Integrated Supplier Management with “GCM”
Historically, the problems of organization and IT were solved ad hoc and in isolation from each other. Trying to describe specific processes and integrating them into networks was a major step forward. The drawback of this development, however, is that many of these processes require specific or additional information that is only needed in this particular context. Under these circumstances, it is impossible to obtain an integrated, comprehensive view of an object, such as the client in the insurance business or the supplier in procurement.
In order to establish strategies related to the objects of “client” or “supplier,” however, this type of integration is required. The representation of a supplier, for example, may be incomplete because
- certain conditions are only entered when entering an order,
- data on a higher level are not available in the same view,
- logistical data are only available in the receiving or storage area,
- sales or quality indices require separate applications,
- etc.
Current solutions such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or SRM (Supplier Relationship Management), but also PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) are attempts to restore a comprehensive view, but many SRM approaches are actually incomplete or fall short of their objectives.
This is where our “GCM” product comes in as an add-on to SAP®, paving the way for a strategic supplier development. In conjunction with the SRM product or SAP®’s Enterprise Buyer Engine, an excellent integration of strategic and operative procurement can be achieved.
The functions of GCM as an add-on to SAP®/ SAP SRM®/ SAP for Retail®
GCM’s major benefits are:
- Elimination of the boundaries of the “accounting area,” allowing the editing of master, process, and revenue data in an SAP® system on a cross-company level
- Complete master data maintenance of the roles of “supplier,” “creditor,” and their contact persons with an application and approval workflow in SAP® in a separate transaction; MDM features are fully covered by GCM in relation to the “supplier” object
- Contract proposals, contract simulations, processing, and storage take place on the same level
- Accounting for “deferred conditions,” also across company boundaries
- Complete FI integration for the representation of balance-sheet items such as expenses and revenues as well as credits and debits
- Feedback, e.g. from MM and FI, regarding procurement, invoicing, or financial transactions
- Representation of the dedicated sales and revenue situation in a separate BW cube
For service departments or for external service providers who handle procurement for several companies within a group or for procurement associations and companies that have outsourced their procurement, the add-on is absolutely essential.
We would be pleased to analyze your particular situation with you and explain to you how you might benefit from using this module and how it might be implemented profitably in your company.
