Central Co-op has also entered into a partnership with Inspired Energy , a consultancy which is helping various co-ops with the process of buying utilities .
Lockwood continues : “ Their insight so far with regards to the environment has been massively powerful . They ’ re helping us future-proof ourselves as an organisation which , in essence , involves buying smartly and buying with the right people – but also looking at who we are in terms of sustainability , which is at the heart of what we do .”
understand the motivations of Central Co-op and its colleagues . As a provider of supplies and workplace solutions , the firm introduced a bio-hygiene cleaning product which has proved to be a roaring success in terms of cost reduction and environmental benefits .
Technology-wise , Central Co-op recently implemented a purchase-to-pay solution provided by Zycus , a pioneer in cognitive procurement software . Positive impacts have already been seen in various departments through the automation of processes which were previously paperbased or required manual inputting .
Lockwood adds : “ We ’ re trying to create a core of suppliers who we work with and , instead of us just going to them , we want it to be a two-way street , giving them the opportunity to talk about what they can do .
“ For us , with our suppliers , whether it ’ s in the retail business , property business or funeral services , that ’ s a common approach we ’ re trying to roll out at the moment .”
Looking ahead With eyes on the future , Lockwood believes macro-economic factors and the growing importance of sustainability must remain key considerations in the procurement space .
The war in Ukraine has , of course , had a profound impact on the supply chain and forced companies to rethink their suppliers .
“ We are living through turbulent times ,” Lockwood concludes . “ What ’ s going on in Ukraine has been utterly horrendous and there has been a huge knock on effect throughout the world .
“ One of the things I ’ m looking at and considering is the ability to source locally because shipping goods over from the Far East is more expensive . Sustainability ’ s massive as well , so local sourcing is important when we start looking at our carbon footprint .
“ I think for us , working in procurement , we ’ re probably going to find more challenges and demands in understanding who our supply base is in more detail and measuring their impact on the environment .”
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