Supply areas are one of the pillars of companies, which is why they must be agile, strategic and transparent. One of the critical points is precisely the agility of its operations. However, with the use of technology and good practices this factor can be considerably optimized.

By gaining  agility in processes, supply areas can anticipate or detect changes in business conditions  and make effective decisions that quickly respond to these variations in the conditions of their operations.

In this sense, increasing agility in supply processes  allows us to meet three priority objectives:  converting purchasing areas into a valuable team within companies, reducing procurement costs and, finally, increasing the satisfaction of user areas. of the organizations.

Technology: a key factor

Without a doubt, technology is a basis for building a more modern and agile supply area. Some strategies leveraged in technology can be:

1.Unify business systems

Going from a “patchwork quilt” to a single environment for supply management has benefits such as: increasing the visibility of purchasing data, facilitating communication between areas to speed up decision making, reducing infrastructure costs and realizing Large-scale updates faster.

The recommendation is to take the next step and acquire an end-to-end service that covers the entire process from budgeting to supplier payment.

2.Migrate applications to the cloud

 Changing on-premise  platforms to  cloud  helps make processes more flexible and guarantee accessibility to interested parties at any time, which contributes to the agility of purchasing areas.

3.Use the data generated in the area

Increasing visibility and use of information is key to transforming Purchasing areas. One of the different uses is to analyze data in the supply and demand processes to optimize hiring, reduce times and implement agile practices that impact the results of the area.  

Some recommended tasks

Like technology, it is also important to include some practices in your daily life. That is why we recommend some actions that can be implemented:

· Have a list of backup suppliers in case the main suppliers cannot meet the organization’s requirements.

· Mitigate risk for the company by actively monitoring suppliers to ensure their solvency and ability to satisfy demand.

· Conduct internal training programs so that each person on the team has knowledge about operations. This is key to reducing the learning curve in cases of expansion, creation of new roles or responsibilities in the area.

· Prepare action plans in case of surpluses or shortages of materials or fluctuations in suppliers, this to ensure that the supply chain does not stop.

Supply areas that seek to become strategic allies in companies undoubtedly require evaluating the way they use technology in their processes and the agility in the execution of strategies.  When good practices, human talent and technology come together, the results of the areas change radically.

Source: GEP.