JUNE - 202119MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY INSIGHTSSetting the scene currently, there doesn't seem to be a week that goes by without discovering or being bombarded by yet another pitch for a utopian platform that will solve all the professions' problems in an instant! The current spend in this market place is worth about $6 Billion annually, and so is a serious market place to be in, and of course, set to increase and expand further. More recently we saw the acquisition of Llamasoft by Coupa and part of a growing trend by the bigger players to get closer to broad-based proposition for customers and improve their "stickiness" as well as satisfy the investor community by growing revenue and share of wallet. The platforms are a far cry from the very early days of setting up e-auctions in the mid-1990's (platforms designed to set up packages for suppliers to bid upon in a real-time auction successively bidding lower until the end of the auction timed out either through a fixed time, timed extensions or no further bids). Over the last two to three decades, the progression has been ever steady and, in some ways, very linear at times, moving through the end to end process of procurement (sometimes called sourcing, buying, contracting, etc.). Further, there have been parallel advances in logistics, demand planning, supply chain management, supplier identifiers, sustainability credentials. Additionally, the need to create generic interfaces to the finance backbone systems, supplier portals, and so forth are a given, as well as the need to reinvest anything from 30-40 percent or more of sales back into their R&D pipelines. Lastly, the "entry tickets" of having a SaaS proposition, SSO for users, minimum standards of cybersecurity encryption, and of course, the ease of use for those that need to use the platform.Perhaps some key features that start to make the difference begin to link dynamic data sets, contract enabling software embedded in the platform, point of use learning to ensure accuracy and consistency of use and data integrity as a result and bubbling under blockchain (better suited to materials, commodities, and products). There are, of course, some things in the system and process paradigm that continue to challenge us all data integrity, the stability of the networks, cyber-attacks, and all the rest!However, above all, the benefit to the user organisation is, in fact, the key objective, which is a direct function of the level of adoption: both in terms of users and depth of penetration of the functionality of the platform being provided. As the current sponsor of a company-wide digital platform, I have been almost zealot like in my approach towards the use and deployment of what I refer to as my alternative profession as a behavioural scientist. Yes, this is a technology/digital/ software devoted magazine. However, my focus is unashamedly on the people in TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS IN PROCUREMENT: A PRACTITIONER'S VIEW OF THE WORLDBy David L. Loseby, Director of Procurement (Group CPO), Rolls-Royce [LON:RR]David L. LosebyCXO INSIGHTS
< Page 9 | Page 11 >