Maturity trajectory

Purchasing: avoid pitfalls

Also, are you looking for the best strategic partnerships to reduce costs, improve processes and increase profits? Avoid the pitfalls of a low purchasing maturity:

A lack of interaction between purchasing and the business.
Hidden risks such as single sourcing, culture differences, etc.
Insufficient M&A purchasing synergies.

This path will increase the maturity of your purchasing actions and hence avoid pitfalls.

What results can I expect?

Higher profits

Reduce costs and/or increase added value with the right TCO methods and create new solutions which can stimulate sales via cross-functionality

Improved working capital
In this respect, we work actively on DSO, DPO and inventory management. Cash is king!

Better compliance
Optimise your purchasing processes and the interaction of purchasers with your business. And meet compliance criteria with ease.

Less risks
Map the potential impact of single sourcing and existing dependencies. Increase allocations with key strategic suppliers and focus on partnerships.

How this is achieved?

Following services are offered :

* Opportunity & solutions screening (sourcing, risks, process improvements, organisation, synergies, etc.)

* Implementation of detected opportunities from A to Z

* Team and/or individual functional coaching in terms of procurement

* Training sessions (from basic to extensive)

Johan is an extremely professional procurement expert. His international experience, coupled with his sound grounding in all procurement matters, makes him a very dependable and knowledgeable asset. Johan is definitively one of the most accomplished experts in terms of procurement tool processes (specifically in e-auction management, spend management, etc.). His broad background and knowledge on purchasing techniques paired with his eye for identifying the best path forward makes him a strong partner to work with. Johan offers the right blend of a “helicopter view” and an eye for detail.

André Bohems (Belgium) - colleague - Telecommunications

Johan is genuinely a global expert, with real experience in his field. I was particularly impressed by his “six levels of supply chain” diagram: the ability to synthetise and communicate his purchasing experience in such a way that other organisations can pick it up and use it for new levels of cost reduction. We all deserve to get what we pay for!

John Niland (Ireland) - advisor - independent

Johan is a top professional in procurement. He worked on several client projects and always got great results; whether it was related to process optimisation, coaching the client, developing strategies or making savings. He simply knows when and how to balance strategy with operations and savings. With his client satisfaction scores, I can trust him with any assignment! I am sure that we will cooperate on more projects in the near future.

Harald Krähe (Netherlands) - customer - independent

Johan is an extremely focused and dedicated senior procurement expert. I’m constantly amazed by his vast and in-depth experience on several verticals. His insight and high level of expertise means he is an excellent resource/business partner. I learnt a lot while having had the privilege of selling my products and services to him when he used to be my customer in the automotive industry.

Pietro Landri (Italy) - supplier - Automotive sector

Johan is a professional Procurement and Strategic Sourcing leader who works at an international level and is up to date with market trends and processes. He works well in a team environment but can also direct and motivate his subordinates to complete their tasks in a timely/productive manner. He has an open mind to new ideas and takes time to give support to his team and colleagues, where required. Johan is very focused on productivity and savings but takes Total Cost of Ownership as the overall decision criteria. I personally enjoyed and gained positive experiences while working for Johan, and would have no hesitation in working with him again.

Neale Morris (UK) - team member - Automation

Potential topics in a tailor-made offering

Strategic sourcing

In this segment, we focus on strategic partnerships with suppliers to reduce costs or to increase/secure added value.

Creating a robust organisation, incorporating TCO elements and risk avoidance will contribute to your SMART objectives.

Business integration

Modern companies have abandoned silo structures. Pull purchasing out of isolation and secure business integration as key element for your company.

This cross-functional approach to operations will positively influence product innovations, growth, cost reduction, etc.

Working capital

Detailed analyses of vendor payment terms/processes, lead times and warehousing. Reduce inbound lead times and improve your working capital.

A more agile supply chain will be created allowing you to interact faster and be more flexible in satisfying customers’ needs.

Merger & acquisition synergies

Develop M&A purchasing synergies between stakeholders during the due diligence process and/or after confirmation.

Achieve synergy results within the defined time-frame, leverage scale effects and maintain/improve trust levels of your shareholders.

International culture

Gain insight into cultural differences between countries, develop better strategies for meetings and achieve better results with European business partners.

We focus on elements such as communication style, establishing trust, dress sense, attending lunches & dinners, etc. Make these differences work for you!

Why do customers use my expertise?

Solutions that work

I do not impose a process or methodology. Before we start with implementation, the business context is jointly analysed and mapped in detail by asking direct questions. Without extensive PowerPoint presentations; just workable solutions.

Get everyone involved

I have strong communication skills: I am in touch with the workforce and C-level executives; I speak Dutch, French, English, German, Spanish and Italian and take cultural differences into account. Consequently, I create better alignments and achieve results which seemed difficult to reach beforehand.

Future-proof processes

With Audi, Volkswagen and Tenneco, I oversaw many process and development audits using my Lean Six Sigma background. Hence, I know what is needed to make processes future-proof.

Increase your profit and working capital. Improve your compliance and reduce risks. The key? A higher purchasing maturity with tailored-made solutions.