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Dear colleague,
Welcome to the second monthly CPO Agenda e-newsletter and our first of 2008. This issue has a special focus on supplier relationship management (SRM), which, with tougher economic conditions beginning to bite, seems to be growing in interest within the procurement community.
Below, I report from an inaugural pan-European SRM conference that took place in Geneva last week. PLUS, weve compiled a special collection of 20 articles on SRM, collaboration and supplier performance management published in CPO Agenda over the past three years.
Also in this issue, a round-up of this months key news stories, including former CPO Jean-Philippe Collins promotion to CEO of the car maker Peugeot (see right). This isnt an event that we see too often in procurement, sadly, but it shows that ambitious, capable, strategically minded CPOs can sometimes make the jump into business leadership roles. And its a great advert for the profession. Lets hope one or two others follow in Jean-Philippes footsteps during the course of 2008.
Kind regards,
Geraint John
Editor-in-chief
Editor's viewpoint
SRM: more than just a reaction to difficult times?
Supplier relationship management (SRM), like any buzzphrase, tends to mean different things to different people. At one end of the spectrum it is little more than good old-fashioned supplier bashing cloaked in fancy language (those who think of it in this way seem to forget that a relationship is supposed to be a two-way thing). At the other, it is one of several possible terms to describe highly collaborative interactions with a small number of strategic partners. In between, SRM encompasses all manner of other issues and perspectives.
This variation was on stark display at the SRM 2008 conference in Geneva last week, the first SRM-specific event run by Worldwide Business Research, organisers of the well-established (and expanding) ProcureCon series. Topics covered by the speakers ranged widely, taking in spend data visibility, performance management, executive sponsorship, managing risk and corporate responsibility issues, innovation and skills development, among others. It wasnt until towards the end of the day that a speaker actually ventured a definition of SRM albeit one general enough to include all of the above. Read more...
SRM special collection:
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GMs long march
The CPO of General Motors, Bo Andersson, talks about the auto makers recent efforts to improve its relationships with suppliers
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The Toyota way
The car giants European purchasing boss, Mark Adams, talks about its tough but fair approach to supplier relationships, and the challenges of applying this model outside Japan
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Getting closer to key suppliers
by Jonathan Hughes and Jeff Weiss
Global research reveals that a lack of alignment between customers and their most important suppliers is restricting long-term value creation
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SRM tests our influencing skills
by Jon Hughes, Mark Webb and Marc Day
Every organisation has between five and 50 strategic suppliers. Unlocking the value in these relationships calls for sophisticated influencing strategies
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Who's the fairest of them all?
by Carlos Cordon and Tom Vollmann
Being seen as an attractive customer by suppliers can pay handsome dividends. But, as always, beauty is in the eye of the beholder
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Trading compatibility
by Chris Ellegaard
Attempts to make a companys internal systems and procedures more effective are often undermined by a lack of understanding about how the changes will affect its suppliers
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For 14 other articles on SRM, visit our special collection |
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In the news
Collin moves into the CEOs seat at Peugeot
Former CPO Jean-Philippe Collin (above) has become CEO of French car maker Peugeot.
Big buyers join forces on carbon emissions
Some of the worlds biggest companies join forces to measure and reduce their suppliers' carbon footprints.
HP offers advice on CSR in small suppliers
IT giant Hewlett-Packard issues a set of guidelines for multinational companies seeking to strengthen social and environmental practices among their smaller suppliers.
Complex supply chains and energy shortages threaten global economy
Extended supply chains and energy shortages are among the biggest risks facing the global economy over the next decade, according to a report by the World Economic Forum.
Chrysler appoints John Campi as its new CPO
Chrysler, Americas third largest car maker, announced the appointment of John P. Campi as executive vice-president, procurement.
Procurement ill-equipped for CEO needs
Procurement departments may be unable to meet the growing demands of CEOs over the next five years because they are not positioned adequately within their organisations.
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