Strong long-term buyer-supplier relationships are crucial for Sonepar Deutschland GmbH

The challenge

Exploiting the benefits of a digital eProcurement solution while maintaining the direct buyer-supplier relationship.

The solution

Digitization of the sales and procurement process via a neutral platform that does not interfere with the relationship between buyer and supplier.

Before digitization, placing an order required one thing above all: time. Researching the catalogs of various suppliers, filling out order forms and manually submitting the order to a centrally responsible person and, last but not least, time-consuming approval and archiving processes seemed like an endless loop. On top of this, there were also non-order-related processes relating to goods receipt and invoice verification. This meant that procurement was not only laborious, but also consisted of a large number of non-transparent processes.

"By bundling suppliers, we not only achieve an increase in efficiency, but also an improvement in quality through personal contacts. These points strengthen trust and security of supply.‍"

Christian Morche
Head of E-Business, Sonepar Germany/West Region

eProcurement solutions can be exactly the right medium for modern procurement. Especially if they are easy to implement and really support the work of the departments concerned or make it significantly faster and more efficient. High process costs, which sometimes exceed the cost of goods, can be greatly reduced by using ePocurement platforms.

"We work with Sonepar not only because of the price negotiations, but also because the cooperation is ideally implemented with certain rules of the game for both sides. With these rules, we can also shape the ordering and logistics culture at Sonepar: An order of just a few euros would never be placed. This means that the process costs are always in line with the actual cost of goods," explains Dieter Fabricius, who is responsible for indirect purchasing at SITECO.

Christian Morche, Head of E-Business at Sonepar Germany Region West, knows that strong long-term buyer-supplier relationships are crucial in order to be well positioned in any economic situation. This is precisely where B2B platforms can strengthen digital procurement. In addition to a fair platform for commercial transactions, four basic rules are fundamental to strengthening cooperation between buyers and suppliers so that challenges and risks can be overcome together: