The heat is on for everyone involved in buying right now. The Credit Crunch and the big economic slow-down that has followed, linked to an unwelcome and unexpected hike in inflation has put the spotlight on buying in a way that has not been experienced for decades. This half day seminar takes today’s topical issues head on. Hear from leading financial and procurement practitioners about:

• The underlying causes of this period of slow growth and high inflation

• When and how it is likely to end

• The implications for buying professionals of a prolonged period of high inflation/low growth

• How purchasing strategy and tactics can be adapted to turn difficult into opportunity

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For most hospitality and catering businesses food is their single biggest purchase. Over the past year food prices have risen dramatically, but there has been limited scope to pass on these increases to the end consumer.

Learn from leading food buying practitioners in the Foodservice and Retail markets about the underlying causes of higher food inflation, the outlook for the next twelve months, and innovative new techniques that are helping some companies to buck the trend.

“I have been expecting this for two years. The food system is entering a period of very significant restructuring, the first since the years after the Second World War. We may look back at the second half of the last century as an era of cheap food that is never to return.”  Tim Lang – Professor of Food Policy, London City University

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The history of outsourcing is a chequered one, yet the make or buy decision is probably the most critical decision that most companies will make on their supply chains. In the light of this, are procurement skills well developed enough, and is the Procurement Team well enough involved to make a difference?

Traditionally the following reasons are most often cited to outsource activities:

•          Access additional competitive leverage

•          Reduction of internal headcount/cost

•          Access to skills

•          Low cost access to technology

•          Force through slow moving change

Are these the right reasons, and is cost actually the primary driver used by many businesses to outsource?

Hear from leading experts in the purchasing of outsource services about the do’s and don’ts of outsource strategy!

“If you deprive yourself of outsourcing and your competitors do not, you're putting yourself out of business.”   Lee Kuan Yew
 

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One of the most exciting innovations of recent times has been collaborative buying groups of competitive businesses - created to drive value out of their supply chains. These groups work because: 

• Aggregation of volume drives lower margins with wholesalers/distributors

• The additional volume created allows deals further down the supply chain

• Collaboration allows improved product rationalisation

• Groups of competitive businesses use a very similar profile of products and services

Hear from Purchasing Directors of companies involved in these groups and from other experts in this field about their real-life experiences of the successes (and the difficulties!) of participating in collaborative buying with your competitors.

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Many of our events are kindly sponsored by Eproductive.

Eproductive has developed the internet based EpS system over the last 8 years as the Labour Management and HR solution of choice for multi-site hospitality companies. UK clients include Ramada Jarvis, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza, QMH and Hyatt, with Bilderberg in Holland. EpS meets the growing sector need to benchmark productivity and control costs through effective labour forecasting and productivity management.

The Eproductive team of Hospitality professionals and technologists would be delighted to discuss the opportunity that EpS provides for better labour management control. For more information please contact Raymond Simonds, Business Development Director, on 01306-875785 or at info@eproductive.com