4th CEE eprocurement Summit was a success!

Purchasing in times of crisis

Price volatility in the supply chain is an issue the world of procurement is currently dealing with. Thanks to Christoph von Lattorff and Unite’s Global Key Account Manager, Robert Klembas, we took a closer look at pricing and how it's a major determinant for buyers, especially nowadays, when prices frequently fluctuate as a consequence of inflation.  
Martin Repko, the CPO of Pro Care a.s. and Svet Zdravia a.s. demonstrated what has changed in the world of purchasing by comparing the pre-crisis period with the current one. This presentation was followed by Tomáš Veit (Asahi Breweries), who explained a brand-new approach called Magic Triangle – Process, Platform, People – aimed to increase procurement capability. Szymon Tochowicz (Eveneum) focused on methods to maintain the positive image of procurement as a whole. Zdeněk Mikeš from SAP explained why diversification in procurement matters – one market, many rules, with emphasis on ways to cooperate with suppliers across the EU in 2023. 

Threats in the energy sector 
The managing director of Aurora Energy Kft., Attila Holoda provided insight into the current state and challenges of the global and European energy supply security. Peter Majtán, Senior Category Manager from Slovnaft (MOL) shared his experience regarding market disruption and risk mitigation with focus on the oil and gas sector.  

Digitalisation and robotisation in procurement

The importance of digitalisation in procurement was highlighted by Dr Béla Zoltán Fekecs (MVM Network) as he believes this is how cooperation between buyers and suppliers should look like in the foreseable future. This was followed by presentations by digitalisation experts in the CEE region - Michal Hradecký (NEOOPS) and Zdeněk Pytlíček (GasNet). They talked about the benefits of robotisation and automated procurement processes.  Jiří Špalek from PROEBIZ discussed the benefits of electronisation and digitalisation of tenders to the audience.  

Sustainability, economic outlook and scenario modelling

In terms of sustainability, Bernadett Majdanics from IKEA summarised the sustainable and strategic steps they are taking to achieve a 100% electric, environmentally friendly home delivery service for all of their customers by 2025. And Zoltán Török, Head of Research, Raiffeisen Bank Hungary. presented the economic outlook in the CEE region.  

In uncertain times, scenario modelling is a very useful concept in procurement to predict the probabilities of future scenarios. Thanks to Zoltán Werle and Attila Gulyás (IFUA Horváth) attendees got to familiarise themselves with this concept.  

The technique used in communication during negotiations was also discussed, with Martin Wiederman providing pragmatic recommedations and practical tips. 

The post-lunch panel discussion, moderated by Erika Mizun-Moller, VP Global Marketing and Brand, Unite, was a valuable platform for Christel Constant, Executive Board member, Unite, Tamás Gyömbér from MOL, and Miloš Olejník from ESET to share their views on the current volatile state of procurement, our shifting priorities, and for the audience to have their related queries addressed.  

The CEE e-procurement Summit was very interactive and informative event during which we were able to unpack the challenges of e-procurement and answer pressing questions. Several valuable professional connections have been made, paving the way for the next CEE e-procurement Summit 2024.  

The CEE e-procurement Team