EY
Transformative Change Extending the procurement family philosophy to suppliers is a natural extension and one that forges stronger connections and leads to better results . “ We put a lot of pressure on our suppliers to bring innovative ideas to us . I mean , that ' s what they are supposed to do , and they are doing that because we have a number of true success stories ,” Phelan says .
One example is a sustainability drive in the hotel sector . “ How often does one really need to have the towels in the hotel room or the sheets on the bed washed ? You go into a hotel today , and they ’ re washed every night . Well , now you can check that card and opt out ,” he says .
To enhance well-being for their travellers , procurement family members in the talent category worked with suppliers to provide stretchy resistance bands on longhaul flights to relieve tension . These are ostensibly simple projects , but , as with the handful of other examples Phelan shares , they belie the nuance of the procurement teams that worked diligently and tirelessly on them behind the scenes .
“ Getting that mobilised across an organisation of our size is a tough task , but it ' s an important thing to do ,” he says . " So , there are examples like that , where we ' re trying to go beyond the quantitative value into the brand value .” supplychaindigital . com 65