SUPPLY CHAIN implemented and then moth-balled as the business changed hands .
“ It left us with a fragmented supplier base worldwide ,” says Erwan Quemener , Director of Global Sourcing , “ and no real rationalisation of the supplier base . So we decided to rationalise this . The number of suppliers managed by my buyers was not sensible , and was actually risky for the business . It is not typically your big supplies that you work with on a weekly or even daily basis that cause the problems , but rather those smaller companies that you don ’ t work closely with that can affect the whole supply chain in cases where they cannot meet your demands . So , in a bid to mitigate risk and implement operational excellence , we decided that our focus would be our main suppliers , thus removing the tier C suppliers .”
Chassis Brakes International parted ways with some 200 vendors - while that may seem hugely significant , the companies that were shed represented just 5 % of the Group ’ s total spend , leaving the company ’ s small supply chain team to work closely alongside the 15 % of its suppliers that represent 80 % of its spend . The plan is to employ a provider to deal with the myriad of manufacturers that make up the 5 % of spend that had previously been so time consuming .
“ We are beginning that process this year , and it will save our buyers a lot of time and money ,” says Quemener .
Digital transformation Aligned with the company ’ s growth and expansion , Romain Laclaverie , Global Purchasing Digital Director , has been restructuring Chassis Brakes International ’ s procurement tools and services for the last two years . He is behind the set-up and the implementation of the company ’ s digital purchasing organisation and procurement centres .
Responsible for master data , he explains : “ Our people are really dedicated in managing transactional activities , cleaning up and making sure that all data are good and can be analysed by buyers to ensure informed decisions . You cannot
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