Procurement and Supply Chain Transformation

What is Digital and Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain?

Digital procurement and supply chain transformation refers to the use of digital technologies and data to optimize and streamline the end-to-end processes involved in the sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, and distribution of goods and services. This can include the use of advanced analytics, automation, artificial intelligence, and blockchain to improve visibility, efficiency, and collaboration across the supply chain.

Sustainable procurement and supply chain transformation involves integrating sustainability principles into the supply chain and procurement processes to minimize environmental impact, promote ethical practices, and create long-term value for all stakeholders. This can include using renewable energy, reducing waste and emissions, promoting fair labor practices, and sourcing materials and products from socially responsible suppliers. The goal is to create a more sustainable and resilient supply chain that supports environmental and social objectives while also driving business success.

Why is TWIN Transformation of procurement and supply chain so important?

The Digital and Sustainable Transformation are referred to as the "TWIN Transformation" because of the many intersections. The TWIN Transformation recognizes that technology and data offer huge and largely untapped potential to advance sustainability goals.

TWIN transformation of procurement and supply chain practices are essential for businesses that want to operate efficiently, responsibly, and sustainably, while also meeting the expectations of customers, investors, and other stakeholders.

Rather than addressing digitization and sustainability in isolation, IPG guides business transformation by combining the two mission-critical functions and competencies to unlock benefits and synergies

Efficiency

Digital tools can help streamline procurement and supply chain processes, reducing inefficiencies and costs. By automating routine tasks, businesses can free up resources and focus on more strategic activities.

Transparency

Digital technology can facilitate greater transparency and accountability in the supply chain. By providing real-time data and analytics, businesses can better track and share information on the sourcing, production, and distribution of goods, making it easier to identify potential issues and address them quickly.

Environmental impact

Sustainable procurement practices can help reduce the environmental impact of production and consumption. By prioritizing responsible sourcing, minimizing waste, and reducing carbon emissions, businesses can mitigate their impact on the environment and promote sustainable practices.

Social responsibility

Sustainable procurement practices can promote social responsibility, by ensuring fair labor practices and human rights protections throughout the supply chain. By prioritizing suppliers that adhere to ethical standards and promoting transparency in the supply chain, businesses can help promote social justice and human rights.

Stakeholder expectations

Customers, investors, and other stakeholders are increasingly demanding that businesses take steps to address environmental and social issues, and digital and sustainable procurement and supply chain practices can help meet those expectations.

Competitive advantage:

By adopting digital and sustainable procurement and supply chain practices, businesses can differentiate themselves from competitors and appeal to customers who prioritize sustainability and ethical practices.

What are the success factors in implementing Digital and Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chain?

By considering these eight success factors, businesses can achieve digital and sustainable procurement and supply chain, driving increased efficiency, transparency, and social and environmental responsibility across the value chain

Leadership commitment and support

A strong commitment from top management is crucial to driving change and securing the necessary resources and investment to implement transformation initiatives.

Collaboration and stakeholder engagement

Collaboration with suppliers, customers, and other stakeholders can help to identify opportunities for improvement and drive sustainable practices across the supply chain.

Data and analytics capabilities

Digital transformation requires access to real-time data and advanced analytics capabilities to enable better decision-making and optimization of supply chain processes.

Technology infrastructure

A robust technology infrastructure that supports data integration, automation, and communication across the supply chain is essential for achieving digital transformation.

Sustainability goals and metrics

Establishing clear sustainability goals and metrics can help to guide transformation efforts and measure progress towards achieving sustainability objectives.

Continuous improvement mindset

A culture of continuous improvement that emphasizes experimentation, learning, and innovation can help to drive ongoing transformation and improvement.

Risk management

Effective risk management strategies are critical to ensuring supply chain resilience and minimizing disruptions caused by environmental, social, and economic factors.

Talent development

Investing in the development of a skilled workforce that can support digital and sustainable supply chain transformation is essential to achieving long-term success.

We are IPG - The Business Transformers

iPG Framework Wheel INNOVATE PERFORM GROW Acceleration Incubation Discovery Baselining Use case profiling Implementation & monitoring Maintain profitability Expansion & leadership Growth strategy iPG INNOVATE · PERFORM · GROW

IPG's "Advanced Procurement & Supply Chain Design" approach offers three key benefits

Modern Procurement Framework

1. Advanced
Procurement and
Supply Chain Segmentation

  • Concept of the "Strategic Fit" provides a targeted solution finding process

2. Procurement and
Supply Chain
Technology Pattern

  • Holistic overview of the technological possibilities at the individual technology levels
  • Significantly faster in finding solutions

3. Open
Innovation

  • Targeted impulses from hand-picked experts and potential technology and implementation partners
  • Steep learning curve, rapid piloting
PositioningBenchmarks
Cause-effect analysisExpert System
Business IntelligenceTrend & Technology Radar
Knowledge transferBest & next Practices
Problem solvingDesign Thinking
KnowledgeInnovative Leaders’ Network

Creating Exceptional Value Out of Open Innovation

LATEST TOP INSIGHTS “Procurement and Supply Chain Transformation”

CLIENT QUOTES ABOUT IPG on “Procurement and Supply Chain Transformation”

IPG's deep experience in Global Footprint & Operating Model re-design was very valuable. Another key success factor was the close integration of concept development with our organization, coupled with a very pragmatic, results-oriented approach. Within a few months, a concise road map was formulated and full buy-in was secured by our management team.

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Reinhard Mayer

Former CFO GETINGE Group

On the way to our new strategy, we asked ourselves the following questions: What are the trends in our markets? How fast are these trends developing? With which market approach do we want to address which of these trends? Under which "guiding idea" do we want to position our new offering? Pragmatic, comprehensible answers emerged in an interplay between "thought ahead" and "developed in a circle of many. The IPG approach paired with very senior consultants has made a decisive contribution to our development.

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Dr. Martin Schefter

CEO / BARTEC Safe.t Technology

We appreciate IPG's guidance in the transformation towards DIGITAL FITNESS. In a broad-based initiative, we were able to uncover significant efficiency reserves in our organization and define future solutions for company-wide JOST process management.

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Joachim Dürr

CEO/ JOST Werke SE

IPG's deep experience in Strategy & Business Model Innovation was very valuable. Another key success factor was the close integration of concept development with our organization, coupled with a very pragmatic, results-oriented approach. Within a few months, a concise road map was formulated and full buy-in was secured by our management team.

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Dr. Jörg Dalhöfer

CEO Bea Group

IPG is a reliable partner in strategy development and implementation. They take the time to involve all stakeholders in the process. Also they have excellent research capabilities that are highly flexible, allowing us to pursue an agile and fast strategy development process. Beyond formulating the strategy, IPG works with stakeholders across the organization to aid implementation, too.

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Dr. Torben Schüttfort

Managing Director Becton Dickinson Rowa Technologies

In just a few weeks we identified the existing improvement potential with the help of the IPG benchmarking approach, derived a coherent road map and achieved full buy-in by our Global Supply Chain Management team. Particularly valuable was the trend analysis conducted by IPG, which drew our attention to some key trends and drivers that will change our supply chain in the medium term and which we were able to take into account appropriately in our strategy.

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Kai Könecke

Chief Supply Chain Officer Emmi

DIGITAL FITNESS along our entire JOST value creation process is a key success factor for us. Together with IPG, we were able to uncover important efficiency potential in purchasing, supply chain and production and define valuable focal points for future digital solutions in company-wide JOST process management

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Dirk Hanenberg

COO JOST Werke SE

We are driving forward the strategic expansion of our purchasing and supply chain function with high priority. With IPG’s guidance, we have been able to create important prerequisites for further increasing our unit's value contribution to the company's success in the future and initiating the transformation toward digitalization and sustainability.

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Markus Schenker

Supply Chain Management Uster Technologies

As recognized Thought Leader and Co-Creator for innovation with an impressive track record in the digital transformation of leading companies, IPG's expertise within the Swiss national INDUSTRIE 2025 initiative, especially with regards to the development of unique digital business models, is highly appreciated!

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Philip Hauri

Platform Manager NEXT INDUSTIES

IPG has helped a lot to focus on creating something really new instead of letting the same thing become more intense. Together with IPG, we have managed to design a fully connected & harmonized operating model and cross-regional shared functions to leverage both our size as well as our expertise. As key result we thereby substantially increased our sales efficiency and productivity.

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Heinz Jacqui

Senior Vice President Gunnebo Group

Thanks to IPG's open innovation approach, we have received interesting solution ideas for our open questions. This gave us fresh ideas and interesting actual opportunities for the future.

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Jussi Takaneva

Head of Industrial, Multimedia and Distribution JAE Europe

As an internationally recognized think tank and consultancy for technology and innovation management, we see IPG as a valuable strategic partner for the expansion of our Science-technology Park. In addition, we benefit from IPG's relevant supply chain expertise in developing and locating highly qualified suppliers for our customers.

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Marion Milanović

Business Development & Shared Services MIND - Milanović Industries Group

The strategic expansion of our commodity group management is a top priority for SBB. With the support of Carsten Vollrath and his team, we were able to realize important steps in expanding our methodological expertise and in deriving commodity group-specific optimization levers and sustainable procurement strategies.

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Dietmar Gessner

Head of Competence Center Commodity Management Swiss federal railways (SBB) AG

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Adrian Jungo

President / Head of Business Development / procure.ch / cablex

Digital procurement is a central field of training for us, in which the BME already plays a leading role. We are proud to have won IPG as a strategic partner for the further expansion of our training program. With IPG's relevant innovation and digitization competence, we offer German procurement organizations a first-class range of services to systematically develop and expand their digital competencies.

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Wilhelm Keienburg

Managing Director BME Academy

IPG is one of the leading think tanks and management consultancies for the holistic transformation of purchasing. Above all, with its relevant innovation competence, IPG is a strategic training partner for us for the systematic development of purchasing 4.0 competencies and the initiation of purchasing 4.0 pilot projects in Swiss companies. logo-procure Andreas Kyburz For over 55 years, the Trade Association for Purchasing and Supply Management “procure.ch” has been accompanying procurement employees at industrial, trading and service companies throughout their professional careers. The association links around 1,000 companies from different sectors and of different sizes, along with 500 private individuals.

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Andreas Kyburz

Managing Director procure.ch

IPG’s deep experience motivated us to investigate our current business model. Carsten Vollrath’s and his team members full commitment moved us further in building new complement digital business model. Our company's holistic vision has changed, first milestone of the project is done. IPG moved us in the process of digital brewing of our new business model, like the process of making the beer. Thanks to IPG we did START. Now we follow-UP.

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Vojin Vukadinović

Executive Director IT & Marketing Metalac Group

In addition to intensive analyses on the market and customer side with IPG, the impulses from many external experts and potential development partners that IPG involved in our innovation work were trend-setting on our way from a classical machine manufacturer to a solution provider and strategic business partner for our customers.

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Alex Waser

Former CEO Bystronic Member of Conzzeta Executive Committee

The IPG Open Innovation approach has brought us new ideas and concrete solutions much faster, significantly increased our development productivity and integrated potential development suppliers into the process early on. The expectations we had placed in the project were exceeded.

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Antonios Vonofakos

Former Vice President & GM Becton Dicikinson Rowa Technologies

We like to work with IPG because they not only have the skills of strategy consulting and facilitation, but also understand our medical and technical challenges due to their in-depth experience in healthcare.

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Dr. Stefan Klose

Former Director R&D Acute Care Therapies Maquet Cardiopulmonary

IPG's deep experience in business model development and especially with regard to open innovation was very valuable. Through networked thinking, we were encouraged to embark on something truly new and to open up widely to explore concrete new offerings, business models and set cornerstones to our organization for a new growth area.

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Nader Halmuschi

Former Vice President / Managing Director BARTEC Safe.t Technology

With his relevant experience in various industries, Carsten Vollrath and IPG are an important source of inspiration and sparring partner for us on the topic of "Transformation of the SBB Supply Chain in the Direction of Digitalization and Sustainability”.

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Jan-Patrick Willmes

Former Head of Procurement Competence Center Swiss federal railways (SBB) AG

When it comes to topics related to innovation and digitalization (AI, IoT, automation, etc), Carsten Vollrath and his team are a top address.

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Walter Huber

Former CEO M-Industrie Migros-Gruppe

I greatly appreciate IPG’s guidance on the MNRS strategizing process in exploring a reimagination of our brand and our charity's business model. In this regards, IPG has given us such a powerful approach to scale and innovate how we deliver services to families in need.

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Joanne Gouaux

Acting Board Chair My New Red Shoes (MNRS)

IPG has helped us a lot in sharpening a common understanding of the topic of strategic procurement management across all purchasing units and raising the entire purchasing department to a new level of professionalism. The structural & cultural challenges in the organization associated with the necessary transformation were recognized early on and actively addressed.

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Axel Butterweck

Former CPO Swiss Post

IPG is one of the first addresses for supply chain transformation. For us, IPG is an ideal strategic partner not only as an initiator and pioneer, but also as a strategic implementation partner for innovative supply chain solutions and associated digital business models.

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Dirk Reich

Co-Founder / Board Member Log-hub Imperial Logistics

As recognized Thought Leader and Co-Creator for innovation with a long track record in the digital transformation of leading companies, IPG's expertise within the Swiss dialogue about digitalization and technology management (i.e. in the national INDUSTRIE 2025 initiative) especially with regards to the development of unique digital business models is highly appreciated!

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Rene Brugger

President Swiss Technology Network

On the way to our new order fulfillment organization, we harmonized the roles, tasks and competencies between the functions involved and established a common end-2-end process understanding. In the interplay between "thought ahead" and "agreed within the circle of stakeholders", the IPG approach has contributed decisively to our new setup and our collaborative approach.

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Harry Baumann

Manager Supply Chain and Operations Uster Technologies AG

IPG has made a strong contribution to our brand relaunch. Thanks to the collection and evaluation of hand-picked customer voices (voice of the customer), we were able to sharpen our positioning and strengthen our brand.

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Axel Kühn

Managing Director Fellows & Sparks

The acknowledged expertise of IPG has helped us a lot in setting up an integrated global Supply Chain & Procurement function which fully supports the new Getinge Operating Model in the best possible way. This included a new organizational setup and corresponding roles and responsibilities as well as a new governance structures for coordination between all SC functions in the group. As one key success factor IPG managed to integrate all relevant functional areas systematically into the redesign process from the very beginning, thereby achieving a high buy-in.

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Markus Medart

Former President Supply Chain Getinge Group

We have had very good experiences with IPG and their Open Innovation approach. In a remarkably short time they have found and mobilized the right external experts. The results of the Open Innovation Workshops opened up new perspectives for us in the development of innovations and were therefore very valuable to us.

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Christoph Hellenbrand

Director R&D Becton Dickinson Rowa Technologies

On behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, I`m using the opportunity to express satisfaction for the joint fruitful collaboration in the matter of industrialization and digitalization of Serbian economy. As an international think tank and top management consultancy with an impressive track record in the digital transformation of leading companies, IPG's expertise is highly appreciated within the public-private dialogue within the framework of the elaboration of the new industrial policy strategy, as well as the initiative of digital transformation in industry the Republic of Serbia! chamber-of-commerce-serbia Vidosava Dzagić The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia is an independent, modern and responsible non-budget institution, a national association of all Serbian businessmen who puts their traditions, experience, knowledge and expertise to the best interests of their members and the Serbian economy.

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Vidosava Dzagić

Assistant Director Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia

In the comprehensive exchange of knowledge and the global networking of know-how from different areas and perspectives, we see IPG with the relevant industry 4.0 competence as a valuable partner and impulse generator for the further development of Smart Factory solutions.

Prof. Dr. Vidosav Majstorović

Professor Mechanical Engineering Faculty University of Belgrade

Future based, disruptive and out of the box thinking. Those who want to shape the future learn methods and skills in the "Certified Digital Procurement Manager" (CDPM) certificate course.

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Uwe Zahnd

Head of Purchasing | Management Member Plica AG

In the "Certified Digital Procurement Manager" (CDPM) certificate course teach Top advisers, who make the red thread in the well-structured course structure clearly noticeable. The final thesis enables the immediate transfer into the daily business.

Eduardo Stahel

Head of Purchasing Software + License Management Swisscom

The "Certified Digital Procurement Manager" (CDPM) certificate course opens the perspective for the current way of working in purchasing and gives new perspectives for a sustainable purchasing organization. The interaction of theoretical basics, practical examples and the work with concrete use cases provides the participants with a suitable tool for the implementation in their own company.

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Christoph Maier

Digital Procurement Manager Giesecke+Devrient Currency Technology

The challenges of a future purchasing structure in Purchasing 4.0 are manifold and decisive. With the certificate course "Certified Digital Procurement Manager", IPG has laid the foundation for us to be able to plan and implement a market-driven & strategic development at an early stage. The methods imparted are innovative and show a trend-setting analysis of upcoming necessities.

Enrico Florschuetz

Commodity Lead Buyer N3 Engine Overhaul Services

My expectations of the "Certified Digital Procurement Manager" (CDPM) certificate course in terms of content, quality and speakers were exceeded. Despite the packed six days, there was no shortage of group work; the class size was ideal for this. In each module we were able to practice the topics in a practical way and at the end we could embed them in the individual case study. I can use this "one to one" in my daily business.

Lukas Schenker

ICT Sourcing Manager Aargauische Kantonalbank

As one of the first classes to be allowed to complete the majority of the "Certified Digital Procurement Manager" (CDPM) certificate course online, the need for digitization was clearly demonstrated to us. Thanks to the exciting modules and the practical case studies, taking into account the entire value chain, my view was sharpened to think and act in digital processes.

Marcel D. Hess

Head of Procurement & Logistics Georg Utz AG

SUCCESS CASES on “Procurement and Supply Chain Transformation”