A new software solution saves time and resources by enabling companies to onboard suppliers to the precise degree of scrutiny required. Matthias Schneider explains
A one-size-fits-all procurement solution works well for some companies, but others need a more flexible way to scrutinise, sign up and manage their suppliers. Squando has been developed by apsolut with global motion technology manufacturer Schaeffler to develop a supplier management tool you can tailor precisely to your organisation’s requirements.
It’s a user-friendly, cost-effective way to manage your supplier base, including all core functions from registration and qualification to material group approvals, while offering opportunities at every stage to determine the level of technical and procedural sophistication needed.
Data and documents relating to external suppliers can be input using a one-touch form, customisable conforming to your corporate design, without the need to access a portal. Workflows can be customised with approval steps and the required approvers integrated into the system.
And crucially, the level of approvals required can be tailored as appropriate for the categories, material groups or product groups being managed. Further categories and materials can subsequently be approved and existing approvals deleted.
Benefits offered by Squando:
•Faster and more reliable supplier qualification and onboarding processes
•Flexible configuration, customised to the requirements of your industry
•Easily incorporated into SAP architectures and integrated with third-party tools, or offered as software-as-a-service
•Relevant master data from the supplier including documents and certificates are entered into the system directly
•Reliable supplier compliance through simultaneous collection and entry of all data
•Region-specific, legal and technological documents and data can be collected automatically, ensuring maximum compliance
Having been developed with a major manufacturer, Squando has proved its effectiveness in action. Ketylin Morello, Schaeffler’s Purchasing Strategy and Market Intelligence and Functional Product Owner for Squando, explains: “We were looking for a specific solution and we didn’t want to compromise.
So, we looked for the right partner to model a flexible tool so that we could configure the specific processes ourselves. We used our expertise and creativity to make Squando our global supplier management tool.”
Matthias Schneider is Principal Consultant and product owner of Squando at apsolut
apsolut GmbH is a global electronic procurement consultancy based in Bielefeld, Germany, with operations in several European countries, China and India.
A long-established SAP and SAP Ariba partner, apsolut focuses on the design, implementation and roll-out of solutions for strategic and operational procurement. Schaeffler AG, based in Herzogenaurach, Germany, is a world leader in motion technology with operations across six continents, used in everything from electric cars to major engineering installations.
The world’s largest commercial airliner, the Airbus A380, the VW Beetle, the London Eye and the Panama Canal all incorporate Schaeffler technology.
