June 08
Regional news: | ACT | NSW | NZ | QLD | SA/NT | VIC/TAS | WA |
Contents
- CPO Agenda Masterclass starting July
- CIPSA's 2nd Annual Procurement Professional Awards
- The Winning Formula - CIPSA 4th Annual Conference preview
- CIPSA National Essay Competition - start writing now!
- May CIPS Exams a Big Success
- The Knowledge Club Issue 10 out soon
- End of Financial Year Training Opportunities
- APCC launch new capability guide at PSPF3 event
- CIPSA/Purchasing Index Special Interest Group
- Movers & Shakers
- Dates for Diary
- Local News
- Non-CIPS Events
- International Job Opportunities
- News from Abroad
CPO Agenda Masterclass Series starting July
9 Masterclasses - 4 Topics - 4 Master Presenters - 3 Locations
Do you subscribe to the latest thinking? More details coming soon.
CIPS Australia is set to run a series of CPO Agenda Masterclasses throughout the 2008 business season. Aimed at senior level procurement managers, these Masterclasses will address the most compelling and intractable issues facing senior procurement professionals in the daily management of their portfolios:
- Influencing stakeholders to buy-in
- Making SRP a reality
- Fixing the links in the supply chain
- Measuring procurement’s performance
CPO Agenda Masterclasses are run in workshop format with a maximum of 16 delegates in each Masterclass. Each Masterclass will be run by a top class facilitator with real expertise in their field who has been invited by CIPSA to facilitate the Masterclass. Delegates are generally invited to attend by CIPSA. Anyone requesting an invitation to attend the Masterclasses will first be considered by CIPSA to ensure an appropriate level of experience and seniority. We encourage you to pass this invitation on other senior members in your procurement team who are appropriate please.
These events also provide an excellent networking opportunity and usually include a semi-formal dinner immediately after the Masterclass to allow delegates to compare approaches and discuss ideas in an open format; often with a relevant guest speaker to prompt further debate. CPO Agenda Masterclasses are great value and designed to minimise time out of the office and provide a genuine return on investment in terms of both time and money.
This series has been generously sponsored by Portland Group, which has allowed 9 Masterclasses to be delivered on four topics, delivered by four world class facilitators.
To find out more, download the PDF brochure attached or visit the CPO Agenda Masterclass Series page here on www.cipsa.com.au
To book, email training@cipsa.com.au or call CIPS Australia on 1300 765 142 / +61 3 9629 6000.
(Each booking is a request for an invitation to attend from CIPSA. Invitations will only be issued at CIPSA's discretion.)
CPO Agenda Editor's News Exclusive
Chrysler’s CPO promises to rebuild its supplier relations
Chrysler’s new procurement chief has lambasted the way the company treated its suppliers in recent years and made rebuilding relationships his top priority.
John Campi (pictured), who joined the privately owned US auto maker in January, told CPO Agenda that a combination of “kneejerk” demands for price cuts, poor internal processes and broken promises had destroyed its reputation among key suppliers.
“It seems to me that the first thing Chrysler needs to do is regain trust and engagement with the supply base,” he said.
“Any company that abuses a supplier is destined for failure, because it’s only with those key suppliers that you’re really able to make progress.”
Campi said he wanted Chrysler to emulate the practices of its Japanese rivals, rather than Ford or General Motors: “I'm looking forward to having supplier relations that are on the lines of Toyota.”
Read the rest of this article ...
See what two top US bloggers had to say about this story:
Tim Minahan, Supply Excellence
Jason Busch, Spend Matters
* The full interview with John Campi will appear in our summer issue, published in mid-June.
Supply base consolidation: how far is too far?
CPO Agenda, 12 March 2008
Reducing the number of suppliers you deal with has some distinct advantages, but how do you know when to stop? That’s the question we put to a panel of procurement leaders in London recently....
CIPSA’s 2nd Annual Procurement Professional Awards ...
You’ve got to be in it to win it!
The CIPS Australia Procurement Professional Awards recognises the best people the profession has to offer and the best procurement practices in place by innovative organisations.
This recognition is not only beneficial to the confidence and career progression of individuals working in the profession, but also for their organisations and stakeholders as it highlights the direct and wide ranging benefits of the procurement contribution.
The judging criteria for the 2nd Annual CIPS Australia Procurement Professional Awards will recognise the broad range of skill areas in which procurement professionals excel - including project management, negotiation, supplier management, cost reduction, process improvement, individual initiative and teamwork.
Award categories for 2008 include:
• Best Contribution to Corporate Responsibility
• Best Supplier Partnership
• Best Cross-Functional Teamwork Project
• Most Improved Procurement Operation
• Best People Development Initiative
• Best Process Improvement Initiative
• The CIPS Leadership Award
• Young Procurement Professional of the Year
Sample winning entries from 2007
BAE Systems - Submission Best People Development Initiative 2007
Department of Treasury & Finance WA - Submission for Best Process Improvement Initiative
IAG & Blue Star Print Group - Submission for Best Supplier Partnership
Click here for tips on entering
The full printed version of the Awards application is due out later this month and the final deadline for all entries is 15 August 2008. So get started working on your entry NOW as there will be no extensions this year!
For more information and details of how to register visit the PP Awards page here.
The Winning Formula
CIPSA 4th Annual CIPSA Conference – 14-15 October 2008, Melbourne
Plans are well developed for the 4th annual CIPS Australia conference to be held at Crown Towers, Melbourne on 14-15 October 2008.
The theme for this year’s annual event is ‘The Winning Formula’. The conference will focus on exactly how procurement can gain true stakeholder buy-in to the profession’s wider contributions through genuine goal alignment in an ever changing and ever more challenging complex world? And not just through saving real costs.
Last year’s annual CIPS Australia conference addressed the question ‘It’s not just about cost’ – which begged the question: ‘What is it about then?’ Each keynote speaker addressed a different aspect of the benefi ts professional procurement can increasingly bring organisations.
This year, each keynote speaker will address their definition of ‘The Winning Formula’ for procurement to succeed in addressing the much tougher perennial question facing procurement managers today; exactly how to win genuine stakeholder buy-in, and keep it, in a changing world that is becoming more difficult to manage by the day.
The 4th CIPS Australia annual conference will be the biggest and best yet offering an unparalleled learning and networking opportunity for all levels of the profession. It will include:
- Nine international quality key note speakers, including IBM global CPO, John Paterson.
- 24 seminar presentations including four short CPO Agenda Masterclass seminars.
- Four additional sessions after the main conference.
- Professional development surgery for individuals.
- Procurement Professional awards dinner, featuring new CIPS CEO, Simon Sperryn.
- ‘The Purchasing Exchange’ trade exhibition with 50 exhibitors expected.
- Learning and networking with more than 500 procurement colleagues.
- The CIPS professional development surgery is for individuals to discuss their own circumstances privately with 15 minute appointments available to meet a member of the CIPS team.
- Tuesday evening of 14 October will feature the Procurement Professional annual awards dinner, with 10 awards to be presented including the prestigious ‘CIPS Leadership Award’ to be presented by the new CIPS CEO, Simon Sperryn.
- And ‘The Purchasing Exchange’ trade expo of support services to the profession will have even more than the 43 organisations that exhibited last year.
CIPS Australia’s managing director, Jonathan Dutton said, “Last year 560 people attended our annual conference, but this year we are hoping for even more. We would like to make it the largest professional procurement event in the world.”
This event will seek to define ‘The Winning Formula’ for success for the modern procurement manager often battling the reluctance of their organisation, the skepticism of colleagues and the ‘slings ‘n’ arrows’ of a changing world business environment. It will also redefine the greatest formula of them all: E=MC² but just for the procurement profession. The final programme will be published in July.
For more information visit www.cipsaconferences.com.au
CIPSA National Essay Competition – start writing now!
Would you like the opportunity to win $2000 plus an all-expenses paid trip to the 4th Annual CIPS Australia National Procurement Conference in Melbourne, October 2008? Submit your entry into the CIPS National Essay Competition to be in with a chance!
By submitting an essay of 1500-2500 words on one of three questions by the 29th August, 2008 you could become a regional winner of the competition and win $1000.
Questions:
- How does the procurement profession avoid “green wash” and ensure truly sustainable sourcing solutions are presented to stakeholders?
- Are a socially responsible procurement policy and a low-cost country sourcing strategy mutually exclusive?
- As the generic cost of production falls, and the generic cost of freight rises, how will carbon trading affect supply chains?
The winner from each region will automatically be entered into the national competition with the chance to win a further $1000, and the aforementioned trip to the 4th Annual CIPS Australia Conference on 14 October.
The competition this year, has been generously sponsored by Curtin University.
May CIPS Exams a Big Success
CIPS qualifications are assessed, with members required to sit for examinations in order to complete each level. Examinations are available to student members around the world during the third week of May and November each year.
The May 2008 examination period saw 40 candidates across Australia and New Zealand sit for CIPS exams across the regions at CIPSA's approved exam centres.
CIPS APPROVED EXAMINATION CENTRES
Members interested in sitting for CIPS exams must submit entry forms to CIPS Australia & New Zealand by March or September respectively. These “external exams” as they are referred to, require applicants to be registered as student members. Exam enrolment forms may be submitted for either date for as many, or as few, subjects as desired. The only restriction is the exam timetable itself, which cannot be varied. Exam fees must be paid with the enrolment form.
All details of the examination procedures can be found here.
If there is not a centre within reasonable traveling distance, alternative arrangements can be made. Please contact the CIPS Australia office on +61 3 9629 6000 for exam details and venue fees.
There are several ways to study the CIPS qualifications:
i) Self study
ii) Distance education
iii) CIPS approved study centres/providers
The next exam series will take place in November, and registrations are in September 2008. Start enquiring NOW about how to become a skilled procurement professional!
For further information and advice on study options, please contact the CIPS Australia office on +61 3 9629 6000.
The Knowledge Club Issue 10 out soon
The next issue of The Knowledge Club will be released in the coming weeks. The 2nd Knowledge Club Compendium (2007 articles) was issued with the June Professional Procurement magazine, arriving on your doorstep any day.
End of Financial Year Training Opportunities
Plan next year’s training with CIPSA end of financial year specials.
- Open Training courses - Orders taken before 20th June receive 5% discount & generous bulk discounts (for June and July courses only). Email training@cipsa.com.au now.
- Skills Gap Analysis - Assess your team against the global benchmark, from $500 per person – results will prioritise training needs.
- In-house Assisted Study Programmes – supporting your team through the accredited CIPS qualification ladder –including revision workshops, online support - all the tools needed to be successful.
- In Company Training – engage your team with up-to date procurement practice and methods.
As well as investing in the team – focus on improving procurement policy, procedures and practices with CIPS Organisational Certification.... Benchmarking organisational policy against the CIPS global standard – gaining international acknowledgement of policy strengths and identifying and addressing policy weaknesses.
Email edward.rayner@cipsa.com.au or call 1300 765 142 or +61 3 9629 6000 for more information, on any of the above products.
The Open Training programme offers a wide range of non-assessed training courses designed to enhance procurement skills and disseminate relevant professional knowledge quickly and easily. To view a list of courses available visit http://www.cips.org/membership/australia/opentraining/
See the full 2008 Open Training Calendar here.
Download the full PDF brochure here (1.8 MB)
Download an electronic booking form here. (Word).
See Terms & Conditions here
To view Events happening in your state visit the EVENTS page or click the link directly below.
ACT | NSW | NZ | QLD | SA | VIC | WA |
APCC launch new capability guide at Public Sector Conference
The 3rd Public Sector Procurement Forum (PSPF3) proved another successful CIPSA conference event at the National Convention Centre in Canberra on 21-22 May 2008. Although developed and run by CIPSA, this event is endorsed and supported by both the Australian Procurement and Construction Council [APCC] and the federal Department of Finance & Deregulation [DoFD] – Minister Lindsay Tanner’s department.
More than 200 people attended the event, with 94% delegates rating the event as Excellent or Good. Highlights included excellent case study presentations from three governments (WA, QLD and NZ) as well as an introduction to new federal procurement initiatives from John Grant, first assistant secretary at DoFD. A fascinating comparison of the private sector approach to strategic procurement from Craig Lardner, CPO at George Weston Foods also impressed delegates. Although after-dinner speaker Bob Carr stole the show, proving his mastery of public speaking at the event dinner on the evening of 21st May.
This was the first PSPF event that included seminar streams in addition to the 11 key note speakers presented. 13 seminars covered learning topics relevant to public sector procurement practitioners day-to-day challenges with the aim of helping people do a better job as soon as they get back to the office.
The APCC officially launched their new ‘Building Government Procurement Capabilities’ guide. Introduced by Chair of the APCC Skills Committee, John Tondut, Exec Director, OGP, WA DTF, this Guide is an aspirational document and has been produced to provide direction on the development of public sector capabilities and professionalism as well as to set target benchmarks for Australian and New Zealand public sector procurement workforces. It succeeds the earlier version first published in November 2006 and includes in a supplement a useable and comprehensive capability matrix for public sector procurement professionals, which was developed with significant input from CIPS, and benchmarks well against global best practice standards. A PDF version of the Guide and Supplement are available for free download at www.apcc.gov.au
Plans are already being developed for next year’s event, which will be even larger and is likely to move to a new time slot in the calendar. Ideas for inclusion in the event are welcomed by CIPSA producer, Nigel Wardropper at nigelw@bttbonline.com . Further details of the PSPF4 event will be available on www.cipsaconferences.com.au as part of the 2009 programme in due course.
CIPSA/Purchasing Index Specialist Interest Group
CIPSA has joined forces with Purchasing Index to offer members the opportunity to be involved in a 12 month specialist interest group for the industrial consumables category.
This is the first unofficial special interest group offered by CIPSA, and should appeal to those who are interested in benchmarking the cost of industrial consumables as a category.
For more information contact PI on 03 90061790 or pi@pibenchmark.com.au or read more here.
Also attached is the Australian National Higher Education Procurement Benchmarking Programme - National Market Aggregated Report.
CIPSA in BRW again
In the 5 June BRW, Tony Blackie highlights the high costs of tendering for Government and PPP contracts due to the bureaucratic process. CIPSA Managing Director Jonathan Dutton calls for a clean-up of the rules. CIPSA's recent meetings with the New Zealand Auditor General may result in some changes to the tendering process. Get your copy while still available.
BRW subscription offer reminder - Last chance
Reminder: The BRW special offer for Australian CIPSA Members expires Monday, 30 June. To take advantage of the 12 months (50 issues) subscription to BRW for only $199, simply contact the BRW team on 1800 032 577 and quote BRW08CAR02CIPS.
Offer only valid in Australia. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing. Existing BRW subscription will be extended. Full subscription price includes GST. BRW is a division of Fairfax Media Publications PTY Limited. ACN. 003 357 720. ABN.33 003 357 720
Women In Procurement Forum, 19-20 June - LAST CHANCE TO BOOK!
There’s still time to book for the “Women in Procurement” forum, which will provide a unique educational and networking opportunity for those interested in the advancement of women within the procurement profession. The programme will examine the challenges women face as they try to make their way in the fastest growing profession and what lessons can be learned from those who have achieved success. The event will explore what strengths women bring to the profession and identify possible areas of weakness – be they imagined or real.
The focus of this event is about networking as much as learning, and for the first time, this event is a “residential-style” conference, with accommodation, lunch, dinner and breakfast costs all included in the conference registration fee.* The format is slightly unusual, with the event commencing midmorning on 19th June and concluding after breakfast the following morning.
Download the full brochure here.
There are 5 ways you may register
1) Complete form & fax to: 07 5573 5352
2) Online: www.cipsaconferences.com.au
3) By email to cipsa@bttbonline.com
4) By telephone on 07 5573 7493
5) Complete form and mail to: BTTB Marketing Pty Ltd, PO Box 825, Paradise Point, Qld 4216
Finalising CIPS’ 2008 Conference Programme
CIPSA still has a further six conferences scheduled throughout the course of the year. Detailed plans are currently being finalised for the following CIPSA conferences:
- The CIPS NZ Strategic Procurement Forum: 12 June 2008, Auckland
- Women In Procurement, 19/20 June 2008, Melbourne
- The Queensland Supply Chain Conference, Brisbane: 31 July – 1 August
- The CIPS Australia Strategic Procurement Forum – Adelaide: 19 August
- The CIPS Australia Strategic Procurement Forum – Perth: 21 August
- 4th Annual CIPS Australia Annual Conference: 14/15 October, Melbourne
For further details regarding any of the conferences above, visit www.cipsaconferences.com.au or call Nigel Wardropper, CIPSA event director on 07 5549 1092.
Please note the QLD Supply Chain Conference is full endorsed and supported by CIPSA, but is not a CIPSA-run event. Please visit www.qldscc.com for more information.
- Alice Sidhu has been appointed to the position of Director, Strategic Sourcing at the Department of Treasury and Finance.
- Bill Thompson has taken a job as Head of Operations and Manufacturing at CR Bard in North Ryde.
- Tage Tveit (MCIPS) is leaving his role as Procurement Officer at Parmalat Australia to join the Bank of Queensland.
- Len Blackmore at Bluescope Steel has received an internal promotion and is now leading the procurement function.
Upcoming key CIPSA dates for your diary around Australia & New Zealand:
- 11 June PERTH - Sole Supplier Negotiating Networking Lunch - BOOKED OUT!
- 11 June WELLINGTON – CIPS Assisted Study Programme information session
- 12 June AUCKLAND – The CIPS NZ Strategic Procurement Forum
- 19-20 June MELBOURNE - Women in Procurement Conference
- 2 July BRISBANE – Minimising Global Procurement Costs/ Maximising Local procurement Opportunities breakfast function
- 3 July MELBOURNE – Capgemini networking event
- 19 August ADELAIDE – The CIPS Australia Strategic Procurement Forum
- 21 August WELLINGTON – The Benefits of Modern Procurement presentation
- 21 August PERTH - The CIPS Australia Strategic Procurement Forum
24 Blocked Freight Arteries that are Killing the Industry
The top 24 supply chain blockages – and how to fix them - have been identified by the freight industry, Ivan Backman chairman of the Australian Logistics Council said.
The Fragility of Perfection – when supply chains go wrong
Buttonwood
Source: The Economist, 3 May 2008
Only connect. The words of the novelist E M Forster sum up globalisation. An international company may buy its software from California, send its data to India, purchase its electronic equipment from China and staff its canteen with workers from Eastern Europe.
Read more here
Australia accesses US defence satellites
Source: Sydney Morning Herald, 3 June 2008
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) now has access to advanced US communications satellites. The ADF had achieved operational capability following a successful test of the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) communications system, parliamentary secretary for defence procurement Greg Combet announced.
GS1 Standards in Customs: Helping to Make Customs Operations Safer and More Efficient
The 171 Members of the World Customs Organisation (WCO) are responsible for processing about 99% of global trade as it travels across borders. The WCO and national Customs administrations have put a high priority on enhancing security of global supply chains and facilitating global trade.
GS1 Standards can contribute to Customs’ role to secure the trade supply chain, protect society, facilitate international trade, and increase the efficiency and predictability of Customs procedures at national borders.
Interactive Website For Port of Melbourne’s Supply Chain
Source: T&L News, 3/6/08
A new online platform has become available for supply chain businesses working with the Port of Melbourne.
Supply Chain Blockages Project – update
May 2008
Source: Australian Logistics Council Newsletter
In January 2006 the ALC announced its commitment to an Infrastructure Action Agenda. Four key infrastructure-related challenges were identified through a project as being critical… The ALC is continuing its commitment to act in these areas and has commissioned Meyrick and Associates to identify a set of programs that will address nationally significant supply chain blockages related to the four infrastructure agenda action.
Reporting and Measuring on the National Transport and Logistics Freight Industry 2008-2015 Strategy
Source: austlogistics.com.au
An online reporting tool will be released in May 2008 that will enable industry to report on work being conducted that supports implementing of the National Strategy for the Transport and Logistics Freight Industry 2008-2015.
A Winning Supply Chain
Sisters of Mercy Health System honored for innovative improvements to supply chain
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 29 April 2008
The Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy) and its supply chain operating division, Resource Optimisation & Innovation (ROI), have been recognised as a national leader for improvement in supply chain performance.
Coles COO to head up supply chain
Source: T&L News, 6/5/08
Mick McMahon, currently chief operating officer of Coles, will take up an old/new senior position after Ian McLeod starts later this month as managing director of the Coles division of Wesfarmers.
Defence buying in the spotlight
Source: T&L News, 13/5/08
The Hon. Greg Combet MP, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, has announced that a review of Defence procurement and sustainment will be conducted by David Mortimer, AO.
Private sector projects set to top $92b
By Carolyn Cummins
Source: The Sydney Morning Herald, 24/5/08
A RECORD high of about $92.3 billion is forecast for the total value of construction by the private sector next year, according to the Australian Industry Group (AI Group), and Australian Constructors Association (ACA) Construction Outlook survey.
Emal smelter gets $2.8b investment
By Shakir Husain
Source: Gulfnews.com, May 22, 2008, 00:08
Dubai: An investment of $2.8 billion has been committed towards developing the Emirates Aluminium (Emal) smelter in the Taweelah area of Abu Dhabi, a senior official involved in the project said… A joint venture of Canada's SNC-Lavalin and Australia's Worley Parsons is handling the engineering, procurement, construction and management contract. The deal is valued about $300 million.
Building Government Procurement Capabilities
By APCC director, Teresa Scott
Source: Government News, 29/5/08
The governments of Australia and the New Zealand Government are implementing collaborative strategies to build a larger and more capable pool of professional procurement talent.
Fonterra creator to knit wool makeover
By Owen Hembry
Source:nzherald.co.nz, 16/5/08
Craig Norgate, the man behind the dairy mega-merger that created Fonterra, has turned his sights on the the country's struggling wool industry. Rural services company PGG Wrightson plans to combine most of its wool business with grower co-operative Wool Grower Holdings.
2008 Supply Chain & Logistics Conference, Brisbane, 31 July - 1 August
With a theme of “Moving Forward: Supply Chains of the Future”, the 2008 Supply Chain & Logistics Conference is expected to be the biggest Supply Chain and Logistics event ever held in Queensland.
The conference will run from the 31st July to the 1st of August 2008 at the Sofitel Hotel, Brisbane and will attract delegates from all over Australia as well as internationally. A large proportion of the delegates will be key decision-makers, capable of influencing debate and decision. Delegates will include chief executive officers, senior executives and management who are involved at all levels of procurement, manufacturing and materials management, and the people responsible for contracting, outsourcing, warehousing and logistics and other supply chain activities in the private enterprise, government (state, local) or public sector business enterprises.
The Supply Chain & Logistics Conference is organised by leading industry associations including the Supply Chain & Logistics Association of Australia, (SCLAA) the Australian Institute of Packaging (AIP), QUT School of International Business, CIPS Australia, the Australasian Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS) and the South East Queensland Procurement Network group. The Australian Logistics Council (ALC) supports the event.
To register for this conference visit www.qld.scc.com today.
To download the 2008 conference programme click here.
International Qualifications = International Jobs
Are you keeping up with the world of MCIPS?
Title: Procurement Director
Salary: £50,000 + benefits + relocation package
Organisation: Atlantic Inertial Systems
Location: Plymouth, UK
Read more here.
Title: Purchasing Manager
Salary: 40-45,000+ package
Location: North East & Tyneside, UK
See more jobs on www.supplymanagement.com
CIPSA Members - don't forget your CIPSA website login gets you access to all Supply Management articles online. Take advantage of this member benefit!
Email marketing@cipsa.com.au if you have forgotten your password.
Chrysler’s CPO promises to rebuild its supplier relations
Geraint John, 6 May 2008
Source: CPO Agenda
Chrysler’s new procurement chief has lambasted the way the company treated its suppliers in recent years and made rebuilding relationships his top priority. John Campi, who joined the privately owned US auto maker in January, told CPO Agenda that a combination of “kneejerk” demands for price cuts, poor internal processes and broken promises had destroyed its reputation among key suppliers.
Ensuring the Supply Chain Can Support the Customer Base
Seeing growth ahead, packaging supplier Bell Inc. adds to its family of presses to ensure customer service
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 25 April 2008
Sometimes the best way to serve your customers is to stop accepting new customers until your supply chain can support additional capacity.
Case in point: Packaging provider Bell Incorporated.
Achieving Total Visibility, Mitigating Risks through a Global Supply Chain Network
Managing a successful global supply chain can deliver unprecedented results and propel companies to become industry leaders
By: David Johnston
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Without question, companies today conduct business in a global environment…Yet too frequently, they operate as a series of independent, geographically dispersed divisions, often as a result of expanding their global presence and their product portfolios through acquisitions and mergers. Consequently, even as their supply chains grow in complexity, their demand management, distribution planning and production planning processes remain fragmented, with little if any integration.
Driving Compliance and Ethics into Global Supply Chains
Supplier Certify service from Integrity Interactive aims to deliver code of ethics to suppliers across the supply base, collect certifications and report results
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 9/5/08
Integrity Interactive Corporation has released what it is calling the first and only Web-based service that lets a company drive its code of ethics into its global supply chain, offering a solution to help companies mitigate risk to their financial health and reputation and to their customers
M&A Lessons Learned
Supply chain management is the key to realiSing merger and acquisition synergy savings.
By: Andy Sealock & Marc Tanowitz
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive, 1 June 2008
Oftentimes the motivations for a merger and/or acquisition are the savings and cost synergies that can be generated from the increased scale and overlapping operations of the combined companies. These synergies generally come from two areas: internal headcount and external vendor spend. Due to the supply chain management (SCM) organisation's focus on optimising vendor relationships and internal spend patterns to reduce costs and increase productivity, SCM is well-positioned to lead the external vendor spend effort with a structured synergy capture program to maximize savings.
Competitive Insight for the Retail Supply Chain
JDA Software offers five best practices for using demand data to drive supply chain decisions, optimise business performance
Source: Supply & Demand Chain Executive
For manufacturers and distributors serving the retail market today, a consumer-driven, adaptable supply chain is just as important to gaining competitive advantage as making quality products.
Oil production to fall short of demand by 2030: IEA
Source: T&L News, 27 May 2008
Amidst soaring oil prices, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has predicted future crude-oil supplies could be far tighter than previously expected, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
Procurement and Sourcing News:
Chinese Steel Makers in Spat with Iron Ore Giant Rio Tinto
Is the Company Limiting Contract Ore to Sell More on Spot Market?; Potential Boycott in Works, but Ore Producers for Now Hold the Cards
Source: Supply Chain Digest, 19 May 2008
Skyrocketing costs for iron ore are causing tensions worldwide, most recently in a threat by an association of China’s steel makers to boycott purchases from Australian ore giant Rio Tinto over alleged market manipulation.
