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Category Archives: Procurement
Five Game-changing Factors of the Palm Oil Industry in 2013
Palm oil, the most popular vegetable oil globally, is used in a wide range of food (such as margarine and ice cream), non-food products (such as shampoos, soaps, and cosmetics), and biofuel production. In late 2012, palm oil prices slumped … Read More…
Iron Ore – Prices Losing the Sheen of Yore
Iron ore, the second most traded commodity in the market after crude oil, is the primary source of iron for the world’s iron and steel industries. Between June and September 2012, spot prices for iron ore declined from around $140/MT … Read More…
Is Plastic Electronics the Next Game Changer for the Consumer Electronics Industry?
The electronics industry has come a long way since the invention of transistors, semiconductors, and integrated circuits. Early inventions in the second-half of the 20th century revolutionized the manner in which electronic products were manufactured and paved the way for … Read More…
Are Uranium Prices at a Critical Tipping Point?
Uranium, a radioactive material, is used as a fuel by nuclear power plant operators. It currently produces 18% of the world’s electricity. Known to be an efficient energy source (a kilogram of uranium produces 50,000 kwh of energy compared to … Read More…
Rising Prevalence of Diabetes in Emerging Countries: Implications for Pharmaceutical Companies
The increasing prevalence of lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD), has been a cause of concern for emerging countries on account of a combination of genetic, social and economic factors. Diabetic patients have been consistently growing despite … Read More…
Delivering Value: Essential Tools to Help Procurement Optimize The Strategic Sourcing Process
The Value Basis for Procurement As the procurement function has become more sophisticated, the perpetual corporate charge-for-growth has pushed the function to identify and deliver value across the organization on a constant basis. To this end, while many tools and … Read More…
Plummeting Polysilicon Prices: What Does it Mean for Solar?
Energy crisis has been the topic of discussion for many years now. Supply constraints, burgeoning demand, and the continuous surge in energy prices serve as constant reminders that the need to explore newer sources of energy should be more intent. … Read More…
Changing Dynamics in the Global Steel Industry – The Trend Towards Short-term, Flexible Contracts
The global steel industry is undergoing a major structural shift in contract structures across its supply chain. This process started in March 2010, when steel manufacturers were forced by iron ore suppliers to move away from a four-decade long practice … Read More…
The Economic Environment: Challenge or Opportunity for Procurement?
The effects of the recession and continuous economic uncertainty have caused cost cutting and cost saving to become the primary concerns for C-level executives. Tougher sales and constrained margins mean that businesses need to continuously look for opportunities to sustain … Read More…
The Impending Patent Cliff: Reversal of Fortune or Future Opportunity?
Product innovation has always been critical to pharmaceutical company growth. Extensive new product developments during the past three decades have made innovation second nature to this industry. High research and development (R&D) investments and product launches were important parameters that … Read More…
Changing Dynamics in the Shipping Industry and the Impact on Procurement
Nearly 10% of product costs are attributable to shipping. As such, the shipping industry is playing a significant role both from a cost as well as supply security perspective. Yet, what we have found is that this has been a … Read More…
Emerging Supply Chain Risks in the Pharma Industry: Why Must This Issue be Addressed?
Logistics accounts for 45–55% share of the value chain of a drug. Tied in with associated complexities around sourcing and manufacturing, supply chain management (effective or otherwise) clearly has a strong bearing on the total cost of a drug. Players … Read More…
The Complicated Nature of Tin Among Marketers in the Food Industry
Does the slowdown in the electronics industry affect marketers of processed fish and meat? Actually, it does! Or it could be the case during the next year or so. So what has happened? Tin is primarily used in the electronics … Read More…
Social Media and Procurement: A High-Level Perspective
Social media has grown at a breakneck pace over the past few years, and has become firmly entrenched in our daily lives in one form or another – whether it is Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or one of the myriad other … Read More…
How CMOs Perceive the Future of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing (SMM) appeals to consumer companies as a means to better anticipate customer preferences, understand attitudes toward their brands, and engage with consumers at a personal level. Interacting with customers via social media allows companies to build brand … Read More…
Africa – A Closer Look
Africa is a continent that evokes a wide range of perspectives, from the cultural to the political to the economic. In all of these different, yet interrelated ways, it is clearly a force to be reckoned with. Consider a few … Read More…
Precious Metals – The Outlook for Silver and Gold
“The ultimate asset bubble.” This is how George Soros described gold last year, even as his fund took sizable long positions in the precious metal. Why not take advantage of rising values (so long as the bubble doesn’t burst), particularly … Read More…
Nuclear Energy in Germany
Nuclear energy has been heralded by many as one of the most important solutions to the growing energy demands of the world, particularly given concerns regarding increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the rising price of oil. The popularity of nuclear … Read More…
Understanding the Concept of Market Basket Analysis
Retailing today is nothing if not a hypercompetitive industry. A complex & rapidly changing landscape, stiff competition, and ever more demanding customers are pushing progressive retailers to rethink how they operate. Their responses have included strategies of scale (consolidation, growth, … Read More…
4 Key Trends Influencing Automotive Procurement
Few industries today are as global, interrelated and complex as the automotive sector. (Fewer still have gone through the level of challenge and change that we have seen over the past several years.) As the automotive sector has emerged from … Read More…