“ AS LONG AS WE STAY CLOSE TO THE PATIENTS , THE USERS AND THE CLINICIANS TO UNDERSTAND THEIR NEEDS AND TRANSLATE THEM INTO SPECIFICATIONS , THE MEDICAL DEVICE INDUSTRY WILL KEEP ITS HIGH-PERFORMANCE STANDARD ”
JÉRÔME LESENECHAL CHIEF PROCUREMENT OFFICER , LIVANOVA believe the new profile of a strategic buyer must go beyond that , to reach a kind of ‘ extreme ownership ’,” he says .
Lesenechal understands that , first , procurement needs to realise that its role is now a key to success in troubled times . “ Yes , it comes with many responsibilities , but it is also a noble purpose to secure the healthcare supply chain . Procurement must be super proud about that !”
Second , he holds that procurement can leverage this new image and influence to move from an ‘ instruction-taking ’ department to a ’ decision-making ’ one .
He says : “ For those who were able to navigate across the 2020-2022 period with success , the gain in credibility to the executive leaders opens new possibilities of challenging the status quo .
“ Then , the coaching that procurement can provide to a cross-functional team can be very valuable , for example to speed up the implementation of a new design , giving the supplier a seat in this cross-functional team . The ‘ new-gen buyer ’ is now a mix of programme manager and marketing influencer , on top of the traditional skills of negotiations and strategic leadership .”
Strategic buying , diplomacy and market intelligence skills On one side of the value stream , it ’ s important for procurement executives to leverage the suppliers ’ own market intelligence to predict the unexpected . Lesenechal thinks that all these risk assessments and information are very valuable intelligence that can be used at the highest level of the company to orient the global strategy .
On the other side of the value stream , you have the customer , or ‘ the user ’. Here , too , there is a need to develop and quickly reinforce the relationship with the company ' s sales organisation , and with the final user .
“ You will collect amazing data ( about competition , about new needs , new market insights etc ) that can influence your procurement strategy ,” says Lesenechal . “ I can tell you that you behave very differently when you know that a hospital has been waiting months for oxygenators for children , or that your main competitor is not predictable with its delivery plan anymore ”.
Balance Net Zero with LivaNova ’ s ambitions Another layer of complexity is for LivaNova to procure , and thereby provide , these
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