The Category Management Handbook

Category management is one of the biggest contributors of commercial value in the area of procurement and supply chain. With a proven track record of successful delivery since the early 1990s, it helps organisations gather and analyse key data about their procurement spend before subsequently creating and delivering value-adding strategies that change the value proposition from supply chains. The aim of category management is to find long-term breakthrough strategies that help lift an organisation’s commercial performance to a new level. Because of its strategic long-term orientation and complex execution, category management has long been the preserve of commercial consulting companies – in effect a ‘black box’ toolkit shrouded in expensive methodologies. This practical handbook lifts the lid on category management by providing readers with a step-by-step process and established toolkit that allows them a ‘do-it-yourself’ approach. Each activity is presented as a simple tool or technique for practitioners to apply to their own organisations. To support each activity, easy-to- use templates and checklists have been provided, together with simple but practical hints and tips for implementation. This handbook is a ‘must read’ for all procurement and supplychain managers looking to find significant improvements in their organisations. Its practical approach cuts through long-winded consultant-speak and provides an easy-to-use practical toolkit for everyday application.

In some parts of the world, especially in developing markets, category management today remains a stretch goal – a new idea full of untapped potential. In other areas, the original eight-step process that emerged in the late 1980’s forms the foundation of many companies’ approach to category management. In still others, particularly in developed countries like the U.S., the U.K., and others, refinements are being made – most of them designed to place consumer understanding front and center. New ideas are emerging – from "trip management" to "aisle management" to "customer management." Whether a new descriptor emerges to replace "category management" is yet to be seen. Even if that does happen, what won’t change is the overall objective – to help retailers and their manufacturer partners succeed by offering the right selection of products that are marketed and merchandised based on a complete understanding of the consumers they are committed to serving. This book, which explores both the state of and the state-of-the-art in category management, is for everyone with a vested interest in category management. It can serve such a broad audience because category management is about bringing a structured process to how executives think and make decisions about their businesses, no matter what information and information technology they have access to.

Building from the previous two successful editions, The Procurement Models Handbook is an essential resource for everyone working in the procurement profession, including those selling directly to it. The authors provide the reader with a useful guide to the business models most frequently applied in the procurement and supply chain arena. Procurement and supply chain management are two of the highest contributors to corporate success in the modern world. This third edition is a new revised international version with additional tools that reflect the value of procurement in our globally-connected world. The authors have included over 50 well-established strategic and operational models that have a proven track record of delivering value over years of practice. Each model is presented pictorially, with explanatory commentary on its practical application to support. These models are designed to save unnecessary cost and deliver significant benefits for their user and have been carefully selected by the authors based on their originality and usefulness for practical application in the context of procurement and the supply chain. The Procurement Models Handbook is an invaluable and enduring source of reference for practitioners and business managers, as well as an essential learning support for business and procurement students.

Category Management in Purchasing is a comprehensive guide to strategic category management, providing a step-by-step guide to its implementation and use. This book provides the necessary tools, techniques and applications that will enable the reader to implement this cost saving purchasing method. The 3rd edition of Category Management in Purchasing has been rigorously updated to reflect the latest thinking in the field. Jonathan O'Brien shows how a strategic approach needs to work effectively together with other approaches, such as Supplier Relationship Management. He has added important sections on governance, included more supplier and supply chain tools, and introduced a pragmatic route for smaller businesses or those who need step-by-step advice.The book provides case studies of real companies, including: IKEA, The Body Shop, NHS, Heinz, Cardiff Council, and GlaxoSmithKline.

How is it possible to sell a kitchen at 30 per cent below market price? Why are hot dogs cheaper in IKEA than in the supermarket? How can IKEA sell the Lack table at half the price it was when it was launched 35 years ago and how can it be achieved with a substantial profit? Strategic Sourcing and Category Management examines how IKEA - and other cost leading companies - use category management to create advantages with direct and indirect sourcing. With 25 years' experience from IKEA, where he had the responsibility to develop and execute the company's purchasing strategy, author Magnus Carlsson shares his insights on important topics: when category management is profitable and why; how teams repeatedly create value and results; what the main approaches are in different categories; how a company implements category management; the difference between success and failure. In this new edition of Strategic Sourcing and Category Management, Magnus Carlsson has added new themes including examples and references from companies such as Maersk, Carlsberg, P&G and Aldi, illustrating the application of cost leadership that spans far beyond IKEA. Even there, the cost leadership lessons are not limited to home furnishings as the company is sourcing categories such as food, components, materials, transports and indirect materials, with a total purchasing spend of approximately €7 billion. But maybe even more importantly, the book illustrates how teams create value by thinking differently and asking the right questions, allowing an understanding that goes beyond mere tools and processes.

Spend analysis is a key component of strategic supply management. This book provides in-depth guidance on what spend analysis really is, what it specifically involves, and how to use it to help your organization achieve its full potential.

Although tens of thousands of global users have implemented Systems, Applications, and Products (SAP) for enterprise data processing for decades, there has been a need for a dependable reference on the subject, particularly for SAP materials management (SAP MM). Filling this need, The SAP Materials Management Handbook provides a complete understanding of how to best configure and implement the SAP MM module across various types of projects. It uses system screenshots of real-time SAP environments to illustrate the complete flow of business transactions involved with SAP MM. Supplying detailed explanations of the steps involved, it presents case studies from actual projects that demonstrate how to convert theory into powerful SAP MM solutions. Includes tips on the customization required for procurement of materials and inventory management Covers the range of business scenarios related to SAP MM, including the subcontracting cycle and consignment cycle Provides step-by-step guidance to help you implement your own SAP MM module Illustrates the procure to pay lifecycle Depicts critical business flows with screenshots of real-time SAP environments This much-needed reference explains how to use the SAP MM module to take care of the range of business functions related to purchasing, including purchase orders, purchase requisitions, outline contracts, and request for quotation. It also examines all SAP MM inventory management functions such as physical inventory, stock overview, stock valuation, movement types, and reservations—explaining how SAP MM can be used to define and maintain materials in your systems.

This clear and coherent book introduces agent-based modelling (ABM) to those who are not familiar with nor have been previously exposed to computational simulation. Featuring examples, cases and models, the book illustrates how ABM can, and should, be considered as a useful approach and technique for the study of management and organisational systems.