TECHNOLOGY
Ongoing supply disruption and the prevailing climate of economic and geopolitical uncertainty means there has never been a greater need for procurement to be a strategic business function . This , in turn , is driving the adoption of AI and machine learning ( ML ) solutions in automating the less strategic aspects of procurement – which , traditionally , have been something of a time-sink for the profession .
Procurement leaders are expected to drive the execution and management of contracts in collaboration with internal stakeholders and suppliers . Their teams , meanwhile , are also expected to contribute to the vendor management lifecycle , including areas such as ESG , risk , and performance requirements .
Today , there ' s a raft of procurement automation solutions to do the heavy lifting in these and other areas .
Here , we talk to Jennifer Chaplain – Solution Engineering & Customer Engagement Principal for Aera Technology , which helps businesses use real-time data and AI to predict business risk and opportunity – about the hot areas of procurement automation , the benefits of such solutions , and how businesses can get the most from them . In her role , Chaplain implements the company ’ s core technologies and also designs decision intelligence workflows for global companies . “ I am a passionate evangelist for data science and machine learning to enable predictive , self-healing supply chains ,” she says . “ I guide customers in transformational projects so their systems can react to supply issues autonomously and in real-time , including communication with n-tier suppliers and
“ Technologies that digitise and automate decisions can break down silos across the organisation that hide process gaps ”
JENNIFER CHAPLAIN , SOLUTION ENGINEERING & CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT PRINCIPAL , AERA TECHNOLOGY
100 March 2023