AUTOMATION – GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
INNOGY
80 procurement is one of the most complex jobs you can have – you need to understand the business , processes and the latest innovations in an increasingly digital world . You need to understand the products and costs involved , compliance , purchase-to-pay processes , even health and safety and data security ,” says Piepel .
Amid rapid digitisation and transformation , roles can change quickly so it ’ s not always about employing those with the best ‘ technical ’ skill or the most specific qualification . “ It ’ s important to have the right people with the intellectual capabilities to adapt to new situations . You need smart people – it ’ s about brains and , very importantly , passion . We then try to give the highly skilled people freedom and trust . A buyer has to have room to negotiate , find new and innovative suppliers worldwide and interact with technical departments . You also have to reward staff , recognise who is doing a great job and encourage them to be braver , even get into arguments with technical people because they may have a better and more digital solution .”
AUTOMATION – GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS
Procurement involves a number of processes in any company , and as innogy was quick to recognise , automating as much as possible means more time is freed up for staff to make the most of their talents .
“ To create a great organisation , you must centralise procurement as much as you can . We need these experts ”
— Ulrich Piepel CPO , Innogy
AUGUST 2018