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I laugh when business leaders tell me that they are going to replace their current supply chain planning technologies with “AI.” Each supply chain planning technology at the end of 2024, went through disruption–change in CEO, business model shift, layoffs, re-platforming and acquisitions. You are right.
From sourcing and bid evaluation to warehouse slotting and dynamic routing, AI tools support faster and more consistent outcomes by processing large volumes of operational data and identifying patterns that human decision-makers may overlook. These capabilities are now being integrated into mainstream TMS, WMS, and ERP platforms.
While SAP has had procurementanalytics solutions, last year at Spend Connect Live, SAP announced the Spend Control Tower. Daniel Chapman, the senior director of process transformation for procure to pay at Warner Music, was a keynote speaker. It is a brilliant tool.” The Warner Music Group was an early adopter.
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than ever—juggling cost control, compliance, supplier risk, and internal complexity, all while trying to modernize outdated systems.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.
When you talk to companies that have implemented enterprise or supply chain applications, executives will usually admit that they have under-invested in training and preparing users to use the new technology. Molex implemented a multi-enterprise supply chain networkplatform from SAP called SAP Business Network.
Enterprise procurement teams face growing pressure to deliver strategic value – managing supplier risk, ensuring compliance, and supporting sustainability – all without sacrificing speed or control. This blog explores the most common challenges in digital procurement and the capabilities that matter most.
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.
If you’re evaluating procurementtechnology or exploring ways to drive more value from existing systems, chances are you’re looking beyond tactical fixes – you want a smarter, scalable strategy. But when spend is scattered across systems, business units, and suppliers, finding those insights is easier said than done.
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 .
Procuring transportation for freight is much different than any other procurement category. There are different tools, goals, and market dynamics. Transportation procurement needs to support both customer service and a company’s internal supply chain goals. One master of freight procurement is Kyle Masters.
Probabilistic forecasting is revolutionizing demand forecasting, supply planning, and inventory optimization by significantly improving forecast accuracy and decision-making across distribution networks. However, this approach ignores real purchasing behavior, such as customers buying complete sets of four tires.
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.
This approach significantly improves forecast accuracy and enhances decision-making across distribution networks. Traditional supply chain planning tools rely on deterministic forecasting, generating single-point estimates that often misrepresent real-world complexities.
Ivalua Spend Management Insights [ivory-search] 3 Powerful Ways Procurement will Drive the 2030 Saudi Vision Transformation May 30, 2023 | | Procurement Strategy by Sara Omer What is the Saudi Vision 2030 Program? Procurement and supply chain teams will play a crucial role in making this vision a reality.
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.
While the supply chain technology market lost its allure at the start of the last decade, it is now cool again. Leaders are starting to experiment with new technology approaches giving rise to new spending and interest by Venture Capitalists. The supply chain technology market is responding. Figure 1. The Market Response.
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.
I asked companies to “Navigate through the hype focusing on the feasibility of scope and technology.” In the height of the e-commerce craze, the marketplace offerings started with a focus on e-procurement. At the time, the popular belief was that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) technologies would build multi-tier capabilities.
However, recent disruptions have highlighted the vulnerabilities of these complex networks, resulting in significant financial losses for companies. It is crucial for organizations to understand the importance of Purchase Order collaboration to effectively manage their direct spend, optimize operations, and mitigate risks.
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 procurementsystem?
Opportunities for ProcurementTechnology As we look toward 2025, European businesses are reshaping their supply chains to navigate an increasingly complex global landscape. A recent report by Maersk and Reuters Events highlights that 68% of companies are making supply chain visibility and monitoring solutions a top priority.
If you were tasked with procuring the best supply chain IT system, what would you look for? ERP, APS, SCM Systems Explained Organisations often use these systems together because each serves a distinct but complementary purpose. Think of it managing things like purchase orders, invoices, and inventory records.
Technology can change or even improve work. In May 2025, one in seven home-purchase agreements fell through resulting in the cancellation of 56,000 purchase contracts. We still plan like it is 1999–when we were bracing for Y2k–versus using new forms of technology to improve planning. What’s missing?
The supply chain is a complex non-linear system. At each company, there is a relationship between the metrics of growth, margin, inventory, customer service, and asset strategy. For the purpose of this article, I will use Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) as the proxy metric to discuss asset utilization.) Was this by design?
To keep customers like my dad satisfied, RGD and Quick-commerce companies need to invest in new technologies to optimize the supply chain and logistics operations. These technologies are often invisible to the end-user but make a big difference in keeping the promises about product availability, freshness, and speed of delivery.
Experts from North Carolina State University and GEP conducted a survey on supply chain, procurement and IT leaders to determine their challenges and priorities, focusing on examining gaps in the supply chain. The study found that these leaders considered the largest gap to be between supply chain and procurement, citing it as a major issue.
Despite two decades of advancement in supply chain technologies, companies are struggling to gain balance at the intersection of operating margin, inventory turns and case fulfillment. I believed that the first generation of supply chain systems would improve operations to a greater degree than actually happened. I am an old gal.
ERP systems form the backbone of efficient operations for many organizations. They integrate finance, HR, sales, and supply chain management into one complex platform. Within this setup, an ERP procurement module helps companies make purchases and manage suppliers. Keep reading to learn: What Is ERP in Procurement?
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.
This is why I host training twice a year to challenge existing technology paradigms. I see a preponderance of reports and white papers that have lots of pages but say little. He feels that based on his years of experience with a software provider, he has a whizzbang technology. The average purchased order changes 3.5
I know that your primary focus is procurement. The goal was to teach the impact of system dynamics in a non-linear system that we now call the supply chain. However, few measure it, and no technology is available to drive a learning engine to minimize the bullwhip impact. Or planned orders to purchase orders?)
CAGR , the global supply chain management software market is expected to touch USD 50 billion by 2032. This one figure speaks volumes about how organizations worldwide want access to the best supply chain management tools to boost efficiency and value in their distribution and logistics network. The real challenge?
By embedding analytics across logistics, sourcing, and fulfillment, businesses gain the visibility and foresight needed to stay competitive.Analytics-driven leadership is no longer a luxury; it’s the foundation of operational survival in todays volatile business environment. Analytics allows organizations to move beyond intuition.
The increasing need for constantly analyzing these trade-offs across the supply chain networks has highlighted the need for digital twins and what-if capabilities in network design solutions. This means they are more likely to focus on value and affordability and change their priorities and brand preferences when making purchases.
Yesterday, @DamarqueViews asked me a question on twitter: “What do you think are the greatest barriers in the adoption of social technology in the supply chain?” I find the evolution of social technologies, and the promise of social, exciting for the supply chain. These tools only answer the questions that we know to ask.
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.
Being listed on a last-mile-delivery service platform and reaching a much broader customer base beyond the neighbors became a must-have for survival. Digital commerce efficiently requires the digitalization of many customer-facing operations and sourcing and procurement. Here are the steps to take for going digital: .
Networks Have Fistinct Advantages. In one McKinsey survey of more than 100 large organizations in multiple sectors, companies that regularly collaborated with suppliers demonstrated higher growth, lower operating costs, and greater profitability than their industry peers. Those include trust issues, the operating model, and technology.
If you're reading this now, then you’ve probably noticed how outdated traditional procurementsystems recede into the past and are replaced by new modern solutions. What is Cloud Procurement? These services include: Software; Analytics; Networking; Data storage; Servers and more.
A new report, “Data-Enabled Supply Chain Transparency” has revealed that 77% of respondents indicated their organization considers supply chain transparency to be critically or highly important. Redwood City, CA, 13 October, 2022. About the research.
This process involves tracking, managing, and optimizing hardware, software, and network components from procurement to disposal. By keeping tabs on each asset, organizations can improve efficiency, reduce costs, ensure compliance, and mitigate risks. ensuring patient data is secure and medical devices function optimally.
Coupa offers a Business Spend Management (BSM) platform based on a public cloud. The platform connects hundreds of organizations representing the Americas, EMEA, and APAC, with millions of suppliers globally. I saw how their platform unified finance and procurement activities, but not supply chain. The buyer says, “yes.”
Work planners previously did manually can be calculated by software. But advances in this area have two limitations – the software itself and our ever-changing world. The promise of supply chain planning software has led leaders to chase the mirage of the perfect plan. The myth of the “perfect plan”.
That’s where manufacturing inventory management software comes in. The right software can streamline your production, optimize stock levels, and even help you save money. We’re talking real-time tracking, automated purchasing, and a whole lot less stress.
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