#pacesetter: focus topic in the November issue of BIP-Best in Procurement

Lack of time is something everyone knows. For many procurement managers, it has become a normal state of affairs due to volatile markets, growing protectionism and the demands of digitisation. Although automation and digitization make processes much faster, time is becoming increasingly scarce. This is due to the fact that more and more tasks are completed in the additional time that has become available. “A significant part of the current acceleration is due to digitization and the increase in options in our lives,” says Prof. Dietrich Henckel, Managing Director of the German Society for Time Policy. The BME association magazine BIP-Best in Procurement focuses on how procurement managers can become pacemakers in a fast-moving time. At the 54th BME Symposium Purchasing and Logistics #pacesetter is the motto of the Procurement Summit. Resonance capability as a strength Good and successful team leaders are not only pacemakers, but also master the different working speeds in their teams and within the company. A pure speed strategy can even result in a slowdown. Successful managers therefore manage to combine the time models necessary for the various situations in life in such a way that the company does not suffer any competitive disadvantages on the market. Time researchers call this “resonance”: the ability to recognize which speed is the right one for you personally and your own company in the current market environment. The Federal Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics has made “Pacesetter” the anchor theme of this year's symposium in Berlin. What distinguishes good pacesetters and under what conditions do they work? BIP asked selected speakers from the procurement's summit how they see themselves as pacesetters in purchasing or supply chain management. An excerpt:  To what extent do you see yourself as a pacesetter? BIP gave one procurement expert from each of the six threads of the 54th Purchasing and Logistics Symposium (13.-15.11.) the opportunity to talk about how they became pacesetters and what that means for them. “I am a pacesetter because it is very enjoyable to take people along and inspire them. But there is no point in rushing ahead alone. For me, pacesetter also means taking others with you at a coordinated speed.” Stefanie Fichtelmann, Purchasing Manager Strategies and Methods, R+V Allgemeine Versicherung “3D printing is an important pillar of Industry 4.0. As head of our Competence Center for Additives Production at Daimler Buses, I have the opportunity to bring “new knowledge” into the company. For me, however, pacesetters are all colleagues who have mastered these skills and have an open mindset and a positive attitude towards these opportunities.” Ralf Anderhofstadt, Head of Center of Competence Additive Manufacturing, Daimler Buses - Evo Bus GmbH Save the Date: The complete article appears in the November issue of the BME association magazine BIP-Best in Procurement, publication date: 4 November. Members of the BME receive the magazine free of charge as part of their membership.  BIP is the specialist magazine for managers in purchasing and logistics. The 68-page publication is published by the Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik e.V. (Federal Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics, BME) and reaches the 9,750 members of the BME as well as a further 6,000 decision-makers in purchasing and logistics. The magazine is published six times a year. Save the Date: 54th BME Symposium Purchasing and Logistics
13.-15.11.2019
Hotel Intercontinental
Budapester Street 2
D-10787 Berlin, Germany