Archive for category: Frontpage Article

Against this background, rewards should function as expectation. Thinking through the worst-case scenario is important, but provided the supplier exceeds your expectations, he should be rewarded for what he has done. This can be an instant payment or a simple thank you. [Sources: 0]

 

Both the customer and the supplier are responsible for the success or failure of the working relationship. Take responsibility for your place in the process and acknowledge that your decisions about delays, timing or changes in project scope can affect the ability of suppliers to do their job. Maintain your sanity and the sanity of your office manager. [Sources: 0]

 

By sharing the results of this analysis with your suppliers, you can develop a more accurate sales plan and work on a common sales forecast and planning. The use of an ordering system to control and monitor the purchase of goods and services from suppliers can be used to facilitate internal financial control and to avoid specification misunderstandings with suppliers in the end. You should also have a payment policy that requires your company to pay undisputed invoices on time, with copies sent to your suppliers. This puts a strain on your relationship with suppliers, but can also lead to more favorable conditions in the future. See our Guide to Storage and Control of Stock. [Sources: 9]

 

When you talk to purchasers and quality teams, one of their main obstacles to good supplier management is supplier information management – the constant maintenance of information. Make sure that the platform you choose allows providers to update their own information systems so that it is easy for them to do so. In this way, they are responsible for maintaining up-to-date information, which is important for all suppliers. For example, set notifications and reminders for vendors whose certificates have expired so they can make a new copy, rather than having to chase them. [Sources: 4]

 

The supplier management process does not end when you have chosen a supplier. After selecting and entering, you will need to evaluate their performance to see if they meet a range of objectives and requirements. To ensure a practical evaluation, make sure you create KPIs to measure performance. [Sources: 3]

 

The following chart shows the basic strategic levels that are necessary to effectively manage suppliers. The execution of basic activities in connection with complex supplier relationships is computationally intensive and expensive. When a company merges data from daily supplier management with data from the broader industry, the company, its vendors and the market, it draws a detailed picture of the source relationships and their potential for improvement. [Sources: 1]

 

The responsibility for supplier relationship management lies solely with the procurement team. Strategies for managing supplier relationships are craftsmanship and can never be achieved without involving internal stakeholders. One villain can bring down the entire process. [Sources: 5]

 

Here are five ways to improve strategic supplier relationships. One of the most overlooked aspects of strategic supplier relationship management is how suppliers are viewed by the purchasing organization. When an SRM considers the entire supply base, strategic suppliers are seen as part of the whole. [Sources: 8]

 

Strategic suppliers, be it strategic issues or cross-functional concerns. Therefore, buyers should be careful to bring their stakeholders together and involve them in the management of the partnership. Companies should invite relevant employees to supplier meetings to discuss performance and future opportunities. [Sources: 8]

 

GM should have a formal system for suppliers to provide it with feedback. Assessment procedures should not be a one-way street. GM cannot be expected to build trust without listening to its suppliers. What we need is to pool resources for joint projects and reassure suppliers that GM is committed to their success. [Sources: 2]

 

Be sure to maintain strong and regular communication with your suppliers. If something doesn’t work for you, let them know. Keep them informed of your strategy and plans so they know where they fit in, how they can help with the plan, and who benefits. If you appreciate their work, let your suppliers know. [Sources: 7]

 

Your suppliers play a big role in your retail business, so don’t neglect them. Strive to find the best providers in your industry, and once you have an agreement, maintain a healthy relationship through communication, professionalism, and good old-fashioned kindness. [Sources: 6]

 

Procurement officials need to research carefully to maintain beneficial relationships with suppliers, not counterproductive showdowns. Poor quality can be expensive, so procurement officials should be more careful in selecting suppliers and learn more about the suppliers they want to know. [Sources: 2]

 

Globalization has torn today’s businesses apart and made business processes more dynamic, competitive and complex than ever before. Organizations engage suppliers to provide various goods and services to maximize business performance. Suppliers are an indispensable part of any business and their effective management is crucial. [Sources: 3]

 

For many organizations, SRM is seen as a tool to manage critical suppliers. In a previous paper, I examined the SRM framework. In researching the entire supply chain, I segmented strategy and supplier initiatives by segment. [Sources: 8]

 

Expenditure management and visibility: not having SRM on board means missing data and poor visibility of expenditure. If you do not know how much is spent on a seller or what is bought in detail, it is impossible to judge whether you are getting the best service value and it is difficult to compare providers. [Sources: 7]

 

If you have a Service Level Agreement (SLA), it will help you to assess the relationship between companies and suppliers as objectively as possible. Not all levels are the same, but it is worth using an SLA to define the level of service you require from your suppliers. [Sources: 9]

 

 

Sources:

[0]: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/r/products-and-manufacturing/10-tips-to-effectively-manage-vendors-and-suppliers/

[1]: https://isg-one.com/third-party-management/isg-governx-spend-management/articles/top-ten-fundamentals-for-managing-suppliers-a-checklist

[2]: https://hbr.org/1989/07/managing-suppliers-up-to-speed

[3]: https://www.zycus.com/blog/supplier-management/understanding-supplier-management-its-benefits-process-and-best-practices.html

[4]: https://spendmatters.com/2019/10/17/5-easy-steps-to-better-manage-your-suppliers/

[5]: https://kissflow.com/procurement/vendor-management/supplier-relationship-management/

[6]: https://www.vendhq.com/blog/supplier-relationship-management/

[7]: https://planergy.com/blog/improve-supplier-relationship-management/

[8]: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jwebb/2018/03/30/how-to-manage-strategic-suppliers/

[9]: https://www.infoentrepreneurs.org/en/guides/manage-your-suppliers/

You want to work with an IT partner that has functional knowledge in addition to the technological ability to extract and re-map the data.  This allows a true partnership that looks at the process from a high level and keeps an eye on the details at the same time.

You need to look for a partner that has experience extracting data from Lawson and mapping to the format needed to upload set up and transactional data to any system and taking extracted data from another system and formatting it into what Lawson needs and uploading the data.  A partner who uses a repeatable process that allows for tweaking the process if needed through testing cycles and then having the final version ready when you are ready to go-live.

When considering a divestiture there are many considerations. Some of these are:

How much history needs to remain on the current books?

How much history needs to be extracted for the divested company?

What happens to any un-paid vendor invoices?  Will they remain on the current company or move to the divested company?

What kind of training will be needed for the divested or remaining users?

What interfaces need to be addressed?  Are there any that need to be moved to the divested company or more importantly changed on the current company to ignore the divested company’s data?

Make sure to start with a BRD – Business Requirement Document – so you have a road map of what is expected throughout the process.  This helps you, the divested parties and your partner know what is expected from all parties.

With the right partner, you can have a smooth and successful transition.

If you find duplicate items in your item master and want to reduce clutter, here are some tips:

1. Items can have multiple ways of being identified. Many items are manufactured by different companies and they really are the same inventory item as they are interchangeable in your warehouse.
2. Use the main manufacturer information on your item master – or the manufacturer information that your main supplier uses for the item.
3. If different vendors provide different manufacturers items for the same item, then on PO13- Vendor Item, indicate the vendor and their item number and their manufacturer information there. This information will default onto a PO when ordering from one vendor vs. a different vendor.  This allows you to have a single item that could be manufactured or supplied by multiple vendors and manufacturers.
4. If there are multiple manufacturers or vendors for the item, then having a way to compare those is also important. Lawson does provide the ability to store manufacturer information in multiple ways – on the item master, on the item location record if a particular item for a location was being purchased from a different Vendor , and on the Vendor Item record. That means there are potentially multiple ways to store and find the manufacturer information for a particular item.
5. POs are another place where manufacturer information for an item is stored so even if you are not storing the manufacturer information on the item master, you might still be able to create a cross reference by looking at your PO line data as well.
6. Once all the options for manufacturer information are exhausted, then the remaining items will need to be matched item by item by description. This can be very time consuming especially since Lawson has a small description field which often requires considerable abbreviation of words in the description.
7. Some additional considerations are to use the any of the other ways items might be classified This includes: generic name, Inventory classes, GL Categories, commodity codes and possibly SKUs if any of these are being stored.