Accelerated digitalization in procurement and sales

Industry 4.0 affects all areas of a company, the entire value chain of a company, from procurement and logistics to production, marketing and sales. The fact that processes in the value chain are optimized is nothing new, but the trend reversal is brought about by the link to the Internet. When the progress of a parcel shipment, the level of a heating system's oil tank or the proper operation of an elevator can be monitored via the Internet, this is known as the Internet of Things. These are examples of how the age of Industry 4.0 has already dawned.

"Industry 4.0 strengthens the Swiss workplace".
The Swiss economy is experiencing a spirit of optimism thanks to new possibilities of digitalisation and connection to the internet. As Hans Hess, president of the Swiss umbrella organisation for the mechanical, electrical and metal industries, explains, Swiss industry is now highly automated, more innovative than ever and has very efficient processes. "Industry 4.0 is making a decisive contribution to ensuring that Switzerland can continue to be a successful workplace in the future, despite the strong franc, high costs and wages," Hess is convinced.

Increased efficiency thanks to digitalization
For many companies, the efficient management of the value chain (supply chain management) has always been an important cost factor. Thanks to Industry 4.0, new opportunities for increasing efficiency are also available at the interfaces between procurement and sales. According to a survey of 148 buyers conducted by the online B2B marketplace "Wer liefert was", a high degree of digitalization in the search for products, services and raw materials offers buyers advantages that benefit the entire company. 64 percent of respondents to the survey said they benefit from digital processes by finding suppliers faster. 41 percent save costs through digital processes, and for 35 percent of buyers, digitalization brings another significant advantage in procurement: Procurement is no longer tied to a specific location.

Detailed product information available anytime and anywhere
Today, companies maintain their own databases with suppliers and products for their supply management. In the course of digitalization, data management is likely to become much simpler. It is conceivable, for example, that the information will be automatically compared with the databases of online B2B marketplaces such as "Wer liefert was". Digital networking opens up countless, and in some cases completely new, sales opportunities on the sales side. New target groups at home and abroad can be reached, regardless of the company's location.

For some time now, the B2B marketplace "Wer liefert was" has not only included products, product categories and contact details of the companies, but also detailed information on the individual products. Thus buyers find on www.wlw.ch among other things also product details with product pictures, price data, delivery times as well as availabilities. Suppliers can present their products in an even more attractive and informative way.

Find the desired product quickly and easily
"Today, buyers find relevant product information that not only allows a quick overview of the market, but is often the decisive criteria for closing a deal," says the CEO of "Wer liefert was", Peter F. Schmid. "Because what counts in the procurement process is efficiency, speed and relevant details," Schmid continues.

Complete automation of the procurement process
In the foreseeable future, the entire procurement process will be digitalized. At some point, a company's purchaser will no longer determine when there is a need for a certain product, but the production machines themselves will recognize the order situation, production capacities and current stock levels. They determine independently when a raw material is running low and order it autonomously. The machines or computers access the online databases and make qualified decisions on this basis. The goal is to always procure materials at the best price-performance ratio and with the highest quality at the right time. Who supplies the materials becomes secondary. The task of the buyer will be to control that the supply chain is not interrupted and that the processes continue to run smoothly. The challenge will then be to handle the data correctly in order to secure competitive advantages. To achieve this, buyers will increasingly have to take on coordination and management tasks and work even more closely with management, production and development.