Initial situation
Before the advent of digitalisation, ordering was one thing above all else: time-consuming. Catalogue research with various suppliers, manually filling out order forms, complex approval and archiving processes as well as non-transparent processes relating to incoming goods and invoice verification. The result: high process costs that sometimes exceeded the actual cost of goods.
Solution
With simple system, Siteco and Sonepar are digitising their procurement and sales process via a neutral platform that deliberately does not interfere with the direct relationship between buyer and supplier. The actual collaboration continues to take place directly between the parties, while simple system serves as a medium through which the results of this collaboration become visible to the buyers: optimised product ranges, agreed prices, and clear process rules.
For Dieter Fabricius, who is responsible for indirect purchasing at Siteco, this also means a new quality in the supplier relationship: "Bundling via the platform has not only resulted in greater efficiency, but also more reliable cooperation with personal contacts at Sonepar.
Both sides have defined clear rules of the game: Small orders with disproportionately high process costs are consistently avoided. In this way, process costs and goods costs always remain in a sensible relationship to one another.
What makes a good buyer-supplier relationship on a platform
Christian Morche, Head of E-Business at Sonepar Germany Region West, names four basic rules that enable strong partnerships in the long term:
- Trust, honesty and transparency
- High data quality and digital rules
- Fast response
- The human factor
Result
Both companies benefit from a procurement solution that does not treat efficiency and personal partnership as a contradiction in terms. Siteco gains access to a large product range, fair prices and transparent processes via simple system. Sonepar can actively shape its own ordering and logistics culture. And the time that used to be spent on operational ordering processes is now available for strategic agreements.
