Published Thursday 14th January 2021
It does not matter what sector you currently operate in the Pandemic has changed what you do everyday and the way in which you do it.
Some sectors have prospered mightily, and some will have struggled to generate any significant revenue.
Uncertainty abounds everywhere.
It genuinely feels that we are setting off into 2021 in “third gear”.
Measure the Gain not the Gap is a worthwhile activity to focus on the distance traveled and not just target proximity, especially in these turbulent times.
The ability to harness the gains to accelerate out of the pandemic are critical. Your supplier base has changed and adapted significantly too. Whether it being establishing ways to record goods delivered to management reporting via an App. They have all moved how the deliver their service significantly.
It amazes me when we conduct a tender exercise on behalf of a client the frequency the client exclaims why “were we not offered these benefits before?”
This is what quick, insightful tenders brought to market leading organisations brings, new benefits, improved quality, service and efficiency.
Every organisation including your suppliers have accelerated their digital strategy but they still need to train their staff, roll out to their customer base and new customers. It is not uncommon to find your organisation at the rear end of this delivery programme.
By having category expertise we can accelerate the adoption of digital solutions, reducing your labour requirements, streamlining the process efficiency and reducing the cost you pay.
So as we slowly exit this pandemic and begin trading, repaying our debts and hunting for growth we need to ensure that we bank the benefits from our suppliers accelerating their digital adoption.
To do that we need to understand our suppliers capabilities (how was their lockdown?), what the supply chain risks are and are we getting best value.
ERA can assist by reviewing quickly large swathes of your supply chain, identifying best-practice improvements, identifying supply chain risks and providing options and recommendations. These should de-risk your business, increase efficiency and reduce costs.
There has never been a better time to review where you are, progress you have made and ensure everything is ship shape to maximise profitability.
About the Author: Neil McCallum, at all stages of his career has focused on Procurement, Process and ensuring organisations are lean and efficient. With the majority of experience in the business to business area he manages the reduction of costs, implementing innovative processes to deliver customer satisfaction and assists organisations to grow.