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W1a Introduction

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What is purchasing?

MS6323
Strategic Sourcing and Procurement

KK Lam
Week 1a

Summer 2015

2

What is purchasing?

Or Part of Supply Chain (Manufacturing)

Perspectives on purchasing
1

As a function

– To perform specialised tasks

2

As a process

– To achieve an output

3

As a link in the supply chain

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As a relationship

5

As a discipline

– Knowledge based

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As a profession

– Demonstrable skills and knowledge

– With production and warehousing
– Internal and external focus

3

SCM activities and main business processes
(Source: Ernst and Young Consulting)

4

The Role of Purchasing in an
Organization

What is purchasing?
Definitions

The primary goals of purchasing are:

The classic definition

1.

To buy materials of the …show more content…

In a production environment, it is often considered one component of supply chain management. •

Strategic sourcing techniques are also applied to non traditional area such as services or capital. (wiki)



The term "strategic sourcing" was popularized through work with a variety of blue chip companies

•Is it transactional, commercial or strategic?

•Depth of knowledge and skill

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Its popularity coincides with the trend of outsourcing!

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Steps - the steps in a strategic sourcing process are (- wiki):
1. Assessment of a company 's current spending (what is bought, where, at what prices?).
2. Assessment of the supply market (who offers what?).

Bottomline: Profit-Leverage Effect
Consider a firm with revenue of $100m, purchases of
$60m, and profit of $8m (before tax). A 10% reduction in purchase spend would result in an increase in profit of
75% -- a leverage of 7.5.

3. Total cost analyses (how much does it cost to provide those goods or services?). 4. Identification of suitable suppliers.
5. Development of a sourcing strategy (where to purchase, considering demand and supply situations, while minimizing risk and costs).

Will it be easier to achieve a $6m increase in profit by sales or by cost?

6. Negotiation with suppliers (products, service levels, prices, geographical coverage, etc.).
7. Implementation of new supply structure.
8. Track results and restart assessment (continuous

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