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Saving time and simplifying processes: How Arkema improves tail-end procurement with Unite

With 21,100 employees across 55 countries, Arkema has complex and wide-ranging procurement needs. Tail-end spend took up a huge amount of time before the company switched to Unite’s integrated B2B marketplace.

In this interview, Arkema’s Zafer Girisit explains how the business streamlines processes, delegates purchasing and improves procurement outcomes.

Interview with Zafer Girisit, Head of Operations and Purchasing Coordination EMEA, Arkema

Read the interview

Q: What challenges did you face at Arkema before using Unite?  

“Before using Unite, our procurement team had to spend the same time and the same energy for all tenders. That included tail spend and other strategic spend. Consequently, we didn't have enough people to manage all these tenders.”

Q: How did Unite help you solve these challenges?  

“Unite’s solution, first of all, is a very simple solution. [It’s easy] to convince our requesters to onboard in this solution. And it’s easy to delegate tail spend to our requesters to buy directly in Unite (formerly Mercateo) … so that we can concentrate our efforts on high value tasks in our team.” 

The Unite platform has enabled us to create a buyerless procurement organisation.

Zafer Girisit, Head of Operations and Purchasing Coordination EMEA, Arkema

Q: What are the three most important results you have achieved for your indirect procurement?  

“First of all, with Unite’s solution, we have only one supplier, which is Unite. Consequently, we have only one invoice and one biller – this is an advantage for us. And the final advantage is the quality of the service because our requesters are able to place their order in less time. And to finish, all procurement operations that our requesters place in Unite respect our corporate social responsibility (CSR) policy.” 

About Arkema

Legal form: Public limited company
Founded: 2006
Sector: Chemical
Headquarters: Colombes, France
Headcount: 21,100 (worldwide, 2023)

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