Cost efficiency remains the dominant issue. Persistent volatility in raw material prices, increased energy costs, and inflation-driven wage pressure are forcing procurement organizations to consistently manage total cost of ownership. Strategies such as zero-based budgeting and global tendering are becoming increasingly important.
Achieve better results in purchasing and procurement with EFESO
EFESO once again recognized as one of the “Best Management Consultants” in Procurement / SCM
For the twelfth year in a row, EFESO has been honored by brand eins and Statista – achieving a top ranking in the field of Procurement / SCM.
Strengthening competitiveness through excellence in procurement
The world in which companies operate is changing dramatically – the increasing separation of markets (regionalization), technological change, disrupted supply chains and increasing cost pressure are weakening the competitive position of many companies. They are confronted with rising material and freight costs, growing inventories and a much higher supply risk.
With a material cost share of >50%, purchasing is a key success factor in mastering the transformation into a new era of change and remaining competitive. As a result, procurement decision-makers must prepare for a digitalized, sustainable, and still uncertain future.
Seven strategic procurement trends must be successfully addressed and mastered in order to strengthen procurement excellence and thus the company's competitiveness:
1: Cost efficiency & Inflation
2: Technology & Digitalization
What was still largely in the pilot stage in 2024 will become operational reality in 2025: AI-based forecasts, automated negotiation support, and eProcurement platforms will become mandatory rather than optional. Data quality and system integration will become correspondingly more important.
3: Resilience & Risk Management
After reaching a peak during the post-COVID and Ukraine crises, risk management has stabilized. Many companies have already implemented nearshoring and dual sourcing strategies. Nevertheless, the issue remains relevant, particularly due to volatile customer demand and fragile Tier 2 networks.
4: ESG & sustainability
While the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act 2024 still caused considerable implementation pressure, the new German federal government has already announced rollbacks and simplifications for 2025. Accordingly, the issue is losing urgency in the short term – although long-term sustainability goals remain in place.
5: Supplier collaboration & innovation
Close cooperation with strategically relevant suppliers remains a constant factor for success, particularly in the development of new technologies, alternative materials, or process innovations. Early supplier integration and digital SRM tools are becoming increasingly important.
6: Procurement as strategic partner
The role of procurement continues to evolve: from reactive supplier to active value driver along the entire value chain. In many companies, procurement is now integrated into product development processes and strategic business decisions.
7: Talent & skills development
What has been underestimated in recent years is now a bottleneck factor: digital skills, strategic thinking, and technical understanding are becoming decisive differentiators. The shortage of suitably qualified purchasing specialists is hitting many companies hard, creating a need for targeted training programs and new recruiting approaches.
BEST-in-CLASS purchasing and procurement – tapping into profitability reserves
A question that concerns many of our customers is: How can we achieve further results in terms of customer benefits and savings in an uncertain environment? Our team shares your passion for your products and masters the challenges in purchasing and procurement with you.
Our mission is to realize optimization potential. In particular, we identify solutions in the following areas in order to activate profitability reserves and continue to develop in a customer and cost-oriented manner.
PERFORMANCE DIAGNOSTICS
Identify operational, tactical and strategic improvement opportunities in your procurement.
Our tried-and-tested approach will help you achieve top performance.
FUNCTIONAL & CATEGORY STRATEGY
Ensure that your procurement strategy guarantees the profitability and competitiveness of your company.
Identify your key business challenges with us to future-proof your business and enable it to excellence.
END-TO-END TRANSFORMATION AND DIGITALIZATION
With a professional and future-oriented procurement and SCM organization, ensure that your company delivers top performance in terms of agility and target orientation.
Identify and implement best-practice structures and processes with us for your challenges and tasks in transformation phases.
SUPPLIER AND VALUE STREAM OPTIMIZATION
Activate unused savings potential at several stages of the value chain – from the supplier to the production in your own plant.
We work with you to implement the appropriate tools and the necessary know-how to manage and continuously improve inbound value chains.
NEGOTIATION & AWARDING MANAGEMENT
Unlock the full potential of your procurement.
We contribute our expertise from over 3,000 successful negotiations in which our clients have achieved savings of more than three billion euros.
MATERIAL COSTS OPTIMIZATION
Keep your company's profitability on track with material cost optimization.
Our best-in-class toolkit creates the framework for efficient, targeted and successful implementation of corresponding programs.
INDIRECT PROCUREMENT
Turn your indirect procurement into a strategic lever for efficiency and competitiveness.
Together with EFESO, you can identify untapped potential in areas such as MRO, digitalization, and supplier consolidation, and achieve sustainable savings through clear structures, smart tools, and targeted transformation.
»Partnering with EFESO provided invaluable insights into previously overlooked cost-saving opportunities, executed with exceptional efficiency. Their sophisticated analytical methodology, deep market expertise, and outstanding negotiation skills empowered our procurement team to realize substantial and lasting cost reductions, far exceeding our expectations.«
»With EFESO we improved our performance significantly in two major Distribution Centers – fast. Their end-to-end assessment of processes, capacities and x-functional collaboration gave us not only the real pain points but also short and mid-term levers – ready to execute. This is why EFESO is our partner of choice to improve our operational performance regarding Distribution Centers.«
»We are transforming our Supply Chain Management (SCM) into a well-structured, end-2-end integrated, efficient SCM organization. EFESO guided us to develop and implement out new SCM target picture and blueprint. Their in-depth expertise in Supply Chain Management, understanding of our problems and ability to develop tailor-made solutions made them our advisor of choice.«
»We engaged EFESO to transform our purchasing organization in the face of geopolitical and supply chain disruptions. This collaboration has improved our digital landscape, significantly increased operational excellence, and reduced manual effort tremendously. This has resulted in a up to 50% increase in process efficiency and complete real-time data visibility, providing us with a robust ‘Fit-for-Future’ setup.«
Our solution portfolio for purchasing organizations
End-to-End Transformation & Digitalization
Functional & Category Strategy
Indirect Procurement
Material Costs Optimization
Negotiation & Awarding Management
Performance Diagnostics
Supplier & Value Stream Optimization
CASE STUDIES & INSIGHTS - PRACTICAL EXAMPLES
ESG strategy with measurable results
CASE STUDY:
A leading automotive manufacturer wants to make its procurement sustainable and measure progress through KPIs. But the goals cannot be achieved via the purchasing side alone - the company needs a company-wide ESG strategy.
SCM Strategic Levers
INSIGHT:
Learn more about the strategic levers for optimizing the supply chain and the effects on your company.
Mega Casting
INSIGHT:
Find out how mega casting can help you achieve strategic production cost advantages and reduce your carbon footprint.
Car Market Trends: USA
INSIGHT:
Learn more about the US market, upcoming political changes, and a five-step approach to develop a robust, forward-looking strategy.
Big Data
INSIGHT:
Learn how ‘Procurement Spend Cube Analytics’ can help you quickly identify savings potential in procurement.
EFESO’s M&A competence
INSIGHT:
Activate these and other value levers within your M&A project. Explore our insights on what truly matters during due diligence and integration. Rely on EFESO’s experience to accelerate execution, achieve strategic goals, and secure a competitive edge in today’s fast-paced market environment.