Rising raw material prices, shortages and the difficulty of finding the necessary materials are negatively affecting companies in the foundry sector.
Classical purchasing strategies do not benefit from Smart Purchasing Tools 4.0, which optimise the entire process, analysing the best alternatives and offering objective criteria for negotiating with suppliers.
In addition to obtaining cost reductions of between 3% – 10% and quickly resolving problematic supply situations, smart purchasing systems help industry to adapt quickly to market changes, promoting a new ideal purchasing strategy.
The ALEA system integrates knowledge from critical areas of the plant (process, operations, quality and purchasing) and processes it through AI, Operations Research and Statistical Process Control techniques.
The result is a technology that is transparent to the raw material buyer, a tool for recreating possible market scenarios and product demand forecasts, obtaining optimal purchasing directives and objective elements for negotiating with suppliers.
Among the most beneficial features of the system are the following:
- Automatic characterisation of raw materials by supplier.
- Optimization of purchases based on the initial market offer.
- Material availability sensitivity analysis: negotiation of upward quantities with the supplier.
- Material availability sensitivity analysis: negotiation of upward quantities with the supplier.
- Material value analysis: what maximum price should we pay for a material to make its purchase beneficial.
In the current context, inefficiencies in the purchase and use of fusion raw materials are, in many cases, of a magnitude equal to or greater than the commercial margins themselves. Therefore, the application of 4.0 technologies in purchasing decisions, in addition to representing a clear competitive advantage, is becoming a necessity for survival in an increasingly complex global market.
Find out how to implement it in your plant!
