ANDREAS NYMAN
Global Head of Aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel, on the company’s agile approach to supply chain strategy.
FROM THE EDITOR
Welcome to the February bumper edition of CHAIN Magazine!
e have a stellar line-up for you this month and are thrilled to share four exclusive interviews in this year's first edition, starting 2025 with a bang.
For our cover interview this month, I have the pleasure of chatting with Andreas Nyman, Global Head of Aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel about the leading logistic provider’s agile approach to supply chain strategy in a dynamic and ever-evolving sector (p6).
Next up, I welcome senior executives from SAP in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to dive into the transformative potential of procurement innovation, data, AI and wielding best-ofbreed ecosystems at SAP Ariba. I sit down with three key members of the team supporting these transformational endeavours: Thomas Kaspersen, Chief Revenue Officer, Intelligent Spend & Business Network (EMEA); Vicky Revis, Head of ISBN CoE and Go to Market (EMEA); and Mo Ahmad, Head of Procurement and Ecosystem GTM & Strategy (EMEA) (p18).
James Ball, Associate Director at Infosys Portland, joins me to explore the company’s cutting-edge approach to optimising procurement and how Infosys Portland relishes opportunities to solve its clients’ most complex challenges (p74).
I speak to Richard Brown, Head of Sales & Marketing at disruptive SaaS provider Anvil Analytical, about tackling the complex and recurring issues within strategic sourcing and supplier management (p80).
For our features this month, we are thrilled to spotlight Krispy Kreme, celebrating how the multinational doughnut and coffeehouse is championing sustainability within its global sourcing and supply chain strategies (p42).
We also cover new ultra-thin Smart Labels from Giesecke+Devrient (p52), the initiative striving for a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain (p64), how public sector procurement could forge a greener future (p86), a strategic partnership to launch a digital supply chain financing platform (p100), strategies for managing subsidence risk in logistics centres (p110) and accelerating AI innovation in active supply chain risk management (p120).
Last, but by no means least, we are thrilled to welcome Gabriele Bartolucci, Head of Procurement at SEKO Industries Srl., as the guest in our recurring spotlight feature In the company of… (p132).
We hope you enjoy our latest edition. As always, if you would like to be considered as an interviewee or if you have a story for us, please do get in touch.
Contact us at editorial@ithink.media or connect with me on LinkedIn.
6
Andreas Nyman explains Kuehne+Nagel’s agile approach to supply chain operations
18 Senior executives from SAP Ariba discuss the transformative potential of procurement innovation
42 Learn how Krispy Kreme has built sustainability into its supply chain and sourcing strategies
52 Discover G+D’s new Smart Label, designed to redefine accuracy in location tracking
64 GenScript Biotech partners with PSCI to advance a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain
74 James Ball explores Infosys Portland’s cutting-edge approach to optimising procurement
80 Richard Brown on solving complex sourcing and supplier challenges at Anvil Analytical
86 The World Economic Forum highlights four hurdles slowing green public procurement
100 How NEC Thailand and ARIA Group’s partnership is creating efficient supply chain finance programmes 110 Effective strategies for managing subsidence in logistics centres
120 Overhaul secures new funding to establish itself as the ultimate integrated solution
132 In the company of… Gabriele Bartolucci
SAP Ariba
Andreas Nyman
Richard Brown
Gabriele Bartolucci
James Ball
BUILDING A NIMBLE AND DYNAMIC SUPPLY CHAIN KUEHNE+NAGEL
Andreas Nyman, Global Head of Aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel, on the company’s agile approach to supply chain strategy.
AND CHAIN WITH
WITH OVER 80,000 EMPLOYEES AT CLOSE TO 100 COUNTRIES, THE
ONE OF THE WORLD’S LEADING
eadquartered in Switzerland, Kuehne+Nagel is listed in the Swiss blue-chip stock market index, the SMI. The Group is the global number one in air and sea logistics and has strong market positions in road and contract logistics.
Kuehne+Nagel is the logistics partner of choice for 400,000 customers worldwide. Using its global network, logistics expertise and data-based insights, the Group provides end-to-end supply chain solutions for global companies and industries. As a member of the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Kuehne+Nagel is committed to sustainable logistics by reducing its own environmental footprint and by supporting its customers with low-carbon logistics solutions.
Joining us from Kuehne+Nagel is Andreas Nyman, Global Head of Aerospace, to discuss how to approach logistics operations in a dynamic and ever-changing
sector. To begin, Andreas explores his 17 year career journey with Kuehne+Nagel.
“I started working at Kuehne+Nagel 17 years ago, as an operator in the warehouse,” says Andreas. “I was involved in a variety of areas within the business, but my focus from the beginning was on aerospace and defence. Even now I love it, because you get to learn something new every single day – you’re always one call away from having to change your entire agenda. In my current role, I’m responsible for aerospace – primarily focusing on product and business development and the overall strategy.”
Andreas has seen the aerospace sector go through rapid transformations across his career, and commends Kuehne+Nagel’s nimble approach to its supply chain – allowing the company to mobilise as needed.
“The industry is changing every single day,” says Andreas. “We don’t
1,300 SITES IN KUEHNE+NAGEL GROUP IS LOGISTICS PROVIDERS.
have a crystal ball, but we always have at least a five-year strategy with a constantly moving roadmap. Anything can happen at any given time, so we need to be prepared for anything. So while the long-term objective is there, we’re having frequent alignment to adapt to the evolving market, and sometimes daily to best handle any situation.
“Despite being a big company, we’re actually very agile. We have divisions within that are empowered to make a decision quickly when necessary –there’s freedom to manoeuvre, which is so important in an industry like this.
“Having go-to partners has really helped with this as well. We’re always reviewing what arsenal of tools we’ll need to cope with the next situation, and our network of partners is incredible at working on this with us.”
Included in this arsenal of tools is a range of solutions designed to combat any potential disruption or crisis.
“We have pre-established solutions that we can apply to any given situation,” says Andreas. “ With any of these solutions, we then go to the customer and tweak it to their specifications. From there, we have an individual
discussion with our teams to leverage the best outcome with the set given requirements.
“From an air freight perspective, we check predictions over the next few months in terms of challenges and capacity changes. With that in mind, we have to adapt and innovate to cope with these changes and the end customers’ needs.
“We also have to take challenges regarding freighter capacity into account, which is when close communication with our customers
really comes into play. If we engage with our customers and innovate in relation to that, we can provide solutions that offer a sense of predictability.”
Kuehne+Nagel has developed several strategies to manage freighter capacity, including the development of its programme partnering with preferred carriers.
“Many airlines hedge fuel to mitigate costs,” says Andreas. “We do the same, but with capacity. So we go to the airlines we work closely with and hedge capacity for months ahead to predict what we will need in the months to come.
“We have a preferred carrier programme with dedicated people who have relationships with multiple carriers. They brainstorm every single day to mitigate challenges, it’s a very active dialogue.
“Then we go to our customers, and ask them about their production cycles, to see how that will impact our supply and capacity. We need to go through our entire supply chain, which sounds like a simple journey from A to B. In reality, there’s a lot of people involved, and we all need to be aligned.”
By having this resilience across the supply chain, Kuehne+Nagel is able to offer its customers a balanced approach to any potential disruptions.
“When there are challenges in the supply chain, we provide our customers with a range of options,” says Andreas. “For instance, people tend to use sea freight as it’s significantly more affordable – but it’s also slower, and more prone to disruption. This was a particular problem earlier last year due to the Red Sea situation, which meant a lot of carriers moved their capacity to an already restrained air freight market.
“We went directly to our customers, explained the impact this would have on their supply, and gave them the information necessary to decide whether air or sea freight was the right choice for them personally.”
However, the company is also striving to make the supply chain significantly more resilient – and secure. Alongside transportation logistics company Sovereign Speed, Kuehne+Nagel has developed a new way to transport specialised commodities.
“In March 2020, we created a dedicated aerospace road distribution network,” says Andreas. “We were very fortunate with the timing, because when distributions from the COVID-19 pandemic started we were able to continue operating at a strong level.
“WHEN THERE ARE CHALLENGES IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN, WE PROVIDE OUR CUSTOMERS WITH A RANGE OF OPTIONS”
Andreas Nyman, Global Head of Aerospace
“This road distribution network is unique – it’s not just about going from A to B. Sovereign Speed, together with us, only works with specialised commodities. This means high-value parts and very urgent shipments.
“This network is designed specifically for our industry. Airlines typically do most of their maintenance during night shifts, so that they’re prepared to fly passengers the next morning. Therefore, we make sure that these parts are delivered the same day, prior to the maintenance cycle starting.
“The partnership we’ve built with Sovereign Speed means that this runs smoothly, and everything really works perfectly. We use them as one of our preferred carriers in Europe, and we aim to expand our work with them further.”
Andreas credits the company for its culture of innovation – a culture that has allowed the supply chain network to become more efficient and sustainable.
“We have the advantage of being able to utilise the entire scope of the company,” says Andreas. “Within the company, we have our own foundation where we review the next major innovations and trends to see how we can generate value for our customers.
“An example of this is our sustainable initiatives, In partnership with Atlas Air and SR Technics Group, we created
“THE PARTNERSHIP WE’VE BUILT WITH SOVEREIGN SPEED MEANS THAT THIS RUNS SMOOTHLY, AND EVERYTHING REALLY WORKS PERFECTLY”
Andreas Nyman, Global Head of Aerospace
the Sustainable Engine Alliance, to reduce our environmental impact with sustainable engine supply chains.
“To reduce the environmental impact, we took a deep dive into our, and our
customers’, supply chains to make sure they were operating at peak efficiency, and conducting these processes in a way that was as environmentally friendly as possible. This sends us back to the planning stage again and again to challenge the way we’re doing business, and the way we work alongside our partners. Since implementing these changes we’ve seen a visible reduction of emissions, and we’re always looking for more ways to implement new changes to increase this number. This is only possible through trusted partnership – working to become better, together.”
To sum up, Andreas highlights the importance of having an embedded supply chain.
“The supply chain has always been a challenge,” concludes Andreas. “To overcome these challenges, we need to make sure that the supply chain is an integrated part of a company’s strategy. Quite often, logistics come into play at the very end of a decision, but if that’s embedded at the start of the process then it’s easier to navigate problems. If your partners are aligned, everything is a lot more straightforward.”
Learn more about Kuehne+Nagel here.
Grit
“We always talk about passion, but for me, everything comes down to having a tenacious sense of grit,” says Andreas. “Whatever you do in life, do it as well as you can – and that’s what I try to do. I read a book called Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth, which really resonated with me. One thing I took away from this book was the importance of making the most of every dull task or routine, because it all comes down to changing your attitude.”
Giving yourself space
“I started playing golf a couple of years ago,” says Andreas. “I’m terrible at it, but a mentor of mine once told me that sometimes, to be efficient, you need to work less because you need a bit of distance and self-reflection. When I’m golfing it’s the only thing I’m focusing on, and once I’m done my head is clear and it’s easier for me to make decisions.
“One of the things I love most about this industry is that I’ve had so many mentors and coaches who have given advice like this and helped me learn and grow. I hope everyone has been as lucky as I am, to be surrounded by such incredible people.”
Connect with Andreas
Empowerment overall: Promoting procurement transformation with SAP
ISBN
We welcome senior executives from SAP in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region to dive into the transformative potential of procurement innovation, data, AI and wielding best-of-breed ecosystems at SAP Ariba.
For companies around the world, the procurement and supply chain functions of their business thrum at the core of their operations.
hey are the engines driving growth, profitability and progress towards strategic initiatives such as transformation projects, ESG and much more besides.
With 107,000 employees and 156 countries around the world, SAP’s goal is to be the global leader in enterprise application software, helping companies great and small in all industries to thrive and succeed by redefining their ERP.
Today, we are diving into how SAP is empowering its customers and partners to transform supply chain and procurement capabilities worldwide.
Joining us today are key members of the SAP team supporting this effort: Thomas Kaspersen, Chief Revenue Officer, Intelligent Spend & Business Network (EMEA); Vicky Revis, Head of ISBN CoE and Go to Market (EMEA); and Mo Ahmad, Head of Procurement and Ecosystem GTM & Strategy (EMEA).
We’ll be diving into the key trends for procurement and supply chain
professionals striving to succeed in a dynamic, ever-evolving landscape. We then turn our attention to the opportunities and obstacles they encounter as they embark upon transformation journeys. As we develop our discussion, we explore some of the specific innovations and technologies SAP offers to empower its customers and partners in light of these contextual factors.
Launching our conversation, Thomas Kaspersen paints a picture of the current state of play for procurement professionals today – and emphasises the importance of procurement transformation as an essential priority for the C-suite agenda.
“The procurement function, by default, has changed tremendously in the past twenty years,” begins Thomas. “Back in 2004, we were more concerned about making sure that invoices had the corresponding PO and moving beyond Excel spreadsheets. But if you look at the state of play today, procurement is so much more.
From left to right: Mo Ahmad, Head of Procurement and Ecosystem GTM & Strategy (EMEA), Vicky Revis, Head of ISBN CoE and Go to Market (EMEA) and Thomas Kaspersen, Chief Revenue Officer, Intelligent Spend & Business Network (EMEA)
“I think the Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) function has evolved into a custodian of the brand. If something happens around the business, it is probably correlated back to supplier risk and sourcing activities. So if you look at the CPO community and their function, they have evolved at an unprecedented rate. It’s about looking at the bottom line, the supply landscape, the risks facing the business and how to evolve the company or form a competitive advantage.
“Ultimately, procurement is not a back-office job anymore. In fact, to be quite honest, I think it's probably the heart and core of any organisation because it now encapsulates the entire value chain of a company. But this means procurement professionals have to ask themselves how they control the value chain and also make the right decisions on behalf of the company.”
According to Thomas, SAP Ariba is leaning into this procurement revolution, aligning itself with the rapid pace of change in the industry to empower its customers and partners as it unfolds.
“At the end of the day, at SAP we are the enablers,” explains Thomas. “We know that every company has their own IP, but at SAP, what we are truly proud of is the supply chain and procurement technology that we can give our customers, empowering them to consistently transform and be best in class.
“When it comes to procurement specifically, Gartner says 59% of procurement leaders believe that having up-to-date technology will have a significant impact on procurement performance. So how do we forefront relevant technology for business leaders to take the right decision at the right time for that specific business to be successful?
“At the end of the day, it’s all about people. The more you empower your people within the organisation, the more you foster accountability, which ultimately dictates the success of the business. What we pride ourselves on is keeping that best-of-breed technology at the fingertips of all employees –
with the right guidelines, the right empowerment, the right mandate –for everybody to do their job as they should be doing it, in line with the company’s goals and growth in mind.
“And that’s really what we do at SAP: we are enabling companies to be the best-performing businesses in the world.”
However, as Vicky Revis explains, there are several opportunities and obstacles companies face as they embark upon their supply chain and procurement transformation journey.
“I think with any transformation or digital transformation journey,
whether it's within procurement or the wider supply chain, the opportunities are tremendous,” says Vicky. “With new technology and the rise of AI, the prospects for integrating and creating un-siloed applications alongside unsiloed business processes are huge. In the 2024 PwC Digital Procurement Survey, the expectation is that the digitalisation rate will go from 43% to 69%.
“But there are numerous obstacles that organisations need to navigate in order to get there. These might include guiding people along the transformation journey, anticipating change fatigue, as well as macroeconomic obstacles or other
factors that are outside of their control.
“Thomas likes to use a phrase: ‘We control the controllable.’ At SAP Intelligence Spend and Business Networks (ISBN), we can absolutely help our customers do that. But try doing that as a CPO in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Suez Canal crisis, or escalating inflation: navigating these challenges and hitting the bottom line while doing so is fundamental.
“Technology is table stakes, quite frankly. Organisations need to have automation to drive forward their standard business processes to thrive. But that's not simple in a lot of cases.
“Companies historically took software, then developed and customised that software based on their business practices or needs. At SAP, we now turn this on its head and bring them best-in-class technology. We bring all of the optimisations around what a user journey should look like. Take this in the context of an organisation that has its own business practices, and the source and target applications that you're integrating with, and suddenly you’ve got a conflict of process.
“You've then got a pressing need to change. And one of the things that we can do at SAP, over and above just providing the technology, is bring what it means to adopt technology successfully to our customers, along with the key success tactics and
criteria that enable the successful adoption.”
But as Vicky explains, there can be several detractors hindering successful adoption or transformation – be this geopolitical factors, economics, internal resistance or capacity. Yet, she insists, by starting with the why behind the new approach companies can overcome these obstacles.
“It starts fundamentally with the motivation for change, avoiding tunnel vision on a single solution, specific technology or features and functionality,” says Vicky. “Yes, they’re important. But they must be able to achieve business objectives that have been set out, that’s critical. These business objectives need to be set out before seeking the matching features and functionality which help towards them. So it’s really got to start with the why, and that why has to be present all the way through the journey and beyond.”
According to Vicky, this sustained focus is imperative for companies embarking on a phased approach to SAPempowered projects like procurement transformation, as opposed to the ‘Big Bang’ style methodology for change.
“Can an organisation totally transform with a ‘Big Bang’ approach across the suite of solutions that we provide? If you look at it from a supply chain and procurement landscape, from the upstream to the downstream applications, from the depth of
“At SAP, what we are truly proud of is the supply chain and procurement technology that we can give our customers”
Thomas Kaspersen
categories that we can address, could any organisation take that transformation all at once? I don’t personally think we'd ever be setting up a customer for success if we said that they could do that.
“So for me, it’s about making sure that customers also treat that technology in the right way, with the cloud-first mindset, and conceptualise that SAP technology is the enabler. This really has to be accompanied by a very well-thought-out change programme that is enabled by the right stakeholders. This body of stakeholders goes beyond just the procurement function, it's about bringing in the right people: IT, HR, finance, risk, compliance and more.
“Procurement applications are so fundamental to the operations of the entire business. The elevation of the CPO function, from the historical place of being the creators of purchase orders and making sure invoices were paid on time, into a truly strategic role as part of the C suite today, is only enabled by the table stakes of technology, taken alongside a very clear roadmap of, then, how you’re going to enhance that technology into added value for the business.
“Procurement transformation has to be a journey mapped to business outcomes.”
So how do the comprehensive offerings across the SAP ISBN software suite empower companies
“Procurement transformation has to be a journey mapped to business outcomes”
Vicky Revis
to address these dynamics as they embrace their journey of procurement transformation?
“The ISBN suite is a consolidation of solutions that we have under our portfolio, and SAP, for me, is so well positioned to be able to address organisations’ challenges across industries and geographies as the marketplace leaders,” says Vicky. “So the suite really does look holistically at procurement and supply chain outcomes, across categories and across the point of the process – whether it's strategic sourcing, operational procurement and downstream activities, looking at your supply chain risk that you're exposed to, or a real elevation of the data.
“Fundamentally, it’s data that will drive AI which in turn will then drive the ability to make decisions when you feed in certain scenarios. The criticality of being able to pull together the suite, enriched by our ecosystem application, removes the prospect of having to look at siloed solutions.
“Take Asset Management as an example. Managing assets goes beyond internal processes – the network and your supply chain are critical here. With SAP’s ability to bring together Asset Management, the supplier network and services management, SAP can transform and automate the maintenance schedules for heavy machinery and assets core to operations. These solutions will bring change to processes and people day to day but can be truly
“At SAP Ariba, we are doing a tremendous amount of innovation ourselves on multiple fronts”
Mo Ahmad
transformational to business outcomes and efficiency.
“It is also fundamentally important that we nurture a long-term vision and partnership with our customers. We don’t want to be a supplier to our customers. We are a partner in their business outcomes. So it’s crucial that we understand their goals, drivers and KPIs – so that we can match the solution roadmap with them, building the outcome roadmap across our ISBN software suite.
“We can deliver outcomes. And the outcome is not just a go-live. A go-live is a point on a timeline. We want to support and empower our customers beyond this stage of the journey.
“Our dream is that our customers can stand there with us, shoulder to shoulder, and say, ‘We were resilient in the face of whatever came along next. We were able to drive this much efficiency and automation as a result of the SAP technology that underpinned our transformation and became our enabler.’”
Here, Thomas clarifies how embracing this role as a closely connected enabler for its customers comes with a deeply entrenched sense of responsibility to them. As Thomas explains, this means SAP enshrines innovation in its operations – especially in the procurement industry since the implications are so expansive.
“We have to be very cognisant that we are the market leader by far with over
27% of the market based upon the Nov 2024 IDC report, and this means that we have huge accountability and responsibility for our customers when it comes to innovation,” insists Thomas. “We have 5,000 developers sitting in the background to make sure that innovation is consistently happening. To be quite honest, it’s not about selling more software. Rather, we are focused on ensuring that the software that we provide is adopted efficiently, driving effective outcomes, but that we are also consistently innovating to support our customers since the business landscape is changing so rapidly.
“Within the procurement function especially, we always have to be on the forefront of innovation. Whether that’s on the direct or indirect side of the business, the contingent workforce, or getting buyers and suppliers to work better together. We have roughly 400 billion transactions on our network annually. Now when you think about the social and economic impacts these entail, it starkly highlights the responsibility that we have as a vendor, but more importantly, the impact our customers have on their own ecosystem.
“The potential for us and our customers to leverage technology, drive sustainability and risk, direct compliance, steer legislation – all while remaining competitive – is astronomical. And this is why when people ask me why I like to work with procurement transformation, for me it’s about leaning into these ever-evolving circumstances, finding the winning
“One of the reasons that we’ve partnered with Scoutbee is the way that they leverage data on suppliers”
combination of tech, leadership, strategy, customer feedback and innovation to empower businesses to thrive – but also have tremendous positive impacts on the global communities they serve.”
Mo Ahmad weighs in to elaborate on how SAP Ariba has been embracing data- and AI-led transformation in the procurement sector, alongside innovation of the ISBN stack, to catalyse benefits for clients and partners alike.
“Everybody’s talking about artificial intelligence, but AI means very little without data as the backbone,” says Mo. “SAP is not only focusing on it because it’s a trend that everybody wants to talk about – what we’ve been really focusing on is how we can deliver robust AI, through what we're terming SAP Business AI, for our customers.
“Data is at the forefront of everything. So SAP Ariba has spent the best part of the last couple of years pulling together a procurement data lake, which harnesses 30 years of information.
“Within the ISBN solutions network, we oversee $6.2tn+ of commerce annually, connected to over 729m interactions with our supplier community. That is a massive data store. But it also represents a tremendous opportunity
in the context of AI, because of the sheer volume of insights available to us. Another exciting layer is we can then also augment this information with additional data sources from our ecosystem, to leverage a data pool that is just incredible in scope.
“With the advent of AI, taken in light of the corresponding need for the procurement sector to transform and evolve, there is enormous potential to tap into: from developing projects to provide better visibility into what’s happening within the business to getting in front of risk or promoting ESG strategy.
“But without data, you cannot embark on any of those initiatives and that is what we strive to help our customers with at SAP Ariba.”
Mo reiterates that SAP Ariba’s partner ecosystem is a key part of its efforts to empower customers’ capacity with data- and AI-led procurement transformation. Mo highlights SAP’s partnerships with Scoutbee and Fairmarkit as demonstrative examples here.
“One of the reasons that we’ve partnered with Scoutbee is the way that they leverage data on suppliers,” shares Mo. “For some time, their
Elevate the strategic role of procurement with faster, smarter supplier discovery
Ben Craske: We’ve been hearing a lot about Scoutbee Discovery. Can you tell us more about the solution and how it works?
Paul Hopton: Scoutbee Discovery is an AI-powered SaaS tool designed to be the go-to scouting solution for procurement teams. It provides a comprehensive view of potential suppliers using AI-driven searches, transforming weeks of manual effort into just a few days or even hours.
The platform reduces repetitive tasks and search complexity, delivering quality supplier matches that align with strategic objectives.
Ben: What are the main use cases where Scoutbee Discovery is proving most valuable?
Paul: Procurement teams use Scoutbee Discovery to address key challenges like risk mitigation, driving product innovation and achieving sustainability goals.
Ben: Can you share an example of a major challenge you helped a customer overcome?
Paul: Absolutely. Earlier this year, Siemens Energy had two key challenges: sourcing suppliers for photovoltaic installations on
industrial rooftops and finding hydrogen dryer suppliers in the US – a less familiar market for them.
With Scoutbee Discovery, they quickly identified 80 potential suppliers for photovoltaics, narrowing it down to three highquality candidates. For hydrogen dryers, while no supplier fully met their experience needs, the search provided valuable market insights.
The biggest win for Siemens Energy’s procurement team was that this new way of working with Scoutbee made them a strategic partner for R&D. They also started integrating supplier expertise into R&D processes early on and the role of procurement within the entire organisation was elevated.
Ben: And finally, you’re an SAPendorsed app?
Paul: Yes, Scoutbee Discovery integrates seamlessly with SAP Ariba Sourcing. It extends supplier searches beyond the SAP Business Network, with no IT integration required.
Find out how Scoutbee can elevate your procurement function. Request a demo today.
Paul Hopton CTO, Scoutbee
Ben Craske Senior Editor, iThink Media
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“With somebody like Fairmarkit, they also use data incredibly well. Fairmarkit provides excellent service related to strategic versus unmanaged spend”
whole piece has been around helping customers, through data, find suppliers for the creation of a product or the management of a service. They were a natural partner for us to use as an extension of our strategic sourcing capability.
“It takes a long time to source new partners or suppliers. Organisations might have specific compliance, sustainability, quality or certification needs.
“If you’re trying to do that manually, it’s very difficult. But Scoutbee wields data, through the lens of AI, to do the hard work for their customers. And more than this, it’s done in an integrated way – with SAP Ariba.”
“With somebody like Fairmarkit, they also use data incredibly well. Fairmarkit provides excellent service related to strategic versus unmanaged spend. For businesses that might not have the capacity to dial in on the latter, Fairmarkit helps them to avoid leaking money – not through bad intentions, but because it can be challenging to wrap your arms around it as a company by yourself.
“Fairmarkit can help their customers pick up that unmanaged spend
and manage it for them through AI, renegotiating some of those expenditures and helping to harmonise that spend to reduce the leakage –impacting their customers’ bottom line in the process. That data then comes back into SAP to be analysed for continuous improvement.”
Procurement is an incredibly complex process, but at SAP Ariba the goal is to take the ideas of interconnection, visibility and collaboration and wield them effectively for the ultimate benefit of its customers and partners. Within this, Mo explains, the concept of the Procurement Triple Crown is a guiding principle.
“A lot of what SAP Ariba has been doing through the creation of our nextgen solutions is taking the latest and greatest procurement technology, and catalysing drastic improvements in user experience,” says Mo. “But to loop back to the conversation of data and AI, the truly powerful innovation lies in creating solutions that balance the technology, UX, data and AI – holistically, as a connected process.
“So for instance, we’ve just launched a powerful spend analysis tool called Spend Control Tower. It integrates various SAP and non-SAP solutions, extracts the data, and then provides users with insights through the use of AI-enhanced insights and benchmarking where we’ve been able to use the procurement data lake I referenced earlier in a very powerful fashion. This is the number one priority for CPOs for 2025 according to Gartner, SpendMatters and CPO reports from the Big Four.
“But the Procurement Triple Crown concept adds a new dynamic by asking how we can take those insights and provide something more: actionable intelligence, which can then be taken into category management in an integrated form that flows from one process to another, avoiding silos, and ultimately offering robust strategy planning potential across the board.
“So that's the Procurement Triple Crown principle: it’s insight, plan, action; or put another way, Spend Control Tower, category management and then sourcing execution.”
“Our partners like Archlet enable that capability through an integrated approach, while also deploying Gen AI”
“SAP Ariba doesn’t want you to leave any spend untouched,” notes Mo. “Allowing you to create your strategic plan and/or actions you’ve executed in category management, and you can then kick off as an activity directly within guided sourcing.
“But the best thing about that is, depending on the type of activity that you want to initiate, you can then use guided sourcing as a hub. So there are lots of things within guided sourcing that you can do: RFx, auctions, reverse auctions, to name but a few. However, there are other types of sourcing that our broader SAP ecosystem helps with alongside this, in an integrated fashion, factoring in other software service providers you might work with too.
“For instance, a customer might work with one of our partners like Archlet, where that customer could have more of a need to do sourcing optimisation, which basically means you have a more detailed set of criteria that you want to use in order to award the business, and you require the flexibility to change, add, and manipulate those rules based upon your business needs, to then run that RFx scenario through the optimisation process, so that what you get out of it is much more catered for what your business is asking for, within that particular category.
“Our partners like Archlet enable that capability through an integrated approach, while also deploying Gen AI so you can go into their tool through guided sourcing, using Gen AI to optimise what you're trying to do, build the rule sets, do all of that there, run that scenario – but then it comes back into SAP Ariba.
“The reason that this interconnectedness is so important, and one of the foundational merits of the Procurement Triple Crown concept, is the data goes back in, centralising it and providing continuous insights.”
With the myriad of software solutions available to customers, Mo admits it can be a daunting prospect for customers to manage the various solutions they have within their business that serve their needs. Functions like facilities, IT software, legal and procurement can often have different tools for different processes and this can be daunting for users trying to work out which system to use and when.
“If you look at the most recent Gartner or Spend Matters reports, there is a lot of talk around intake management and process orchestration, and this has come about through the need to help the user navigate what is often a very complex landscape,” says Mo.
“We also have a brilliant ecosystem of partners offering solutions in this space.
One of the leaders here is ORO Labs”
“Oftentimes, especially at large enterprise customers, they have a sea of different solutions before them.
“Within the procurement function, this can be particularly complicated. How do users know where to go? There’s been some progress, but this area has really begun to heat up, becoming a massive part of the user experience.
“So the concept of intake management automatically takes the user on this journey. At SAP we’ve just started talking about how we’re going to help customers navigate this, which we announced at Spend Connect 2024 in Las Vegas.
“But we also have a brilliant ecosystem of partners offering solutions in this space. One of the leaders here is ORO Labs. They have created an excellent solution that is well thought of in the space, which they’ve been working on for the last couple of years. So it made abundant sense for us to integrate with ORO and have them on the marketplace as an option for our customers, whilst we continue our journey at the same time.”
According to Mo, SAP’s go-to-market strategy, deployed in conjunction with its vast global network of partners, is a crucial element in the success of the procurement transformation and innovation it helps facilitate as a company.
“At SAP Ariba, we are doing a tremendous amount of innovation ourselves on multiple fronts,” says Mo. “But we are also focused on offering the best-of-breed ecosystems, building on our own innovative foundations with other leading solutions elsewhere on the market layered on top. And within procurement, that concept has mushroomed in recent years. Customers, especially mature customers, are now looking at how they can leverage some of the excellent bespoke solutions for niche
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processes which have emerged in recent years.
“From an SAP standpoint within this broader trend, we’ve got three key angles: our own innovation with the investment that Thomas outlined; the business technology platform (BTP) which is our framework to allow external parties, whether that be our system integrator community or best-of-breed partners, to leverage that framework to develop additional capability or process-related functionality that is integrated; and finally the third pillar is the marketplace that we have.
“Our marketplace is an important element, and we’ve had it for a while. But now the difference, in terms of the go-to market strategy, is if you look at each procurement process, whether at a modular level or from a customer’s internal needs perspective, where each component might have its own data provider, we’re bringing intrinsic interconnectedness to the fore.
“We’re working closely with our ecosystem to ensure that our customers understand that data can be integrated into their procurement process. You don’t have to operate in silos: we can help them integrate comprehensively, end to end.”
For further information about the supply chain and procurement transformation available through SAP Ariba, visit sap.com.
ADDED VALUE
Vicky
“We run a series of SAP customer events throughout the year, and those, for me, are the highlights of my year,” shares Vicky. “I love having the opportunity to talk to our customers, see what we are able to proudly showcase, but also witness the exciting developments our customers have to share. The discussions we hold at these events help us with that continuous feedback loop to drive us forward in partnership with our customers.”
Thomas
“For me, our biggest success is, by default, our customers,” says Thomas.
“In October I attended our SAP Spend Connect event in Las Vegas and I was thrilled to join so many of my colleagues from the EMEA region there. It was refreshing and energising to meet our customers, engaging with them about the latest innovations and success stories they had to share. Ultimately, they are our true north star for how we evolve so events like this are incredibly rewarding to attend.”
Mo
“I’ve been working in procurement for 24 years,” shares Mo. “Within that
journey, the stories that make me tick are the ones where I’ve been able to go to customers and partners, and contribute to the broader procurement and supply chain community.
“On that note, I was recently involved in creating a series of video blogs for SAP Ariba, which aim to cover topics such as category management,
supplier diversity, compliance and overcoming industry challenges.”
View the first video with Mo here, and tap into SAP Ariba’s broader procurement resources.
For readers interested in the Procurement Triple Crown concept, Mo also recommends diving into a recent SAP Ariba whitepaper on the topic.
HOW KRISPY KREME IS ENSHRINING SUSTAINABILITY IN ITS SUPPLY CHAIN
SUSTAINABILITY
Explore how the multinational doughnut and coffeehouse company has built sustainability into its global supply chain and sourcing strategies while prioritising quality and flavour.
ONE OF THE MOST BELOVED AND WELL-KNOWN SWEET TREAT BRANDS IN THE WORLD, KRISPY KREME OPERATES IN OVER 30 COUNTRIES WITH A NETWORK OF FRESH
DOUGHNUT SHOPS, E-COMMERCE AND DELIVERY SERVICES AND PARTNERSHIPS WITH LEADING RETAILERS.
The company first opened its doors in 1937, when founder Vernon Rudolph began selling doughnuts to local grocery stores in North Carolina. Today, Krispy Kreme has over 1,000 stores in 36 countries, and operations are growing every single day.
However, with such a significant reach Krispy Kreme has had to account for potential supply chain setbacks –shipping a product long distance is costly and time-consuming, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic, and any external issue from natural disasters from demand spikes can disrupt a global supply chain.
According to PwC’s recent study Localising supply chains and its impact on performance, Krispy Kreme’s shift to local suppliers and partners is likely to significantly improve its supply chain performance – with 82% of respondents reporting a stronger, more resilient supply chain network.
This approach is also helping Krispy Kreme continue to grow while investing in local communities and spearheading sustainable initiatives. The company is currently laser-focused on embedding sustainability into its supply chain while maintaining the high-quality product it has spent the past 88 years developing.
As part of this, the company is embarking on efforts to build the resilience of its business and supply chain while simultaneously addressing climate change. Since 2019, Krispy Kreme has cut over 83 tonnes of plastic from the business, and is aiming to reach 80% recyclable packaging across its operations by the end of the year.
The company is also focused on reducing food waste, with a goal to
divert at least 50% of food waste from landfills by 2025. In recent years, Krispy Kreme has prioritised upping the use of food-to-feed initiatives while increasing landfill diversion. Last year, the company’s Japanese team converted 100% of its food waste into animal feed, and this initiative is only growing.
It balances these two foci by ensuring the continuity and reliability of its global supply chain is a top priority for
the company, while viewing its sourcing strategy as a vehicle for making a broader positive global impact and advancing sustainable business practices across all operations.
Another key priority across Krispy Kreme’s global supply chain is a commitment to sustainable sourcing. The company has a goal in place to use 100% cage-free eggs by 2025. A crucial step towards this was a
high-quality product. In-process quality checks are performed throughout the production process – including ingredients, moisture percentage, fat percentage, sieve size and metal checks – and partners are provided with specific instructions for the storing, cooking and transportation of products.
Both franchise and supplier partners are selected carefully, as the
“WITH RELIABLE AND SUSTAINABLY-MINDED SUPPLIERS LIKE KERRY PROVIDING A SOLID FOUNDATION, KRISPY KREME IS ABLE TO TURN ITS ATTENTION TO EXPANSION”
strategic product line exit during the first quarter of fiscal 2023, which represented 70% of the company’s egg use.
The company has also made steady progress on sourcing sustainable palm oil, with 100% of the palm oil used in Krispy Kreme UK & Ireland supporting sustainable production and a deforestation-free supply chain.
A thorough approach to supply chain operations is critical when ensuring the smooth running of sustainable initiatives, but it’s also needed to produce a consistent and
company is committed to sourcing the best quality and most sustainably minded ingredients available for its products. In order to achieve this, it has prioritised close relationships with partners who share the same values –such as raw flour supplier Kerry, who are similarly committed to sustainable sourcing, recyclable packaging and emissions reduction.
With reliable and sustainably-minded suppliers like Kerry providing a solid foundation, Krispy Kreme is able to turn its attention to expansion. In partnership with restaurant group ISH Foods, the company is planning to launch in Germany. It looks to open its
Food Protection & Preservation
FUTUREPROOFING YOUR LOAF
The latest science-back innovations and portfolios for bakery.
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doors in 2025, with a network of Krispy Kreme shops starting in Berlin.
“We are excited to expand into Germany as it has been a priority market for us, offering substantial growth with more than 3,000 points of access,” says Raphael Duvivier, Chief Development Officer at Krispy Kreme. “Additionally, we are very pleased to partner with ISH leader Ilkem Sahin and the very experienced ISH team to grow in the market.”
By making impressive progress against its international expansion strategy, Krispy Kreme is focused on expanding access and purchasing frequency, increasing hub & spoke productivity and driving efficiencies to earn a higher return on invested capital (ROIC).
With a strong pipeline for new market growth, Krispy Kreme hopes to achieve 75,000 points of access globally over the long term.
Learn more about Krispy Kreme here.
Giesecke+Devrient launches new Smart Label to redefine convenience and accuracy in location tracking
The ultra-thin Smart Label enables cost-effective and versatile tracking for a variety of applications.
Ultra-thin and only slightly larger than card, the new Smart Label proposition jointly developed by G+D in conjunction Sensos to enable cost-effective, accurate tracking for a range of applications.
than a credit proposition has been conjunction with accurate location applications.
These include parcel delivery and shipping, fleet management and monitoring the movement of luxury goods.
G+D provides an all-in-one solution that includes hardware, an iSIM, IoT connectivity and an IoT platform that manages the connection and firmware updates. This makes it especially easy to use and simple to deploy.
The Smart Label uses smart motion sensors that detect movement and acceleration, underpinned by GPS accuracy which has been tested to ensure sub-10m precision in ideal conditions.
Coupled with customisable reporting frequencies and agile cloud-based configurations, the Smart Label can adapt to specific business needs and allow users to manage, monitor and ensure the integrity of their assets at every stage of their journey – whether stationary or on the move.
Additional features of the G+D Smart Label include an open-close sensor for tamper protection and automated proof of delivery, and a temperature monitor to ensure the integrity of perishable goods, enhancing security and accountability.
The label is easy to use, since activation is triggered when it is peeled and applied to an item. It is also reusable and certified for air travel, making it one of the most lightweight, versatile, accurate and competitively priced tracking solutions on the market.
“Following the launch of our award-winning first-generation Smart Label solution in 2023, we have been working on development of an even more compact and highly accurate solution”
Sharath
Muddaiah, Head of Portfolio Strategy for IoT Solutions at G+D
Strategy our first-generation 2023, the more accurate
“G+D has been dedicated to designing robust and innovative solutions for the transport and logistics market, and is the market leader of solar-powered trackers with over 180,000 connected devices in the field,” says Sharath Muddaiah, Head of Portfolio Strategy for IoT Solutions at G+D.
“Following the launch of our awardwinning first-generation Smart Label solution in 2023, we have been working on the development of an even more compact and highly accurate solution.
“The G+D Smart Label provides a single end-to-end solution, including dedicated service support and warranty from one source. Our industry has seen many a solution which, once sold, has limited support, and we are here to set a new trend!”
The use cases for the G+D Smart Label are wide-ranging, varying from simple parcel and shipment tracking, to shipping and tracking high-value assets. For example, one early user of the G+D Smart Label technology – Track & Pay – has used the labels to help deliver on its mission of improving visibility into the status of shipments and payments.
In building the world’s first IoTpowered B2B payment solution that integrates shipment tracking with payment processing, Track & Pay
“We
believe in Track & Pay’s ability to revolutionise the global finance supply chain, offering a much more secure and fraud-proof solution than the common letter of credit”
Joerg Hoerster, Founder and CEO of TNP Global Trade
has been able to leverage the Smart Label technology to automatically trigger a payment upon a shipment’s arrival, ensuring seamless and timely transactions.
“We believe in Track & Pay’s ability to revolutionise the global finance supply chain, offering a much more secure and fraud-proof solution than the common letter of credit,” says
Joerg Hoerster, Founder and CEO of TNP Global Trade. “The Smart Label’s slick size and active tracking capacity makes it a competitive tracking solution which is why we chose to offer it to our Track & Pay clients.”
The G+D Smart Label is available to purchase directly from G+D and from G+D’s IoT Shop for German and US customers.
Source:
Global Head of Aerospace at Kuehne+Nagel, company’s agile approach to supply
ANDREAS NYMAN
Kuehne+Nagel, on the supply chain strategy.
GenScript Biotech joins PSCI as a Supplier Partner
The initiative aims to advance a sustainable pharmaceutical supply chain and enhance ESG performance.
Global
life sciences research and manufacturing services leader GenScript Biotech Corporation (GenScript) has officially joined the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Initiative (PSCI) as a Supplier Partner.
This milestone marks significant progress in GenScript’s journey of fulfilling its social responsibility and advancing sustainable development, while underscoring the company’s commitment to building a healthier, greener and more ethical industry ecosystem.
PSCI is a leading global association dedicated to fostering responsible value chains in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries.
Its core mission is to address challenges within the pharmaceutical supply chain and enhance performance in areas such as ethics, human rights and labour, health and safety, environment and related management systems.
Through cross-industry collaboration, PSCI drives its partners toward achieving excellence in ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) performance.
PSCI’s Principles for Responsible Supply Chain Management, alongside
“As a responsible global enterprise in life sciences and biotechnology, GenScript is honoured to become a PSCI Supplier Partner”
Sherry Shao, rotating CEO of GenScript Biotech Corporation
its implementation guidelines and assessment tools, are widely recognised and respected across the global pharmaceutical sector.
“As a responsible global enterprise in life sciences and biotechnology, GenScript is honoured to become a PSCI Supplier Partner,” says Sherry Shao, rotating CEO of GenScript
Biotech Corporation. “Across our four key business areas – life sciences services and products, biologics contract development and manufacturing (CDMO), industrial synthetic products, and cell therapy – we are committed to driving innovation and progress, empowering the healthcare value chain.
“GenScript adheres fully to the PSCI principles in advancing responsible supply chain management”
“This partnership reflects our unwavering dedication to ethical practices, labour rights, health and safety, and environmental sustainability. By embedding PSCI principles into our operations, we aspire to work alongside our partners to enhance supply chain outcomes in social, health, safety and environmental aspects, collectively shaping a more sustainable and responsible future for the global healthcare industry.”
GenScript adheres fully to the PSCI principles in advancing responsible supply chain management, encompassing core principles of environment, ethics, labour, health and safety and management systems.
These principles are deeply integrated into GenScript’s supply chain management system, allowing for
“Through its membership in PSCI, GenScript will uphold higher ESG standards in its operations and supply chain management”
comprehensive multi-dimensional assessments of suppliers to ensure they practice responsible operations and enhance the compliance and sustainability of the supply chain.
Through its membership in PSCI, GenScript will uphold higher ESG standards in its operations and supply chain management. The company will continue to deepen collaboration with global customers across diverse regulatory environments, solidifying long-term partnerships with its global network of collaborators.
Source: GenScript Biotech Corporation
Leading procurement functions into the future while delivering value today
James Ball, Associate Director at Infosys Portland, explores the company’s cutting-edge approach to optimising procurement.
ver the past 25 years, Infosys Portland has helped clients deliver positive bottom-line impact on a global scale by leveraging procurement and supply chain processes, people and technology. The company’s expertise in the procurement world has allowed it to implement advanced strategies and technologies into its clients’ businesses, helping them solve their most complex problems.
Joining us today is James Ball, Associate Director at Infosys Portland. To begin, James dives into the company’s goals when working with a client.
“Our mission is to help our clients realise the positive impacts and sustainable values that an enhanced procurement and supply chain process can bring to their organisation,” begins James.
Here, James elaborates on the four main pillars Infosys Portland wields to enable transformative change for its clients.
Strategy and advice
“We combine deep domain expertise with leading global practice and analytical rigour to help businesses of all sizes solve their most urgent and complex problems.”
Delivery and implementation
“We provide impetus, resource and expertise to execute strategies quickly and efficiently, which helps our clients realise benefits quickly.”
Ongoing support
“We provide additional capacity and capability to help our clients manage their day-to-day operations to deliver further efficiencies.”
Enabling technology
“We assess, optimise, and implement our clients’ procurement technology landscape – supported by our global digital leading owners Infosys - to ensure that clients are well-placed to operate and grow in an everchanging world.”
“A client may be lacking in capabilities to achieve a goal, but we have the resources to rapidly and effectively deliver on new strategies, so they can realise the benefits quicker,” explains James. “As a consultancy, this is a key approach for us and our clients, and
it’s not just about isolated project work, but ensuring we have the capacity to help embed and sustain these new innovations into our client’s day-to-day operations.
“For instance, in our technology practice, we assess, we optimise and we implement enhanced procurement technology landscapes for our clients. At Infosys Portland, we’re fortunate to sit within the Infosys family more broadly, who are a global leader in digital services and we can call upon those experiences and resources.”
But in order to make real value-adding change for its clients, Infosys Portland is taking a new strategic approach to procurement.
“Next Generation Procurement is a concept Infosys Portland has been talking about for a couple of years now and becomes even more relevant with every day,” says James. “It’s focused on a procurement function having a strong bias towards enhanced value delivery, aligning the procurement team and creating a sharp understanding of their organisation’s unique strategy and goals.
“We would expect Next Generation Procurement operations to be automated and optimised so that the key resources are redeployed to deliver greater value to the business. You need the right capabilities, which we typically boil down to five key attributes – procurement strategy linked directly to business goals, delivering clearly defined value, strategic relationships
built across the organisation, implementing highly capable and adaptive processes and technology that is fit for purpose yet scalable.”
Following the Next Generation Procurement approach, Infosys Portland has developed the Diamond Ring NextGeneration Procurement Framework, a new methodology for its clients.
“Procurement structures and activities within an organisation often fall into a pyramid shape,” explains James. “The top layer of the pyramid covers strategic decision making, the middle section covers valueadd topics like supplier relationship management (SRM) contact and risk management and environmental, social and governance (ESG) activities, and the biggest section is typically the bottom section of the pyramid, with the majority of time spent managing day-to-day operations and reporting.
“What we want to do is invert that pyramid into a new diamond structure. That means optimising and streamlining operations so that the procurement team can focus more resources and energy on delivering tangible value. Our procurement operating model framework encompasses all parts of the procurement lifecycle, enabling the organisation to focus on the core processes that will deliver that value. It doesn’t matter whether
we’re working with a global leading organisation or a smaller regional client – we use this framework every single day, maintaining a consistent approach to our advisory services when assessing the current state of a procurement function and charting the future course.”
A huge part of this optimisation, James explains, is the implementation of new technologies.
“Technology has to be embraced by a procurement team in everything they do,” says James. “At Infosys Portland, we spend a lot of our time helping clients understand the strategic and optimisation possibilities for their procurement technology stack, so that they can achieve the best return on their technology investments.
“For example, from a procurement lens, we help organisations find new ways to get more out of their Enterprise Resource Platform (ERP). There are ways to costeffectively optimise and enhance these platforms and processes to make it as easy as possible for employees to raise orders while remaining compliant with procurement policies and processes. This has a positive knock-on effect across the Source to Pay (S2P) lifecycle
for creating visibility of spend that supports good business decisions while ensuring organisational cultural alignment.
“AI has also been a significant recent revolution for streamlining existing processes and adding further value. We have a huge investment in AI, supported by an in-house team called Infosys Topaz, the first AI ISO services accredited division of its kind. At the moment, we’re talking to a lot of clients about the benefits of introducing Automation (RPA - Robotic process automation), AI and GenAI (LLMLarge Language Models) into core and daily procurement activities, including contract management, analytics, risk management and sustainability.
“AI has the possibility to redefine a procurement team without needing significantly more resources, but it’s important to make sure you have the right infrastructure in place for it. What we have to remember about technology is that it’s an enabler. It’s getting better every day and can support creation of real value, but you have to always consider the culture of your organisation and the need for adoption training to keep the human-centric approach.
“A Next Generation Procurement team will be right sized, more agile, utilising technology and data, and outsourced services, to deliver strategic insights and value to their organisation – unlocking increased growth and profitability.”
Learn more about Infosys Portland here.
added value
A global impact
“In October 2024, I spent two weeks in India,” says James. “Infosys has six large campuses across India, and the two I visited are based in Bangalore and Mysore. It was my first time travelling to India, so that was definitely an eye opener in terms of how busy India is. But it was also an eye-opener in terms of the scale of the services to India and its global clients that Infosys provide. There’s something in the region of twenty thousand to twenty-five thousand people training at an Infosys campus at any one time – honing leading digital and business skills from coding to AI. It was incredible to see what Infosys is not only doing for global clients, but what it’s doing for education and the economy across India.”
New perspectives
“I have a fifteen-year-old son who’s just starting his GCSEs in business and economics,” says James. “It’s fascinating seeing him come home after school questioning what he’s learning and discovering how the world works. Seeing this from the eyes of a fifteen-year-old is really refreshing, and can make me see things in a different light.”
Staying healthy
“I’m a big squash player and follower,” says James. “I’ve been playing squash for about 20 years
getting to a reasonably high standard. It’s a personal ambition of mine to keep doing this for as long as I can, hopefully well into my 50’s and 60’s, because I want to stay as fit and mobile as I can, for as long as possible. Plus, I need the competitive side of sport as I can’t stand the gym or just running without a ball to chase!”
James recommends
“I’m currently reading Novak Djokovic’s autobiography Serve to Win,” says James. “I wanted to read it because I think he is very misunderstood. He’s been hugely successful but not always regarded as fondly as others, but as I’m reading it, I’ve learned a lot about the obstacles he faced during his upbringing, and the resilience he’s shown to get to the top and stay there. He is a real inspiration in terms of the work he’s put in to be as successful as he is today.”
Connect with James
Wielding the latest procurement technology at Anvil Analytical
Exclusive Q&A with Richard Brown, Head of Sales & Marketing at disruptive SaaS provider Anvil Analytical, on tackling the complex and recurring issues within strategic sourcing and supplier management.
nvil Analytical is a Software as a Service provider headquartered in London, UK. The company’s solutions are used by businesses large and small across all sectors and geographies to improve third-party spend management and to measure and mitigate their carbon footprint.
From its inception in 2021 Anvil has grown quickly, taking on new clients from California to Australia, and in 2024, it redoubled development efforts around the practical use of AI to maintain its position on the cutting edge of procurement technology.
Here to tell us more about the growth and success of Anvil Analytical is Richard Brown, Head of Sales & Marketing, in this exclusive Q&A.
What has the journey to date been like at Anvil Analytical?
Born out of a world of procurement consulting, Anvil’s technology has been widely used by practitioners prior to the company’s inception in 2021. Before spinning out of its sister company, the Anvil team were part of a fellow group company and procurement services firm, 4C Associates, where the tools were initially developed to ensure the consultants quickly gained visibility of a client’s spend and could as efficiently as possible drive the greatest bottomline impact.
Over the years, clients began to notice the technology being used by the consultancy teams and were keen to retain it on a licensed basis beyond the initial engagement. It became instantly clear to the group leadership that
this technology suite had great value beyond purely an in-house set of tools.
Fast forward to the current day and Anvil has progressed to being one of the procurement community’s favourite analytic tools with first-place user ratings on well-known sites such as Gartner.
The organisation’s set of offerings has also expanded dramatically to include five brand new products including the likes of Carbon Management, Risk Management and Market & Inflation Analytics. These product lineup enhancements have arisen from Anvil’s ability to both develop quickly and maximise the aspirations of a vibrant, client-led development community hungry for ever-greater innovation to drive value internally.
How has the rise of AI influenced Anvil Analytical’s offering?
During Anvil’s short history to date, we’ve seen AI burst onto the scene and become mainstream within the procurement community. However, in a procurement innovation world all too often dominated by box-ticking rhetoric, Anvil was keen from the offset to innovate AI solutions which were true to the tool’s humble beginnings: practical, easy to use and precise.
With this being the case, the development team were tasked to take a look at where AI could make the greatest practical impact on our tools and more importantly, the experience of its users. Three key areas were selected as initial areas of focus, spanning firstly large language model applications into the world of optical
character recognition (OCR), driving the tool’s capability to work through thousands of contracts, policies and supplier websites, addressing key needs within the worlds of risk management, contract management and invoice processing.
Secondly, data cleansing and categorisation are fundamental to the success of every Anvil Analytical deployment. Ultimately, the better quality of data fed into the solution, the better outcomes that follow. It’s then the very engine of the Anvil operation which the team have targeted with our second AI-driven development. Our technology utilises a range of strategies to categorise the spend initially, where we use machine learning which has evolved more recently to include large language model classifications as well. Within the world of directs, we’ve started to introduce neural networks to search for patterns in the data. In simple terms, these technologies help us land implementations faster and at a higher rate of accuracy.
Last, but certainly not least, for many months Anvil has been developing a supplier discovery tool. For sourcing teams, so often the holy grail of an initial sourcing process is driven by the volume of quality suppliers which can be entered into the mix. Thus, a solution which can utilise an AIpowered search into the world of available suppliers subdivided by geography and category/chosen taxonomy is a real game-changer. Wind forward to the current day and
“Anvil was keen from the offset to innovate AI solutions which were true to the tool’s humble beginnings: practical, easy to use and precise”
Richard Brown, Head of Sales & Marketing
the Anvil solution is now in the very final development stages, something which both the organisation and our clients are incredibly excited about.
Where else does the company support users beyond spend analytics?
Away from the world of more recent developments, perhaps one of Anvil’s most important innovations in its history to date has been our Carbon Management product.
It’s no secret that understanding scope 3 carbon emissions for many organisations is an unmitigated nightmare. For those newer to the subject, scope 3 emissions are most heavily made up of carbon emissions resulting from an organisation’s purchases and the emissions generated as result of manufacturing the products or delivering the services purchased. Traditional methods of
understanding this figure would involve organisations reaching out via large-scale questionnaires to its supply base, to gather information directly from them. Due to a number of reasons, however, this approach is rarely effective with so few companies able to accurately report on their own in-house emissions.
Anvil’s Carbon Management product then is placed as a ‘silver bullet’ allowing organisations to report on their scope 3 emissions enabled via a series of configurable dashboards and an accompanying Anvil-built Project Management tool to help manage carbon reduction initiatives. Anvil’s process of measuring emissions follows the Green House Gas (GHG) global protocol methodology and combines a range of both carbon and financial data to present the most accurate approximations available. As a starting point, Anvil will gather data from a client’s ERP (invoicing) system to piece together invoice line item spend against each service and product. This then kicks off a spend approximation piece of work, which
is then later enhanced by a range of additional methods including the use of quantity-based data.
The tool brings many benefits but beyond those brought about as result of the newfound visibility, perhaps the most useful attribute of the service has been Anvil’s ability to help clients proactively drive carbon out of their supply chain by providing insights into different strategies/approaches and the net impact of them when fully implemented. Examples of this in recent times have been the move of a UK-based client to a purely electric vehicle fleet for deliveries. Visibility into the net carbon impact allowed the organisation to properly evaluate the holistic impact of the initiative.
What roles do market data and commodity insights play in the business model?
Whilst not exclusively the case, a large portion of Anvil’s product offerings are powered by a client’s invoicing data.
In practical and efficient terms, this means that once Anvil’s team of data experts have successfully cleansed and categorised the data, a series of products can be quickly implemented. These efficiencies are both reflected in the pricing model and also the number of modules/solutions which Anvil’s average client buys into – with this number now approaching three products on average.
This shift in ‘average basket size’ is reflective of a market keen for both best-of-breed tools and a toolkit which is easily accessible and follows the same design language. Anvil has capitalised on this by expanding its analytical suite whilst at the same time, maintaining relationships with other key providers within the space for clients wanting to have an integrated Source to Contract system, for example including modules such as Contract Management and even eSourcing.
Away from the world of Carbon Management and a simple 1:1 engagement, Anvil has been working across the world of Private Equity to develop their ‘cube of cubes’ solution. This has enabled large portfolio organisations to look across their world of spend to drive spend-based efficiencies across all portfolio companies tackling complex challenges such as cash delivery and financial savings. As part of this work, Anvil partner directly with a number of global procurement services organisations to provide a holistic service to their Private Equity clients.
Where can readers find further information?
If you’d like to learn more about Anvil’s product range or even watch a series of short product demonstrations, the best place to visit is www.anvilanalytical.com.
The team can additionally be reached via the Anvil Analytical LinkedIn page.
ADDED VALUE
Events
Richard highlights how Anvil Analytical is attending more industry events to network and engage with procurement professionals.
“Members of the Anvil team can increasingly be found at procurement conferences across Europe and North America,” says Richard. “The team have just returned from their first sponsorship and speaking slot at the Amsterdam based DPW event and can next be found at PSI London in March 2025.”
Connect with Richard
The green future of procurement in the public sector
Insights from the World Economic Forum highlight the four biggest hurdles governments need to overcome to leverage green procurement.
Green public procurement could lead to transformative changes, according to new insights from the World Economic Forum, but there are critical hurdles to overcome – such as high costs and outdated frameworks.
urrently, governments worldwide are spending $10tn on goods and services, contributing 15% of greenhouse gas emissions. Cities and governments can
significantly reduce this number and accelerate sustainability goals by leveraging publicprivate partnerships, but they first will need to overcome these four hurdles.
Consolidating fragmented systems
Public procurement is often decentralised with differing objectives, processes and resources across departments, regions and agencies. This creates bureaucratic challenges for mainstreaming sustainable practices.
To address this, governments are adopting more unified approaches to green procurement. By aligning standards and sharing data across agencies, they are enhancing collaboration and enabling holistic change.
Managing the green premium
The high cost of sustainable goods and services – often referred to as the green premium – can be a major challenge when enabling green procurement.
However, some governments – such as the Canadian government – are pooling resources through partnerships, using phased procurement to spread costs and offering financial incentives to make green choices more practical and appealing.
“The government of Canada is using the total cost of product ownership to better assess the benefits of green procurement,” says Nick Xenos, Executive Director for the Centre for Greening Government, Government of Canada.
“We are partnering with the private sector to green federal buildings through energy performance contracts that use energy savings to pay for building upgrades.”
Modernising procurement frameworks
Green procurement demands adaptable policies – not outdated regulations that limit flexibility and innovation. To build a sustainable procurement strategy, you need to support long-term supplier relationships, facilitate creative sourcing and take evolving market dynamics into consideration.
With support from the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), many governments are updating regulations and enhancing capabilities to integrate sustainability criteria and foster new relationships with suppliers.
Balancing short-term gains with long-term impact
Political cycles and public expectations often push government leaders toward quick, visible wins. However, truly transformative green public procurement requires a long-term vision for transitioning to a low-carbon, environmentally friendly economy.
The challenge lies in balancing immediate tangible benefits with laying a solid foundation for the future.
Source: World Economic Forum
SUTTON
"The team were professional and diligent throughout"
Leigh Feaviour, CTIO for BT’s Supply Chain
"Absolute pleasure working with the Digital Innovation team"
Mun Valiji, Chief Information Security Officer at Sainsbury’s
"A highly professional approach"
Andy Brierley, Vice President, Cloud Application Modernisation at IBM
"Digital innovation Magazine is a very flexible and professional team"
Kim Larsen CTIO, T-Mobile Netherlands
NEC Thailand partners with Group to launch a Digital Chain platform
with AIRA Digital Supply
The two companies have formed a strategic partnership that aims to provide key services to create robust and efficient supply chain finance programmes.
In continuation of the MOU signed between NEC Corporation Thailand (NEC Thailand) and AIRA Factoring Public Company Limited (AIRA Factoring) in May 2024, the two companies have now formed a strategic partnership to launch Digital Supply Chain financing platform.
Through this collaboration, NEC Thailand and AIRA Factoring will provide a range of key services, including utilising TASConnect, and other digital capabilities of NEC to create robust and efficient supply chain finance programmes. Additionally, the partnership will focus on client acquisition by targeting specific groups and markets to identify and capitalise on new business opportunities.
Akrawit Sooksai, CEO of AIRA Factoring, emphasises the
critical role of business loans in helping SMEs sustain their operations, particularly for ongoing working capital needs. The CEO projected that the implementation of Supply Chain Financing (SCF) would enable AIRA Factoring to increase its annual credit disbursement by over 10%, from THB 19bn in 2024 onwards.
By digitising credit management processes, strengthening supplier relationships and improving cash flow management for clients, AIRA Factoring
aims to deliver benefits across all stakeholders – including sellers, buyers and the company itself –while expanding its customer base sustainably.
“AIRA Factoring is committed to strengthening Thai SMEs by
enhancing their financial liquidity,” says Akrawit. “For new businesses, obtaining loans from traditional financial institutions can be challenging or even impossible. However, with invoices as supporting documents, SMEs can demonstrate their actual sales performance.
“AIRA Factoring is committed to strengthening Thai SMEs by enhancing their financial liquidity”
Akrawit Sooksai, CEO of AIRA Factoring
“By leveraging its expertise, NEC aims to support partners like AIRA Factoring in enhancing their financial services through efficient and automated digital solutions”
“In addition to serving our clients, we are actively sharing this knowledge with members of the Thai Factoring Association and financial institutions, showcasing the capabilities of modern solutions that enable efficient and automated processes.”
Ichiro Kurihara, President of NEC Thailand, explains that NEC remains committed to its strategy as a leading ICT provider while expanding its capabilities in the digital finance sector.
By leveraging its expertise, NEC aims to support partners like AIRA Factoring in enhancing their financial services through efficient and automated digital solutions. Collaborating with AIRA factoring to launch Digital Supply Chain Platform marks a significant milestone in this partnership.
“AIRA Factoring and NEC Thailand have prioritised a digital supply chain financing platform that can support manufacturers with easier and faster access to funding”
Embracing the Thailand 4.0 strategic focus, AIRA Factoring and NEC Thailand will offer innovative and sustainable technology that will allow the industry to move to a value-based economy model.
With the Thai manufacturing sector as a vital contributor to the nation’s
economy, AIRA Factoring and NEC Thailand have prioritised a digital supply chain financing platform that can support manufacturers with easier and faster access to funding, contributing to overall economic growth in Thailand.
Source: NEC Thailand
How to manage in logistics
Proactive,
solutions when dealing with subsidence can protect operations and profitability.
The global logistics industry was valued at $9.41 trillion in 2023 and is projected to exceed $14.08 trillion by 2028.
in such an essential sector delays are not an option, and facility managers must maintain seamless operations to keep the global supply chain running smoothly.
Alongside key insights from geotechnical contractor Geobear, we’re exploring the financial impacts of subsidence in logistics centres, the potential cost of disruptions and strategies for effective management while maintaining operational targets.
Subsidence, which causes uneven floors and cracks in concrete slabs, presents a significant risk
to logistics centres. These issues disrupt operations, damage equipment or inventory, and compromise workplace safety.
Failing to identify early warning signs of subsidence and settling for invasive remediation solutions can result in costly downtime and disrupt these critical facilities’ efficiency and profitability.
The threat of subsidence in logistic centres
Subsidence occurs when the ground beneath a built asset sinks, shifts or forms voids which causes the asset’s foundation
to settle. In logistics centres, this often results in uneven floor slabs – disrupting automated systems, threatening safety protocols and leading to significant operational inefficiencies.
Automated systems like conveyor belts and automated storage and retrieval systems depend on stable, level surfaces to function efficiently. Misalignments caused by subsidence
can result in unplanned downtime, equipment failures and unbudgeted repairs.
Uneven or shifting floor slabs can cause warehouse inventory storage shelving to lean, reducing their safe use or collapsing in the worst cases. Similarly, forklifts operating on uneven floors may make those areas unusable for forklift traffic, forcing an unoptimised re-route.
Financial impact: a realworld example
Subsidence can have severe financial and operational consequences –evident at one of Europe’s largest bottling facilities in southwest England, where differential settlement of up to 36mm disrupted operations.
The settlement only became apparent after the 80,000m² facility was fully
loaded, exceeding tolerance limits and compromising the structural performance of its floor slabs.
Traditional underpinning – often used to stabilise foundations – was unsuitable due to the months of downtime it would require, risking substantial revenue losses.
To combat this issue, Geobear implemented a tailored solution using
“The geopolymer technology developed by Geobear offers a non-invasive alternative”
small, mobile pumping units designed to fit the facility’s narrow aisles. By injecting geopolymer material, the company restored the floor slabs to within a 4mm tolerance without impeding operations.
This approach allowed business operations to continue uninterrupted while meeting all health and safety criteria. As the process required only electricity to power the pumps, it posed no environmental or hazardous risks and no potential for water contamination.
Non-invasive solutions for modern facilities
While slab replacement is a traditional approach, it’s often impractical for active logistics centres that cannot afford extended shutdowns.
“By choosing noninvasive alternatives, asset operators can ensure the long-term integrity of their logistics centres while maintaining operations and meeting performance targets”
Slab replacement requires access for heavy equipment, the movement of any automation processes or equipment installed in the vicinity, and measures to control the noise, dust, and construction during this process. Repair time is typically measured in weeks.
The geopolymer technology developed by Geobear offers a noninvasive alternative. This method improves the ground in hours rather than weeks, without the need for
major excavations and operational halts.
This adds value for facilities where any unplanned downtime adversely affects the daily or weekly KPIs. Improved efficiency allows facilities to address subsidence without compromising revenue, safety or service delivery.
To protect their asset flow and secure their KPIs, facilities managers should add subsidence monitoring to their
operations maintenance planning. If they notice issues of subsidence, immediate action is recommended. Understanding your options is critical.
By choosing non-invasive alternatives, asset operators can ensure the long-term integrity of their logistics centres while maintaining operations and meeting performance targets.
Source: Geobear
Overhaul to accelerate strategic growth
The $55m in equity funding was led by Springcoast company to establish itself as the
accelerate AI innovation and with new funding
Springcoast Partners, and will enable the the ultimate integrated solution.
Overhaul, the industry leader in active supply chain risk management and intelligence, recently secured $55m in equity funding led by Springcoast Partners (Springcoast), with follow-on participation from existing investors Edison Partners and Americo.
he growth investment from Springcoast will fuel Overhaul’s continued advancements in artificial intelligence and support its strategic acquisition roadmap.
This funding comes at a crucial time for the industry, as macroeconomic and global trade dynamics drive significant transformation in supply chain operations. Proactive risk management is essential as shippers manage new routes, and funding for smaller software vendors has grown increasingly scarce – creating new opportunities for consolidation.
In this environment, Overhaul is uniquely equipped to expand its portfolio of solutions through product investment and acquisition.
“Springcoast’s investment, together with continued support from Edison Partners and Americo, is a testament to the strength of our vision and the value we deliver to our customers,” says Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul. “The supply chain technology space will see significant consolidation over the next 12 to 24 months.
“Overhaul is well-positioned to establish itself as the ultimate
integrated solution, delivering a comprehensive suite of tools for supply chain risk management, efficiency, and visibility under a single trusted platform. I am confident that Springcoast will play a pivotal role in supporting Overhaul’s leadership to successfully execute this vision.”
Overhaul safeguards over $1.4tn in cargo trade continuously, achieving a 99.9% shipment protection rate. The company delivers actionable visibility for millions of shipments and boasts an industry-leading 96% recovery rate for cargo theft.
“I am confident that Springcoast will play a pivotal role in supporting Overhaul’s leadership to successfully execute this vision”
Barry Conlon, CEO of Overhaul
As global supply chains face unprecedented changes, Overhaul remains at the forefront of enabling businesses to build worldclass, secure and resilient operations. This strategic investment will enable the company to: Advance AI-driven capabilities: Enhance Overhaul’s proprietary AI technology to proactively identify and mitigate risks, providing customers with unparalleled supply chain visibility and control.
Enhance customer value:
Continue delivering cutting-edge solutions that empower customers to protect high-value, timeand temperature-sensitive cargo, ensuring operational continuity and security.
Pursue strategic mergers and acquisitions: Identify and integrate key acquisitions that expand Overhaul’s reach and capabilities, accelerating its mission to lead the market in active risk management.
“Overhaul goes beyond visibility, delivering actionable intelligence,
“Overhaul goes beyond visibility, delivering actionable intelligence, robust risk management and rapid ROI”
Chris Dederick, Principal at Springcoast
robust risk management and rapid ROI,” says Chris Dederick, Principal at Springcoast. “Customer feedback has been exceptional. We look forward to partnering with Barry and his team to help strategically scale their business.”
“Barry and his team have positioned Overhaul as a global leader in active
supply chain risk management and intelligence,” adds Holger Staude, Managing Partner at Springcoast. “We believe the company’s fully integrated solution sets it apart in the market, and we are excited to support their go-forward growth plan.”
Source: Overhaul
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In the Company of...
Welcome to our spotlight profile feature where we chat with the leaders and innovators in the supply chain, procurement and logistics industries.
For this month’s In the company of… we sit down with Gabriele Bartolucci, Head of Procurement at SEKO Industries Srl.
A brief summary of your role and what your company does.
SEKO Industries
Srl is a historic Italian company, known worldwide for the production of barn animal feeding machines. The company was acquired in 2022 by private equity IBLA CAPITAL, which in 2024 acquired the historic KONGSKILDE brand from CNH, transferring its production to Italy. I am responsible for the Supply Chain.
How did you start working in procurement?
In 1997 I started in a hardware store as a warehouse worker: my first job was to lift the shutter in the morning and close it in the evening – since then I have never stopped getting my hands dirty.
What has been the most important moment of your career to date?
Having foreseen the consequences of the chipset crisis in 2020 in time to avoid its consequences: I was purchasing director in a telecommunications company at the time and we avoided a tsunami.
Which emerging trend do you think will be most crucial in your industry in the next ten years?
The integration of production systems through low-latency communication protocols will make our supply chains more and more efficient, making certain business functions disappear in the blink of an eye and activating new ones that are unimaginable today, as the social media manager was only 15 years ago.
If you could spend a day in the life of another profession, what would it be and why?
I would like to be a lighthouse keeper for a day: the sea frightens me, but I can't resist the breath of freedom I feel looking at the horizon.
Outside work, what helps you feel like the best version of yourself?
I love this cocktail: books & long walks whenever I can.
Before we go, what advice would you like to share with our readers?
People work and make a difference even when we run out of power and the PC doesn't work: handle with care and respect.
Learn more about SEKO Industries Srl here.
Connect with Gabriele