Supply Chain Management, Procurement, IBM, SBPOA, Re-launch

IBM Makes Supply Chain Management and Procurement Outsourcing Data Readily Available to Marketplace through Sponsorship of New SBPOA-based Website Channel

The Shared Services and Business Process Outsourcing Association (SBPOA), the world’s only independent commentator on the shared services and BPO industries, has launched a new Supply Chain Management and Procurement channel on its website.  Sponsored by IBM Business Consulting Services, the new channel – accessible by going to www.sharedservicesbpo.org – is a demonstration of IBM’s ongoing commitment to make supply chain management and procurement outsourcing data and insider’s intelligence readily available to the worldwide marketplace.  The channel features a wide range of thought leadership content including case studies, executive interviews, news, articles, surveys and “Thinking Points.”

Said Jesper Lillelund, Supply Chain Management and Procurement Lead for the SBPOA, “Each year, corporations spend trillions of dollars globally on supply chain management and procurement.  This massive expenditure is compelling organizations to search for ways to optimize their business performance in these areas.  And many are realizing that running their own supply chain management and procurement operations may not be their core-competency.  The goal of this new channel on the SBPOA website is to provide executives worldwide with a wide variety of data and intelligence that will help them understand their options for supply chain management and procurement transformation.”

Specific channel content includes:

• “Follow the leaders - Scoring high on the supply chain maturity model” – a “Thinking Point” article on IBM Business Consulting Services’ just completed  2005 Value Chain Survey, produced  in conjunction with IndustryWeek magazine
• 2005 CPO Survey – a “Quick Read” survey to help readers gain insight into current procurement performance and future expectations
• Transforming your supply chain to on demand – a  “Thinking Point” article
• Q&A with IBM’s VP of Supply Chain Compliance, Security & Diversity – an interview with Theo Fletcher, IBM’s VP of Supply Chain Compliance, Security & Diversity
• Avnet leverages IBM expertise to reduce procurement costs – a case study
• Procurement Challenges Resulting from Global Sourcing and Business Expansion Addressed in First i2 Next-Generation Supply Chain Management Solution – a news announcement
• IBM introduces Supply Chain Outsourcing offering – a news announcement
• Senior executives report increased focus on procurement to boost growth and competitiveness – results of an IBM procurement study of over 300 executives responsible for purchasing decisions
   

Two IBM Business Consulting Services executives will also be featured as “Advisory Clinic” experts on the SBPOA website.  Through this program, SBPOA members and site visitors will be able to pose questions on direct procurement and logistics and receive timely answers directly from Frank Crnic, Program Director, Business Growth Initiatives - Direct Procurement, IBM, USA, and Brenda Kaser-Burger, Program Director, Business Growth Initiatives - Logistics, IBM, USA.