DISTRIBUTION
Digital tools - Imperative to streamlining distribution processes
Ian Wallace, director, EMEA business development at Digi-Key Electronics explores the importance of digitising the electronics component supply chain
I
n today’s supply chain environment, it’s mission-critical that organisations streamline their purchasing and procurement
activities using digital tools. In the midst of what could be described as “the perfect storm” of global supply chain issues and concerns, supply chain professionals should consider using every tool available to them to work smarter, not harder. Gone are the days of manual, paper-based processes like mail,
faxes and PDFs – today’s supply chain relies on digital solutions to run operations more smoothly, while reducing costs, saving time, decreasing errors, and much more. When brought together, these benefits ultimately help
organisations increase both the speed of their operations and their time to market, two advantages that no company can afford to ignore in today’s competitive marketplace.
Getting started There is sometimes a misconception that digital solutions are designed to eliminate the procurement buyer, which is not true. In fact, digital solutions often elevate these roles by reducing the amount of tedious tasks, ultimately freeing time to be more strategic and planful. Many organisations choose to implement a quoting process as the
first step in their digital transformation, as it is often one of the easiest areas to tackle, and can be a major timesaver for the person
10 DECEMBER/JANUARY 2022 | ELECTRONICS TODAY Ian Wallace
who handles an organisation’s quotes. Digi-Key has often heard that establishing a quoting process frequently compels procurement professionals to search out additional ways to automate processes – they’ve seen the ROI that accompanies digital solutions and are looking for more. Undergoing a digital transformation does not need to be a
daunting task to procurement professionals still relying on manual processes, but each day your organisation goes without digital solutions is one that you’re at a competitive disadvantage to those who do.
Digital tools Beyond the products that drive technology innovation, Digi-Key knows how important it is to support design engineers and procurement professionals with a wealth of digital solutions and tools to make their jobs more efficient. In fact, Digi-Key has literally “written the book” on digital transformation, offering an eBook that provides an overview of the subject. The distributor has developed and enhanced several digital solutions for procurement pros, including:
• EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) – EDI provides a more standard format for sending acknowledgements, purchase orders, in-stock updates, etc. This tech has advanced rapidly over the past decade and organisations now frequently use EDI to manage several
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