GEP Insights

Having a broad, forward-looking vision is crucial for success — when navigating a complex, dynamic marketplace, one needs to have a clear idea of the path forward. 

However, vision without execution is just vision unfulfilled. It’s execution that ensures outcomes and delivers value, drives ROI, and promotes user engagement and adoption.  

In this podcast — Beyond Vision: Executing To Drive Procurement Performance — GEP experts take a deep dive into what you need to consider to execute on your vision. They also discuss best practices and pitfalls to avoid, with expert guidance to drive success, as well as explore the technology and tools that can help you achieve flawless execution.

What You’ll Hear:

• The importance of considering vendors’ ability to execute and deliver value when evaluating procurement software 
• The essential elements for successful adoption of new technology 
• Best practices and expert insight to guide implementation
• The benefits and considerations of AI and low code in executing on a procurement strategy
   

Direct material procurement has become more complex than ever amid cost fluctuations, demand variability, supply uncertainties and expanding sustainability goals. Procurement leaders must assimilate learnings from the past years and rethink their priorities and metrics. In this GEP podcast, Virat Venkataraman, director of consulting, and Vinita Singh, associate director of product marketing, discuss the most pressing challenges in direct material sourcing and walk you through proven strategies to enhance resilience in the year ahead.

What you’ll hear:

•            How to balance costs and supply security with real-time intelligence and visibility

•            Ways to improve demand forecasting with cross-functional collaboration

•            Case studies about implementation of innovative sourcing strategies

The use of plastic in packaging has reduced drastically. Or has it? Why do many CPG companies continue to rely on plastic packaging? How can they adopt sustainable packaging and deliver on ESG goals?

Join GEP’s consulting experts Alex Hayes and Shanna Bell in an insightful podcast to understand how CPG companies can move the needle on ESG targets. Learn how CPGs can replace plastic with environment-friendly packaging and meet the expectations of customers, investors and governments.

What you’ll hear:

• Why oil price volatility has compelled the CPG industry to seek alternatives to plastic packaging
• How digital technology can provide more visibility into ESG KPIs and metrics
• How procurement cost models can help explain the economic value of the transition away from plastic packaging

Inflation. Early signs of a recession. Continued geopolitical instability. Macroeconomic events continue to influence the business landscape in 2023.

How can procurement and supply chain leaders rise to the challenge and deal with growing uncertainties? Can they address these enterprisewide challenges and help businesses adjust to a new normal?

Join the conversation between GEP’s consulting experts Abhishek Goel and John Carter as they look closely at the top macroeconomic trends from the 2023 GEP Outlook report. Learn how to make sense of the impact of global events on your business operations and how to guard against the macro challenges.

You’ll Hear About:

• The possibility of inflation dipping this year
• Why GDP growth will continue to slow down across economies
• How to deal with rising energy costs, interest rates and labor shortages

Supply chains have never been static. With disruption around every corner, supply chain leaders are racing to keep pace with changing consumer demands, a shifting competitive landscape and technological advances.

However, many enterprises have hit a plateau. How do they get to the next level of performance?

In this new podcast, GEP’s Pramod Gupta and Mason Sponem explore supply chain digitalization and the tools that enable greater visibility and transparency across the supply chain and increase efficiency and resilience. They offer a strategy for organizations to respond to disruption effectively and take the next step in driving operational excellence.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why supply chain digitalization is the number one priority for the C-suite
• How ERPs may have exacerbated the problems brought on by supply chain disruption
• The new technology platforms and tools that promote agility and efficiency
• What you need to overcome the biggest hurdle to implement a digital supply chain

In a dynamic market, mergers and acquisitions are a necessary evil that create a great deal of uncertainty. When your vendor gets acquired, what does it mean for your business? Will the solution you’re relying on still exist after the inevitable reorganization? Will your account team? Navigating those uncertainties will keep C-suite executives up at night.

In this timely and insightful podcast, GEP senior director of engagement Paul Blake talks with GEP marketing directors Raj Aggarwal and Alex Zhong about the current state of the procurement and supply chain software market, what’s driving the latest round of consolidation and what customers should expect when their vendor suddenly gets acquired. You’ll learn how customer-centric companies weather these cycles and what to look for as your company takes the next step in its digital transformation.

What You’ll Hear:

• What’s driving the recent wave of consolidation in the procurement and supply chain software space
• How convergence is creating multi-enterprise ecosystems for risk management, sustainability and resilience
• Why customer focus can fall by the wayside in the wake of a merger
• What companies should be looking for when considering the next move in their digital journey
• Why working with a single company isn’t the same as working with a unified platform

Why do many businesses continue to falter at supply chain planning?

Some don’t consider planning a top priority. Others have struggled to find planners with the right skills to efficiently leverage the vast amount of data generated.

How can businesses overcome these roadblocks and get their planning right?

Join supply chain consulting experts Robert Giacobbe and Beth Araujo in a new GEP podcast to understand strategies you can use to build a successful supply chain planning program. Learn why effective data management is the key to planning and to strategic supply chain management.

What You’ll Hear:

• What makes supply chain planning complex
• Leveraging supply chain planning technology and predictive analytics
• Why autonomous planning is the future for supply chains
• The need for strong leadership governance

While European chemicals remains a pioneer in innovation, the global pandemic has nevertheless taken its toll on the industry, reshaping supply/demand dynamics and imposing a new set of daunting challenges.

In this new podcast, GEP consulting managers John Carter and Virat Venkataraman take a close look at the trends currently impacting European chemicals as well as the short- and long-term strategies the industry must embrace to ensure a prosperous future — from digitizing supply chains and exploring the benefits of shale gas to preplanning for cross-continental and cross-border shipments.

As rising oil & gas prices continue to impact several industries, CPG companies as well as consumers are having a tough time. In fact, it’s hard to remember the last time when consumer goods prices rose so significantly.

What’s worse, there are no signs of prices stabilizing given the current market conditions.

How can CPG brands weather the storm and stay competitive?

In this new podcast, GEP consulting leaders Celeste Ponce and Abhang Mehendale discuss strategies that CPG companies can use to withstand the impact of price fluctuations. Learn how CPG brands can adjust key priorities and retain customers while keeping costs in check.

Corporate sustainability is now more important than ever. Both stakeholders and customers are putting increasing pressure on businesses to manage and report their carbon footprints — yet many companies are still unsure of the path forward.

In this timely podcast, GEP consulting managers Ayushi Dadhich and Von Ying Lee reveal why supply chain and procurement are central to transforming a company’s ESG goals into actionable plans. You’ll learn how their strong influence can drive social impact across the supply base and also increase competitiveness while enabling organizations to hit their critical sustainability targets.

What You’ll Hear:

• The 5 key challenges to kickstarting ESG projects
• Ways improved planning can help to decrease emissions
• How to drive cross-functional collaboration to achieve ESG targets
• The critical factors in driving businesses to prioritize ESG

When companies attempt to define supplier diversity, they often think of it as merely working with a variety of different types of suppliers. But truly diverse suppliers are, in fact, part of traditionally underrepresented/underserved demographics — and when you form successful partnerships with them, they can bring immense untapped value to your business.

In this thought-provoking podcast, GEP senior consulting director Daryl Watkins and Miranda Burt reveal what actual supplier diversity is, why it matters, and how you can effectively implement its principles in your organization. You’ll learn how expanding your diverse supplier base can have a tremendous impact, increasing market share and driving substantial cost savings while also meeting today’s crucial corporate DEI goals.

What You’ll Hear:

• What successful supplier diversity should look like in an organization
• Key benefits companies can realize, such as increasing innovation, meeting customer expectations and retaining talent
• The implementation pitfalls and challenges to avoid
• Metrics for measuring internal and external success

First, the pandemic caused sudden surges in demand for chemicals. Then came supply disruptions, growing uncertainty and inflation. And then the Russia-Ukraine crisis. The chemicals supply chain has been thoroughly shaken as a result.

How can procurement rise to the challenge and ensure steady supply?

Join GEP supply chain consulting leaders Sneha Mekhale and Abhishek Goel as they share useful insights in a new podcast. Learn why procurement must look beyond traditional pricing KPIs and leverage advanced technology and tools to thrive in the new normal.

What You’ll Hear:

• Strategies to secure steady chemicals supply
• Leveraging digital tools to get real-time market intelligence and insights
• How predictive analytics can help you make informed buying decisions

Reporting on Scope 3 emissions can be a daunting task for enterprises, with most suppliers reluctant to maintain (and share) emissions data.

With all these challenges, how can you conform to emissions guidelines?

Will the goal of net-zero emissions merely remain on paper?

Join GEP’s consulting leaders Natalie Henfrey, Nataliya Nikolova and Ajay Ninan in a new podcast to understand ways you can get started and report Scope 3 emissions data. Learn how to work around the complexities of gathering data, actively work with suppliers and set up reporting metrics.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why it’s difficult to measure, report and reduce Scope 3 emissions
• Understanding the operational landscape, regional legislation and competitors’ reporting to determine KPIs and metrics
• Identifying key suppliers and categories as part of a detailed action plan to kick-start the process

Listen to this podcast now and take the first step toward net-zero emissions.

Managing costs is never easy. With growing economic uncertainty, soaring gas prices and inflation, it’s become even moredifficult.

Is cost management no longer a priority, then? Just the opposite.

In this podcast, GEP consulting director Vinay Bhat and Miranda Burt share useful insights for effectively managing costs in the current business environment. Learn how strategic management can help identify costs that strengthen your company’s vital position while also separating them from other costs that may weaken it.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why it’s important to strategically manage costs in the new normal
• Leveraging digital solutions to develop a single source of cost management truth
• How to break down silos and collaborate with budget owners to optimize costs

For many businesses, digitalizing processes and mitigating supply chain risks have become top priorities amid growing uncertainty.

Procurement must play a vital role to realize these goals.

In Why Guided Buying is the First Step Toward Digital Transformation, GEP supply chain consulting leaders Luka Erceg and Kokila Roy discuss how organizations can leverage technology to accomplish these objectives with little effort. Learn how to simplify the buying experience, reduce maverick spend and even boost compliance.

What You’ll Hear:

• What guided buying is and how it can benefit your business
• How an AI-powered easy-to-use buying tool can streamline procurement
• Why guided buying is a boon for nonprocurement users

Listen to this podcast now and learn how to successfully initiate digital transformation.

As the climate crisis continues to impact consumer trends, investor demands and government regulations, increasing sustainability and ESG has become a top priority for businesses. And while procurement is ideally positioned to act as a catalyst for this vital transition, the function can’t succeed on its own.

In this timely podcast, GEP senior sourcing lead Céline Pieren and consulting manager Scott Goodfellow examine the challenges facing procurement in enabling more sustainable decision-making across the organization — and why it needs leadership’s help in order to realize measurable, valuable change.

What You’ll Hear:

• The difference between sustainability goals and ESG goals
• How a more holistic framework can reduce an organization’s ecological footprint and increase its social equity
• Merging sustainability and ESG with cost-effective procurement solutions
• Ways to ensure successful tracking of progress against company targets

Can the mere deployment of technology help a business succeed at digital transformation? Can this ensure that the desired outcomes of the transformation are realized?

Why are many businesses still struggling then?

In this podcast, GEP’s supply chain consulting leaders Aditya Desai and Ryan Gianni explain the key reasons organizations are today failing at digital transformation. Understand what’s missing in their transformation initiative and how you can adopt the right approach to succeed.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why digital transformation initiatives are failing to make an impact on the enterprise
• How to identify the root cause of organizational issues
• How to achieve the desired outcomes with digital transformation

Business recovery in 2022 is possible. Despite the ongoing volatility and uncertainty, supply chain and procurement leaders are now in the perfect position to further elevate their functions, guide their organizations through effective change, and successfully meet the challenges of our new normal.

Continuing the conversation from Part 1 of this podcast, Mike Jette, Vice President-Consulting at GEP, and John Carter, Manager-Consulting at GEP, take a close look at the second half of the GEP Outlook 2022 report, examining the seven key leadership themes for the year and the ways supply chain and procurement can deliver even greater value.

What You’ll Hear:

• Three key steps to being better prepared to battle inflation and volatility
• The approaches business leaders need to increase visibility across the value chain
• The power of new technologies to drive ESG and DEI targets
• How to shift the way supply chains are perceived in business cases

For many businesses hoping to bounce back in 2022, things haven’t gone as planned. In fact, with events such as the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, oil and energy costs have increased and recovery seems distant.

How should businesses prepare for the remainder of 2022? What should their key strategy be?

Get the answers in this podcast conversation between GEP senior director Rafiq Merchant and consulting manager John Carter. Understand the global macroeconomic trends and the elevated roles of supply chain and procurement professionals amid ongoing uncertainty. Get expert insights to effectively deal with challenges in the  new normal.

What You’ll Hear:

• Why businesses must rethink their pricing strategy and supplier network design
• Top priorities for supply chain and procurement leaders in 2022
• How enterprises can build capabilities to manage their overall value chain

It will not have escaped your attention that the O&G sector is experiencing some major pressure.  The global pandemic, a shifting political landscape and pressure to curb fossil fuel consumption are just some of the influences that have huge impact on O&G companies.   In this episode we explore some of these dynamics with GEP’s Ennio Senese – a veteran of the industry with tremendous insight into the fates and fortunes of the major players, and Patrick Heuer, from GEP’s O&G center of excellence in Houston.

One thing that is clear is that everyone wants to get paid.  When times are tough companies need to look closely at who they pay and when, and there are always win-win scenarios possible with suppliers.  That’s why we’ve seen an upturn in interest in automating AP processes and in this episode of GEP Insights we talk to Dmitriy Lerman of GEP’s product management group about how GEP are leading the way with a new AP Automation solution, and how it can help companies catalyze transformation of business value in uncertain times

At the start of each year GEP’s global team of procurement and supply experts publishes a comprehensive, predictive report for the year ahead – the GEP Outlook Report.

Following recent global events the economic predictions that were confidently put forward at the start of this year have had to be reviewed.

The GEP Outlook Team have undertaken to publish a post-Covid19 updated edition of the eighth annual GEP Outlook Report, and in this episode of GEP Insights we speak to John Piatek, Vice President of Consulting at GEP and lead author of the Outlook report, to hear about the headlines and gain some insight into what lies ahead.

Recent events have seen us focus on our own person supply chains as retailers have struggled to get goods into stores, and panic-buying has ensued.  But as consumer supply chains begin to settle into a new pattern of normality, the trouble in supply is far from over.  B2B supply chains are now starting to show the effects of the global shutdown and the ongoing impact on business and the world has yet to be felt, but it is coming.   In this episode of GEP Insights we talk to Mike Jette, Vice President of Consulting at GEP about the different between B2C and B2B supply chains and why that difference means a much longer term, a more difficult to solve problem than a shortage of toilet paper for a few weeks.

As our "Covid Response Series" continues, Biju Mohan, VP  & Rafiq Merchant, Senior Director discuss not just what companies can do, but how GEP has created a platform to connect suppliers of PPE to healthcare providers in greatest need. 

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GEP Insights continues the"Covid Response Series" in discussion with Tunir Chatterjee, VP and Ian Cotter, Senior Director at GEP, to discuss understanding best practices in the BFSI sector, amidst the "scramble" this pandemic has caused. 

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Continuing the "Covid Response Series, GEP Insights sat down with Vengat N. , VP Consulting, to discuss the ongoing work in developing responses to the Covid crisis with a focus on Manufacturing industries

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GEP Insights kicks off the new  "Covid Response Series", discussing how companies in the Retail sector can and should handle the COVID 19 pandemic. Our guest is GEP VP Mukund Acharya. 

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