The Voltaira Group, an eMobility supplier based in Pfullingen, has presented a joint use case at Automotive Masterminds together with the software company ivoflow. The presentation entitled "Catalyzing Change: A proactive approach to procurement transformation with integrated data solutions" gave the expert audience an insight into the Voltaira Group's initial situation, the requirements for a software solution for strategic procurement and the results that the use of ivoflow's software ultimately achieved. The hybrid conference took place from March 5 to 6 in Berlin and brought together decision-makers and industry experts from the automotive sector.
"The aim was to develop our purchasing organization from a strongly operational purchasing department into a driver of business success," says Achim Bielesch, Global Senior Vice President Procurement, FIT Voltaira Group GmbH , which develops sensor, connectivity and electrification solutions for the mobility of the future at 13 locations worldwide. "We were faced with the challenge of creating a digital system landscape in procurement, training our employees accordingly and developing them further to ensure our competitiveness."
As part of its market research, the company came across ivoflow, based in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate. The software company specializes in the automatic identification of potential cost savings for the manufacturing industry. The tool enables purchasing organizations to centralize their own data, enrich it with external market data and thus reduce procurement costs. In addition, price increases and inflation risks can be minimized with the aim of securing the profitability of the company. Last but not least, procurement managers can develop sustainable product group strategies, strengthen supply chain resilience and prepare intelligently for negotiations.
Digital procurement – more than just a spend cube "ivoflow proved to be the most suitable solution for us, as we get AI software and expertise in the procurement market from a single source," says Bielesch. The tool also impressed with its functions and added value, which go beyond the visualization of data. Compared to various competitors, the software from ivoflow offers insights into external market data such as raw material prices, energy and logistics costs as well as exchange rates and also provides recommendations on how to generate savings potential. Bielesch: "The tool has not only enabled us to centralize and visualize already known data from various systems, but also to uncover new cost-saving initiatives." Depending on the product group, a three to five percent cost reduction was possible.
A software from procurement for procurement Nicolas Neubauer, co-founder and Managing Director of ivoflow: "Our tool aims to imitate the thinking of a strategic buyer. Thanks to our many years of experience in direct purchasing, we are familiar with the problems of our target group and know how complex and diverse the demands on purchasing have become." As part of the project with Voltaira, ivoflow has succeeded in establishing the tool as a single source of truth in purchasing, which serves as a powerful analysis tool for project implementation and is tailored to the individual needs of the Voltaira Group. A targeted onboarding process ensured that employees were trained and familiarized with the application in order to drive the company's long-term success.
