Pharmaceutical Technologist - March 2008 - (Page 14)

E-procurement receive all necessary data for price and specification comparison. Future developments in e-procurement will likely focus on further reducing waste. The technology may advance to where search technology can deliver product, price and availability data in the format that matches customers' purchasing system requirements from any site, enabling a fast decision. When products are available from alternative locations, such as distributors or local consignment stock, these options could be returned by the search results, providing the user with the best options. Ultimately, a user wants all the information needed to select a product, and know its availability and total cost to make a well-founded buying decision. Solutions offering this will be well adopted and, thus, fulfil the promise of e-procurement — the automation of standard procurement processes to reduce resources, time and transactional costs, allowing procurement personnel to focus on adding commercial value to the organizations for which they work. PT Walter Lentfert is director of e-commerce sales and systems at GE Healthcare. With a BA in chemical engineering, he started his career in the life sciences industry as a product manager and key account manager. In 2000 he started e-procurement initiatives with GE Healthcare customers. He has set up Key points ● e-marketing initiatives for the company and managed many global e-commerce projects. Until recently, he had technical and commercial global responsibility for all e-procurement and web initiatives. Currently, he is mainly driving e-procurement initiatives in America. ● ● ● E-procurement can significantly reduce an organization's transactional costs. Most pharmaceutical companies adopted e-procurement for indirect spend before the systems and related processes had matured. Utilizing lean process improvement techniques can allow companies to optimize procurement processes before implementing new systems. Reducing time and cost through e-procurement can allow procurement departments to focus on delivering organizational value in contract optimization and strategic sourcing. 14 MARCH 2008 PHARMACEUTICAL TECHNOLOGIST http://www.ptemag.com/subscribe http://www.ptemag.com/subscribe

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Pharmaceutical Technologist - March 2008 Contents News Morpheus Market Watch E-procurement Means Lean Procurement The Rational Enquirer Simulating for Success Q&A

Pharmaceutical Technologist - March 2008

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