Author: Kloepfel
Buyers: In demand as never before Sustainability: The Supply Chain Act Risk management: Upgrading procurement Technological progress: Suppliers as innovation partners Skills shortage: slim down purchasing & further qualify it Digitalization: Supply chain transparency Outsourcing: Time for the essentials Upgrading purchasing Never has the topic of supply chains been so present in the public and in the media as in times of the pandemic. This makes it even more important to take a closer look and no longer view purchasing as merely an ordering department: Companies and buyers that address the following seven megatrends will be able to future-proof their…
Supply concepts Currently, shortage situations are shaping many supply chains. In fact, companies are working to link traditional supply chains more directly with end-customer requirements. Taking the pulse of customers and passing it on Dell’s supply chain has long been the model. Customers select their specific configuration and walk past the checkout with their online shopping cart. Only after the order is received does Dell procure components from suppliers to assemble the IT equipment as needed with the specifically configured parts before shipping. In addition to satisfied customers, net working capital is negative because Dell receives money from customers before…
Strengthening buyers and suppliers The order books of Michael Weinig AG are full. Read how the purchasing department of the world’s largest manufacturer of machines and systems in solid wood processing created capacities and strengthened its suppliers against this background. Jörg Bürgers, Head of Strategic Corporate Purchasing at Weinig, explains: “For example, we needed significantly more control cabinets than our production could manufacture. Therefore, we strengthened and developed corresponding suppliers to be able to optimally supply our assembly. It was important here that the cooperation with the new suppliers worked right from the start.” For Jürgen Bundschuh, Team Leader Purchasing…
BGA fears massive disruptions Global supply chains are under massive threat from the spread of the omicron wave. This is emphatically pointed out by the German Wholesale and Foreign Trade Association (BGA). Thus the federation warns these days of disturbances within the global supply chains due to the rising infection numbers by the Omicron variant. The president of the BGA, Dirk Jandura, told Funke-Mediengruppe: “There is no threat of a collapse, but a massive disruption of supply chains – at least temporarily.” With a rather mild course of the infection wave of the Omicron variant, a long-lasting collapse of supply…
Ifo price expectations Both companies and consumers will have to expect further price increases. This was reported on Wednesday by the Ifo Institute, which published the results of a corresponding survey. For the so-called Ifo price expectations, the Munich-based research institute asks companies about their plans for price increases in the coming three months. According to the survey, Ifo price expectations fell only slightly in December to 44.6 points. In November, they were at an all-time high of 44.9 points, the institute notes. Only slow decline in inflation expected Commenting on price developments, Timo Wollmershäuser, head of Ifo’s economic forecasts,…
Damaged supply chains threaten the Easter business The German confectionery industry is looking back on a difficult 2021, according to its own industry association. As the Federal Association of the German Confectionery Industry e.V. (BDSI) reported on Tuesday, the industry’s performance in 2021 was stable in terms of sales and turnover. Production volume, for example, was just above the previous year’s level (+1.3 percent) and sales increased by 2.2 percent. Tense economic situation Nevertheless, there are apparently considerable problems. The BDSI writes that the statistical data situation obscures the view of the clearly tense economic situation in the industry. The…
At the beginning of this year, Marc Kloepfel and Duran Sarikaya, Managing Directors of Kloepfel Consulting, summarized important events of the past year in the following interview. They also talked about challenges and opportunities for purchasing in 2022. How did the year 2021 particularly affect the Kloepfel Group? And what conclusion do you draw from 2021 as an entrepreneur? 2021 was the year of supply bottlenecks and enormous price increases in purchasing. Of course, for many companies the year continued to be characterized by Corona and the resulting restrictions. We as a company have continued to learn over the past…
Corona, skills shortages and supply bottlenecks: teams in purchasing and supply chain management have been facing major challenges for some time now. Add to that the annual wave of price increases just before the end of the year. Many of these factors are almost impossible to influence. But you are not helpless. Because you can take targeted measures to make processes in purchasing more efficient, relieve your employees and make your purchasing department fit for the future. Making processes more efficient through digitization The „Purchasing Barometer for Medium-Sized Companies 2021“ shows: Medium-sized German companies are lagging when it comes to…
Employee interview with Stephan Winkler While Kloepfel’s consultants were conducting an acquisition meeting with a customer, the task portfolio aroused the curiosity of Stephan Winkler, who was acting as the customer’s purchasing manager at the time. What finally motivated him to become a part of Kloepfel and what his daily work as a consultant is like can be seen in the following interview. What was your application process like? It was a “short process.” But now in detail: For many years, I had been familiar with Kloepfel Consulting GmbH through reading the Kloepfel Magazine or through various professional articles. When…
HWWI commodity price index rose in December HWWI overall index rose by 5.3 % (US dollar basis) Crude oil prices fell by 7.9 Natural gas prices rose by 22.3 (Hamburg, January 11, 2022) The HWWI commodity price index rose by an average of 5.3% in December compared with the previous month. All three sub-indices of the HWWI Commodity Price Index, the index for energy commodities, the index for industrial commodities and the index for food and beverages, increased on a monthly average. The prices included in the index for energy raw materials moved in opposite directions. Prices for natural gas…
Supply bottlenecks as the biggest driver of inflation Prices have been soaring for months and will continue to do the same in the new year. Supply bottlenecks are the biggest drivers of inflation. The example of Philippi-Design, which sells decorative items such as lanterns, shows why prices will continue to rise in the future. In China, the production costs for a lantern have increased by 16 percent and the transport costs to Germany have quadrupled. In addition, the price calculation includes a markup for the brand, the trade and also the value-added tax. The consequence of the increased costs is…
Climate-relevant data collection along the supply chain Together with The Climate Choice, Hipp has launched a partner program for the collection of climate-relevant data. In this way, the tradition-rich baby food manufacturer is working with the software platform to decarbonize its supply chain. The Climate Choice recently reported on this in a press release. Basis of a decarbonization strategy As The Climate Choice explains, a software tool is used to record the climate performance of selected Hipp suppliers. According to the company, the platform uses qualitative and quantitative climate-relevant primary data as the basis for a decarbonization strategy. This then…
Heavy burden from price increases for energy and raw materials The Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e. V. (IK) warned last week that record price jumps for energy and raw materials are endangering production. The plastics packaging industry urgently needs relief, it said. Orders must be rejected As the IK points out, the extreme price pressure on electricity and gas, as well as persistently high raw material prices, mean that one in four manufacturers of plastic packaging and films is already having to turn down orders. According to the IK, many companies now see their existence threatened by the development of electricity costs,…
Senior Procurement Consultant (f/m/d) www.kloepfel-karriere.com Procurement Consultant (f/m/d) www.kloepfel-karriere.com
HWWI commodity price index fell in November HWWI overall index fell by 8.6% (US dollar basis) Crude oil prices fell by 2.7% Natural gas prices fell by 17.9% (Hamburg, December 9, 2021) The HWWI commodity price index fell in November after rising sharply in previous months. Compared to October, the index value fell by 8.6%, averaging 92.6% higher than in November a year ago. The price decline was due to the sharp price falls on the energy commodity markets. The strong upward trend in energy commodity prices, which had continued for several months, was interrupted in November as the new…
The order situation is good, but supply bottlenecks make it impossible to meet customers’ needs. According to experts, 70 percent of all German companies in the manufacturing sector face this dilemma. It can take time for the situation to improve. After all, no one knows exactly how the corona pandemic will develop over the next few months. One means of getting a grip on this problem in the long term is 3D printing. With the help of additive manufacturing, companies in many industries are becoming less dependent on sensitive supply chains. In addition, they benefit from other advantages depending on…
30% expect production-threatening supply bottlenecks to continue for more than 12 months Kloepfel Consulting, a management consultancy specializing in supply chains, asked specialists and executives from companies with supply bottlenecks across all industries on Xing and LinkedIn to give their assessment of how long their supply situation will still be at risk. 30% of the 181 participants expect these bottlenecks to last beyond twelve months. The random survey was conducted between 12/11/2021 and 11/16/2021. 29% think their supply shortages will last a year or less. 38% think the situation will ease within the next six months. Only 3% say their…
Lightning speed recruitment process at TFL: Here is what the candidate thinks of it When TFL Ledertechnik GmbH acquired the organic leather chemicals business of Lanxess, a Lead Buyer Technical Procurement role at Chempark Leverkusen popped up to be filled up urgently. For a quick and sufficient solution, the company contacted the Kloepfel Recruiting Team. How did the whole recruitment process take place from the candidate’s point of view? Here is the answer through the eyes of Mr. Leonid Chapiro – the interview competition winner. Could you please tell us about the role you got through Kloepfel Recruiting? They were…