What we do in Supply Chain
Supply chains are critical infrastructure for businesses that sell physical products, an ‘external enterprise’ comprising numerous suppliers responsible for everything from raw materials to finished products, transportation, and management systems. These trade patterns are complex; supply chains have been built over time to reflect global markets and centres of excellence.
For all the money a business makes, around 70% is spent working with these external suppliers (The State of Spend). As procurement and supply chain specialists, our role is to help organisations spend that money wisely and ensure an optimised flow of goods and materials to meet business and customer needs.
What are today’s Supply Chain challenges?
Recent years have thrown supply chains into the spotlight, mainly focussed on the causes of and impacts of disruption and what businesses can and should do to add greater resilience. However, supply chain consulting is much broader and encompasses both the operational and commercial aspects of how things flow around our extended business. Typical challenges the business is looking at today include;
Adapting to geopolitical, climate and disruptive forces
Delivering end-to-end value chain visibility for faster, smarter decisioning
Embedding resilience into legacy supply models where agility is needs
Identifying, adopting and future proofing with more sustainable practices.
Understanding, road mapping and adopting new digital methods and tools
Assuring value for money and wastage minimisation to fund investments
The supply chain goes a long way beyond freight and logistics; it’s the beating heart of a business and sits at the forefront of boardroom conversations and business, sustainability, and technology transformation. As procurement specialists, we provide commercial supply chain expertise that enables our clients to optimise, solve challenges, and innovate by working with the right partners.
But what can procurement bring to Supply Chain?
Commercial and operational expertise work hand in hand on Supply Chain, and such is the breath of expertise; it’s very rare to find them in one person. At Proxima, we typically offer tactical, strategic, and transformational commercial support, always focussed on if and how to make a business better by working with suppliers. This might mean analysis and remediation of current activities through to big, bold ideas that deliver and embed a step change. It goes a long way beyond running sourcing events;
Innovation
Curiosity and knowledge sharing is at the heart of what we do. Our clients rely on us to bring fresh ideas and perspectives that become new solutions and ways of working.
Building Relationships
Supply chains are also a network of different people, and to truly understand, collaborate, and add value, trusting relationships need to be built.
Driving change
At Proxima, we are famous for getting things done. Purposeful and profitable change depends upon consistent, high-quality delivery and taking people with you on the change.
Adaptation
Supply chains need to be agile and adaptable, as do commercial professionals, thriving on change and the possibility of change.
Purpose
Thinking beyond price and more about value, helping businesses to achieve more than they thought was conventionally possible.
