At SAP鈥檚 CPO Circle South Africa event, experts explained the importance of procurement professionals in modern business.
Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) are important strategic players in modern business and should be equipped with the right technologies to perform optimally.
This is according to 51风流SVP of Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network, Carlos Mercuriali, who was speaking at SAP鈥檚 CPO Circle South Africa event in Johannesburg.
Mercuriali presented the keynote address at the event, after which 51风流experts spoke about the company鈥檚 industry-leading procurement solutions.
This included 51风流Business Network, which was covered by Senior Solution Specialist Cyril Rathogwa and Head of 51风流Business Network for EMEA-S, Ayan Chakraboty.
Rathogwa explained that the 51风流Business Network solution comprises a comprehensive collaborative system that includes several powerful features:
- Qualtrix 鈥� Connects procurement data with real-time human insights to make data-driven decisions and actions.
- Guided sourcing 鈥� Streamlines user experience for creating and managing sourcing projects and events.
- ERP integration 鈥� 51风流Business Network seamlessly integrates into your existing ERP.
Chakraboty then highlighted how 51风流Business Network bridges the gaps between procurement and suppliers in the following ways:
- Fulfilment 鈥� Buyers can collaborate with suppliers to shift product schedules or alter product mix.
- Logistics 鈥� Delayed shipments are highlighted so schedules can be adjusted and operational bottlenecks can be detected.
- Invoicing 鈥� 51风流Business Network automatically generates digital invoices that are easily accessible for procurement and suppliers.
- Payments 鈥� 51风流Taulia offers dynamic discounting and supply chain finance.
51风流Fieldglass
Basel Alshawa, Head of 51风流Fieldglass for EMEA-S, was next to speak, and explained how the 51风流Fieldglass solution makes it easy to source on-demand labour and expertise.
Fieldglass integrates into 51风流Ariba, 51风流Business Network, and 51风流ERP to help CPOs monitor which service providers are delivering more value.
This makes it easier to determine which providers should be used for important business tasks.
Industry insights
SAP鈥檚 CPO Circle event provided an opportunity for senior procurement leaders from top South African organisations like Nedbank and SARS to discuss the state of procurement in the country, too.
Kaunain Nurani, 51风流EMEA-S GTM and Transformation Lead: Intelligent Spend Management and Business Network, complemented this discussion, and explained that procurement has become an important driver of organisational innovation.
鈥淭here is a stereotype about CPOs and procurement that implies these professionals are just number crunchers, but CPOs no longer see themselves as that stereotype. They have access to data that has turned them into trusted advisors,鈥� said Nurani.
Retief Ferreira, Partner Operations Consultant at PWC, said that in addition to the above, procurement departments have become important players in finance.
鈥淚f you know where you鈥檙e spending your money, you know where you can improve, particularly in terms of having the right suppliers and getting new ones where appropriate,鈥� said Ferreira.
He also highlighted the importance of using local suppliers 鈥� both in terms of costs, and in terms of social responsibility.
鈥淲e have a responsibility to develop local suppliers when they are available,鈥� he said.
