The Time for Purchasing

Knee deep in the current global recession there is one thing that is clear; this is the time for purchasing. It’s a time of historically low commodity prices, it’s a time when suppliers are eager to fill capacity and maintain their market share. It’s the time for purchasing and, most importantly, it’s the time for proving our worth.

In times like this it is important to know the lessons of the past in order to keep focus on the bigger picture.

This is the time for purchasing in temrs of bargain hunting or margin squeezing, it’s the time for purchasing to step up to the challenge of really becoming a key value generator. If you see your purpose as a margin squeezer; that is how you will be seen even as the recession ends and focus shifts from savings to innovation and sales.

By taking the responsibility of purchasing as a value adder; you will climb the value chain and that perception will stick; even as corporate focus shifts away from savings (and purchasing, if you will) to more proactive and extrovert activities such as innovations and competitiveness.
The focus of the business world is on purchasing; don’t miss the opportunity to let them know that purchasing is so much more than just squeezing margins and policing contracts.

Leif Bohlin, CEO, IBX Group AB

IBX Group AB

As a pioneer in the field of e-purchasing, IBX delivers measurable impact to client’s bottom lines through its comprehensive Efficient Purchasing framework. IBX serves blue chip corporations globally through proven purchasing expertise, with a high value supplier network and best of breed e-sourcing and e-procurement technology. The company enables its customers to generate sustainable cost savings through better spend visibility, increased spend under management and contract compliance. IBX offices are located in Stockholm (HQ), Antwerp, Copenhagen, Frankfurt, Helsinki, Milan, Oslo, Oxford and Paris.