The Bermuda Triangle of Business Procurement

Book excerpt: Not only when times are hard is procurement an extremely important factor. Here, Kerkhoff illustrates in an easily comprehensible and entertaining manner how to open up and exploit the huge potential for savings. Nonetheless at no point does he plead for "price reductions at any cost". For most entrepreneurs and top managers, procurement is not one of the management tasks with the highest priority. And this is a mistake, as this is where there is much potential for saving and optimization. The reason for this error is obvious: Very few managers have stopped off at procurement on their way to the top. Using impressive examples, Gerd Kerkhoff makes readers aware of this topic needed for survival. He shows how companies can test the efficacy of their relationships to suppliers. The result is often astounding: Savings of over 10 percent may be made. Kerkhoff the pragmatic illustrates how this potential can be used at short notice and then sustained. For example, he explains how a profit-oriented buying department should be organized, structured, supervised and managed. To conclude, the author does away with the assumption that e-procurement is the all-round cure for increasing buying efficiency.