Webinar recording: Innovation in procurement: The successful concepts of the BME Award winners ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK, SONAX and OCULUS

Purchasing management in SMEs is often associated with special challenges. Companies have to reduce costs, optimize supplier relationships and at the same time adapt to volatile markets. The webinar "Innovation in purchasing: The successful concepts of the BME Award winners ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK, SONAX and OCULUS" used three outstanding case studies to show how medium-sized companies were able to transform their purchasing processes using innovative approaches and digital tools such as Tacto.

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ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK: Data-driven purchasing processes for maximum efficiency

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Robin Lippmann (Purchasing Manager at ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK) was confronted with enormous data complexity. Thousands of data records had to be maintained manually using Excel - an error-prone and time-consuming process.

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The solution approach:

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ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK implemented the Tacto software solution to digitalize all purchasing processes. The focus was on automating operational tasks such as maintaining supplier data and monitoring procurement risks. In particular, the availability of real-time analyses made it possible to significantly speed up decision-making processes.

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The results:

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• Automated supplier communication: inquiries and feedback are now handled automatically and centrally via Tacto

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• Real-time data analyses: key purchasing figures such as supplier performance and prices are clearly displayed on dashboards

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• Time savings: The introduction led to a massive reduction in administrative effort

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Within a short space of time, considerable process costs were saved, operational efficiency increased and transparency in purchasing raised to a new level.

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SONAX: Strategic risk management through IBR analysis

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Dr. Stephanie Burghart (Chief Procurement Officer at SONAX) relies on a self-developed risk management strategy in purchasing: the Integrated Procurement Risk Analysis (IBR). This model takes into account not only purchasing volumes and prices, but also the strategic importance of purchased parts.

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The solution approach:

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The IBR analysis goes beyond the classic ABC analysis. Instead of prioritizing by purchase value alone, the impact of a product on business success is evaluated. An important criterion is whether the lack of a certain component or raw material could jeopardize the production of entire product lines - regardless of the purchase value.

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The results:

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• Risk assessment by cross-functional teams: experts from various departments such as purchasing, production and quality assurance jointly assess the risks

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• Continuous improvement through lessons learned: structured follow-up is carried out after incidents to further optimize processes

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• Transparent basis for decision-making: all risks are assessed using clearly defined criteria and threshold values

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The IBR analysis approach creates a strong system that makes it possible to identify risks at an early stage and initiate targeted measures. This ensures security of supply even in times of crisis.

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OCULUS: Digital supplier management for sustainable growth

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Daniela Choe (Expert of Business Excellence) reported that OCULUS has grown rapidly in recent years, but the purchasing department initially only consisted of three and a half employees. These were almost fully utilized operationally, so that strategic purchasing work hardly took place.

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The solution approach:

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In order to meet the growing requirements, OCULUS decided to introduce the Tacto tool. The aim was to bundle all supplier management in a central digital location and automate time-consuming processes such as supplier evaluation.

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The results

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• Digital supplier onboarding: New suppliers are automatically integrated and relevant documents are stored digitally

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• Central supplier evaluation: Critical suppliers are systematically evaluated and monitored according to defined risk criteria

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• Strategic product group management: data-based evaluations make it possible to identify supplier dependencies at an early stage and develop new sources of supply

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The digitalization of the supplier life cycle has enabled 70% of process costs and 30% of purchasing costs to be saved. The introduction of strategic measures in purchasing was made significantly easier and internal collaboration was strengthened in the long term.

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Conclusion & Outlook

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The success stories of ME MOBIL ELEKTRONIK, SONAX and OCULUS show how innovative approaches and specialized software solutions can strengthen medium-sized companies in purchasing. From the digitalization of operational processes to comprehensive risk assessment and strategic supplier management - the concepts of the BME Award winners show that even complex purchasing structures can be managed efficiently.

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The future of procurement management lies in the increasing networking and integration of smart tools. In particular, AI-based analyses, automated negotiations and sustainable supply chain models will play a key role in the future. It remains crucial for companies to remain flexible and make targeted use of new technologies.

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