-up qualitative interviews, one of the largest issues with organizational alignment was metric definition and a clear definition of supply chain excellence. In my post Mea Culpa, I reference my work with the Gartner Supply Chain Hierarchy of Metrics. Error is error, but is it the most important metric? My answer is no.
Setting the Stage The National Retail Federation’s 2025 conference has unveiled a clear vision of retail’s future, where artificial intelligence, integrated planning solutions, and customer-centric approaches are reshaping the industry landscape. Here are the key insights we gathered firsthand at this year’s event.
Supply chain efficiency is the cornerstone of success and involves the effective management of processes, resources, and technologies from procurement to production, transportation to warehousing. In the automotive sector, manufacturers are simultaneously reducing inventory costs and delivery times.
Introduction Gardner, (1954) and Huntzinger, (2007) define Purchaseprice variance (PPV) as a metric used to measure the effectiveness of cost-saving efforts by calculating the difference between the planned cost (standard pricing) allocated for purchasing activities and the actual cost incurred.
Procurement and Supply Chain Management are essential functions that can help companies navigate these challenges, but they are often siloed and operate in separate departments. Their metrics are often misaligned as well – supply chain focuses on service and procurement focuses on the cost of acquiring materials and services.
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.
We continue to see strong interest in our domain expertise and our solutions to help companies navigate the complex trade landscape. Acquisition of 3GTMS On March 24, 2025, Descartes acquired all of the shares of 3GTMS, a leading provider of transportation management solutions. Additions to property and equipment (1.9)
What is Vendor Relationship Management (VRM) and Why It’s Essential for Your ERP and Inventory Software? Strong vendor relationships are critical for business success, especially when it comes to managing inventory and procurement. By automating this process, you reduce errors and improve financial reporting accuracy.
The Failure of Existing Demand Planning Solutions. During the pandemic, supply chain leaders turned off their demand planning solutions. Also, the solutions lacked flexibility. Re-implement demand planning, trade promotion management, and revenue/price management together to improve the baseline demand signal. The reason?
There are many ways an organization can cut supply chain costs. While there are no short-term fixes, enterprises should prioritize areas where they can make the quickest gains to reduce costs. Mastering Direct Spend Management Procurement teams generally do not report to the chief supply chain officer.
Mobile inventory management is a digital solution that combines a mobile inventory app with cloud-based software to track, manage, and optimize inventory in real-time. Cloud software: Stores and distributes real-time data, producing reports accessible to all team members. Let’s get started!
When reviewing strategy decks for supply chain teams, I often see statements like “move from a functional-silo’d focus to a drive a more holistic response.” In my research, I find that the lack of alignment has a direct impact to value (operating margin and market price to book value). Functional Metrics.
Businesses often use it in retail and purchasing. Category management isn’t just another procurement trend. It’s a way for companies to group similar goods or services (like IT infrastructure, facilities, or raw materials) and manage them holistically instead of handling every purchase in isolation.
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. Business Spend Management Solutions are Networked .
Top 3 Procurement Technologies to Embrace in 2025 Staying ahead of key procurement technology and advancements is essential for CPOs who want to improve spend cost reduction, drive strategic value, and navigate the increasingly complex procurement landscape.
In today’s dynamic market, procurement is far more than just a buying and purchasing center. Our latest e-book, “ Is Manufacturing Missing Out On Procurement’s Value Add? “ , explores how direct procurement can substantially enhance the manufacturing process. Here are some key insights from the e-book.
That’s why staying on top of the latest supply chain planning trends is so important – they can make all the difference when it comes to staying competitive, reducing costs, and meeting your customers’ needs. They are more likely to shop for discounts and sales and may delay purchases of some items.
Understanding how your Procurement and Supply Chain KPIs are performing isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for survival and growth. But what if you could get a clear, birds-eye view of your core performance without investing in complex, expensive software? Why You Need Visibility of Supply Chain and Procurement KPIs?
What is procurement? In simple terms business procurement is the process of locating and acquiring goods and services from external sources for the business to use. Procurement activities include planning, sourcing, and negotiation, along with risk management, legal and value analysis. Procurement in 2021 and beyond.
So your company is looking to reduce costs, and you’ve been asked to contribute by reducing your inventory cost. Here we explain how you can do this with 16 cost reductionstrategies in inventory management?that that are each proven to reduce a company’s costs.? It also avoids the need to dip into safety stock.
It is just not enough to do a software upgrade or slowly push continuous improvement projects. The lubricants are oils and greases to reduce friction and prevent moving machine parts from grinding. Completed in 2012, the ERP project forced the company to standardize organizational design, roles, and metrics. Overview of Shell.
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? Let’s break them down.
Streamline Your Route Planning Process Daily route planning can quickly become overwhelming, especially if you’re managing delivery routes using spreadsheets, manual methods, or basic mapping tools. Top 10 Route Planning SoftwareSolutions: Overview Here’s a quick comparison of the top route planning softwaresolutions in 2025.
Procurement is one core process area being focused to better manage today’s fluctuating change, with key performance metrics leading the way to assessing and managing procurement performance. The Basics of Procurement KPIs. Every KPI needs a clearly defined goal. Supplier KPIs.
One of the ways that procurement teams improve this figure is by tracking and improving the purchaseprice variance (PPV) metric. In this article, we'll explain what PPV is, why it matters, and how tracking this metric can benefit your procurement processes. Why Is PurchasePrice Variance Important?
With the crisis in Ukraine and sanctions imposed on the Russian Federation, fuel and energy prices are now soaring. And companies at every stage of the supply chain have inflated their prices as demand exceeds supply. GLOBAL CRISES DRIVE PRICES SKY-HIGH. forcing businesses to adjust to reduced and unpredictable demand.
Believe it or not, even in the midst of a Manufacturing “revival” with a focus on total cost reduction, most companies miss the boat completely on logistics efficiency, a critical area for improving corporate profitability. Read the Full Post. Download the Webinar Replay. Read the Full Post. Read the Full Post. Read the Full Post.
ABC analysis creates product segments by grouping products with similar sales volume or purchase frequency to enable category managers to focus on what matters most. Price index and price elasticity are useful metrics on their own, and a combination of these can help determine the right price point to maximize revenue and profit.
Lower-income consumers and those using food assistance programs care the most about food waste as a purchase driver—again, suggesting it is a response to higher prices.” The same “If” statement was repeated for a host of financial and operational metrics.
The purchasing department plays a critical role in the success of an organization. Thought-out practices and well-managed workflows within the purchasing department are crucial for making sure that the company has the necessary resources available at the right time and at a reasonable cost.
With so many moving parts to running an ecommerce business, youll probably build a tech stack of several different apps, platforms, and solutions to power your operations. The software automatically pulls inventory data from your warehouse for a real-time stock count update across all your sales channels.
With so many moving parts to running an ecommerce business, youll probably build a tech stack of several different apps, platforms, and solutions to power your operations. The software automatically pulls inventory data from your warehouse for a real-time stock count update across all your sales channels.
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