CASE STUDY / KELLY
ADVERT / COLLABORATION
“Our supplier partners have a choice of who they will work with, where they will send their best talent, and who they will align with strategically. We want to be that destination of choice for our strategic suppliers. Our team has aligned our practices with these pillars as a framework for our current and evolving strategy. We see the work we do as both art and science. These supplier partners are dynamic and each brings unique value to our supplier community. We respect that value and continue to look for ways to grow these collaborative partnerships.” One example is work Sands undertook with her Corporate Sustainability Lead colleague to offset the carbon emissions during last year’s supplier event had it been held in person. Having calculated that they would have needed to plant 1,325 trees, Sands approached the supply base to partner on this initiative. “We partnered with an organisation called One Tree Planted, where for $1 you can fund the planting of trees aligned with your specific cause. With the support of our supply chain these new trees are to be planted in Australia,” she says. “This year, partnering with One Tree Planted again, we’re looking to plant 2,500 trees. Aligning with the diverse and inclusive platform of this year’s event, we chose women-owned farming organisations in Rwanda, Malawi, and Tanzania to plant them. “It is a simple but effective way to demonstrate that with our supplier partners we’re collaborating on something that’s bigger than all of us. The societal impact will live on long after we’re gone. Through these two projects we are positively impacting the world where we all work and live.” Sands says there are many examples of how this same collaborative approach helps drive value through its programmes. “Our suppliers have and share informative and relevant supply market insights. They’re hearing things in the market, have a unique perspective and bring diversity of thought. Supply market knowledge is a huge piece that comes out of this activity in terms of commercial value. When you collaborate with your supply chain and they feel valued, they want to do more with you.”
collaboration to the next level Taking supplier
OUR SUPPLIERS HAVE AND SHARE INFORMATIVE AND RELEVANT SUPPLY MARKET INSIGHTS. SUPPLY MARKET KNOWLEDGE IS A HUGE PIECE THAT COMES OUT OF THIS ACTIVITY IN TERMS OF COMMERCIAL VALUE.
QUICK FACT: IN MAY, KELLY HONORED ITS 23 TOP-PERFORMING SUPPLIERS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA, EMEA AND APAC VIA VIRTUAL EVENTS.
Applying the Six Pillars of SRM
Sands says her team leverages the good practice provided by State of Flux’s six pillar supplier management framework across its practice. The six pillars are ‘value, engagement, governance, people, technology and collaboration’. Sands says one of the most important questions her team can ask is ‘what is the value we are creating?' She says the Supplier Strategy and Engagement team has a strong supplier management business case and is rooted in a legacy of exceptional engagement with both internal and external stakeholders as well as alignment to the enterprise strategy. Governance includes a solid supplier segmentation and risk management practices. Kelly also has strong processes for supplier performance management, contracting, on-boarding, and off-boarding. “We have a dedicated group of individuals who carry this work out on behalf of the enterprise and this year we also revised our team’s job descriptions in line with the six pillars. So, our SRM practice becomes a part of our overall, individual job responsibilities," Sands says. “We also have technology that provides visibility, insights and analytics covering the performance of our supply chain." The result of all this, she says, is strong collaboration with its supply chain.
The pandemic accentuated the vulnerability of supply chains and shone a light on those that lack solid supplier management. Companies that have good links with their key partners have priority access to vital goods and services. Effective and agile collaboration with suppliers has never been more important. State of Flux can support you to review your strategic supplier relationships and provide actionable insights to fuel and enable effective joint business planning.
enquiries@stateofflux.co.uk srm.stateofflux.co.uk/2021-report
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STATE OF FLUX
2021 GLOBAL SRM RESEARCH REPORT
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