PAGE 34 DO YOU KNOW YOUR CLIENTS?
SUPPLY CHAIN CONFERENCE Arup hosted a very successful British Water conference at their Solihull Campus on 25 February 2009.
www.britishwater.co.uk
The event attracted well over 100 delegates who came to listen to key issues affecting the water industry supply chain. The day’s programme looked at the UK market in the morning which was chaired by Mark Fletcher (Director and Water Leader Europe, Middle East & Africa, Arup Water) and the global market in the afternoon which was chaired by Ashley Roe (Managing Director, Information & Performance Services, Ltd).
The event included a wide range of excellent speakers representing UK water companies, consultants, contractors, manufacturers, as well as a supply chain specialists and experts in market analysis and intellectual property.
Discussions in the morning explored the views of water companies on supply chain management, whether framework agreements are working effectively and looked at what can be done to improve operational and procurement practices to smooth out effects of the AMP cycle on business. While in the afternoon the focus was on identifying potential international business, routes to market and the ‘dos and don’ts’ of finding business partners overseas. Attendees learned from the case studies provided throughout the day and were able to interact with the companies
that booked exhibition stands: ABB, Barhale, DHL, Euroby, Imtech and Kingsbridge.
• There is a need to shift behaviour within the supply chain to an ‘adult:adult’ relationship from ‘adult:child’
• Abroad consensus agreed there is a need to try and ‘flatten’ the rollercoaster of the AMP5 process for the benefit of the wider supply chain and client bodies
• Supply Chain Management is not about suppressing margin but eliminating waste and suppressing time
• All parties need to ‘plan better’
• Frameworks can deliver value – but if the environment isn’t ready for a particular framework then they should be avoided
• It can be difficult for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) engaging with a tiered supply chain, and more effort should go into smoothing this process
• It was agreed that for supply chain management to work much better and more effectively, significantly improved communication is needed across it
Many common themes were identified throughout the day and a few of them are identified below:
• Opportunities exist overseas and companies should take advantage of government support available to access markets
• Companies should understand the risks of trading internationally and ensure measures are taken to protect intellectual property where appropriate
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