eWorld highlights eProcurement solutions for ‘teens decade’

With over 95 individual organisations and dozens of procurement and supply chain professionals attending eWorld Purchasing and Supply 2010, the question on everyone’s lips was ‘how do we satisfy conflicting needs with limited resource?’

An unpredictable market place, impacting on costs, inflation and suppliers, coupled with pressures from within such as brand standards, retaining customers and cost savings targets are enough to give many companies a major headache.

Helping to define ‘eProcurement for the teens decade’, as well as giving eWorld delegates an opportunity to explore effective solutions, were supply chain expert Procure4, in conjunction with Trade Interchange Ltd, specialists in eAuctions and eProcurement.

In a series of seminars across the two-day event, senior representatives from the two companies explored the challenges facing procurement and supply chain managers in the current commercial environment.

Andy Tyson, Director, Trade Interchange Ltd, explains:  “It is evident from the organisations attending eWorld – which ranged from manufacturing and Government through to the Not for Profit sector - that delivering success in a tough climate is an issue faced by everyone.

“The truth is that effective procurement is not rocket science. It’s all about joined up thinking. Whether it’s CEOs and CFOs who need supply that underpins consistent brand standards at minimal costs; or stakeholders who want good value that meets their aspirations, needs and budget.

“To do that there needs to be leading edge processes and systems in place such as eAuction, eRFX and workflow management, along with the right people providing the expertise. Take for example, CHEP, the global leader in pallet and container pooling.  The organisation first approached Trade Interchange Ltd based on its needs for regular market revisions.  Thanks to eAuction and CHEPs own experts, the organisation is now reaping the benefits of a more transparent market and a significant step change in efficiency and costs.

“eProcurement tools, coupled with effective management, have also delivered great results for the Gondola Group, best known for operating well known casual dining brands such as Pizza Express, ASK, Zizzi and BYRON,” continued Andy.

Drawing this year’s eWorld event to a close, it was concluded that eProcurement becomes ‘effective procurement’ by aligning people – consumers, suppliers and stakeholders - underpinned by robust and efficient processes and systems, which deliver auditable and sustainable value.

“If delegates take only one message away today, it should be that ‘joined up’ procurement achieves objectives and gets results - thanks to one team which delivers on time and in full,” concluded Andy.