Webinar recording: Strategic product group management - reducing costs and minimizing delivery risks based on data

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In the webinar, Hans Boot (Partner at Durch Denken Vorne Consult) and Jana Maass (procurement expert at Tacto) showed how companies can make their procurement more efficient with a structured, data-based product group approach.

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It is clear that those who do not actively manage product groups miss out on potential savings, jeopardize security of supply and lose control over strategic purchasing decisions.

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From operational reaction to strategic control

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Product group management means more than just categorizing articles. It is the introduction to systematic, data-based purchasing management that pursues the following goals:

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• Realize cost savings through targeted bundling, framework agreements and benchmarking

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• Identify and manage supply risks, for example in the event of high supplier dependency

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• Creating transparency about purchasing volumes, price trends and conditions

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• Strengthen collaboration through standardized processes and uniform roles

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• Align purchasing strategically, e.g. for sustainability requirements, supply chain laws or innovations

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How to get started: Define & structure product groups

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Effective product group management begins with an analysis of the purchasing volume: who buys what, from whom and on what terms?

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On this basis, a suitable product group key is developed - ideally with a hierarchical structure, clear terms and a manageable number of main groups.

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Typical assignment criteria:

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• Shared materials

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• Comparable technical requirements

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• Same or similar suppliers

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Companies should avoid:

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• Generic categories such as "Other" or "Investments"

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• Too fine a division that has no strategic significance

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• Product groups with low purchasing volumes

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Deriving strategies: How supply and buyer power set the course

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Depending on the company's position in the market - i.e. its supply and demand power - different purchasing strategies arise, e.g:

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• Bundling and standardization with high buyer power

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• Supplier development and innovation with low supply density

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• Benchmarking and comparison of conditions with high market penetration

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• Technical alternatives and specification refinement in the event of supply bottlenecks

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These strategies make it possible to exploit cost advantages , actively manage risks and strengthen your own negotiating position.

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Software-supported implementation - with Tacto as an SRM solution

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Tacto helps companies not only to plan product group management , but also to implement it operationally:

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• Overview of the entire article landscape at the touch of a button

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• ABC analysisto prioritize important product groups

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• Strategy definition including goals, KPIs and measures

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• Centralized action tracking with clear accountability

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• Integration with supplier evaluations, certificates and price developments

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"Tacto turns product group management into a dynamic control instrument - data-based, transparent and easy to use." - Jana Maass, Tacto

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Conclusion: No strategic purchasing without a product group strategy

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Sophisticated product group management is the basis for cost reduction through data-driven decisions, risk hedging along the supply chain, standardization and better collaboration within the company and strategic prioritization and digitalization of purchasing processes.

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The first step? Structuring purchasing data, defining product groups and creating transparency - for example with Tacto as SRM software for SMEs.