Implementing Cost Reduction Programmes – Logistics and Transactional Processes

作为我们最近指出的读者之一，我们忘记了我们没有发布该系列的最后一部分 - 我们对此表示歉意。迟到总比不到好！

我们在这里说，我们也是许多企业和实际部门组织的相当长的经济和政治不确定性。如果它导致积极成果，但我们怀疑许多组织将采取谨慎态度的规划和风险管理。他们也可能要求采购函数来查看如何实施效率或降低成本计划。

We are big supporters of procurement playing a strategic role and helping to drive growth and revenue; but at times, our focus will inevitably be on those cost issues. So how can procurement deliver benefits, without resorting to the rarely effective (and frankly embarrassing) approach of “asking all our suppliers to reduce their prices by 5%”.

当它归结为时，只有相对少量的方式，可以实现成本降低的最终目标。我们在这里开放讨论并被证明是错误的，但我们在本系列中的第一篇文章中描述了六个我们认为这几乎涵盖了它。今天，我们将讨论六个清单中的最后一个 -物流和交易流程。

There are a wide range of possible opportunities sitting under this heading. That ranges through reducing stockholding or transportation costs, all the way to improving payment processes. The commonality here - the reason we have considered them together - is simply that they sit outside what we often see as the "core" procurement tasks around strategic sourcing, category and contract management.

然而，与这些领域有相当大的成本和机会，但往往都可以隐藏。因此，在寻求效率的机会时，审查这些过程可能是有益的。这只是一些可能证明探索的领域成本。

• 内部采购流程和政治适合目的;或者在官僚主义和昂贵的情况下，即使是收费隐藏？例如，委派授权级别设定在合理水平上？

• Are there opportunities to reduce the cost of low-value ordering and payment processes, such as use of purchasing cards, or other automation options that can achieve the same results?

• 但请注意，该渠道morespend through the professional procurement function (rather than less) might also be a potential route to savings if it has been badly managed elsewhere or simply not managed at all!

• Moving to eInvoicing is perhaps not a route to rapid cost savings but undoubtedly has benefits. And depending where you are starting from in terms of your invoicing processes, a supply chain finance programme can certainly bring clear bottom-line gains, whether the benefits are considered to be "savings" or "income".

• Have the logistics costs of inbound goods been properly analysed and considered? Might there be opportunities to consolidate deliveries or even buy "ex factory" and arrange shipping directly?

• In terms of stockholding (working capital) costs, can responsibility be passed back to the supplier (“consignment stock") or are there simply opportunities to reduce stock levels and any external storage costs through analysis of stock levels, better planning and management?

显然，在这些领域需要一些专业知识，可能是在采购函数之外，可能在金融或供应链管理之外。因此，我们寻找采购在这里显示领导和一些创造力，同时愿意和能够在与同事的团队中成功地工作，以便推动这种利益。