By akademiotoelektronik, 19/09/2022

Purchasing press review - week of 24 January

Covid: Industrials fares better than services in Europe

"Rising manufacturing PMI offers further assurance that the Eurozone is past the peak of supply chain disruptions , but the recovery should now only be gradual," said Rory Fennessy, an economist at Oxford Economics. For Bert Colijn, economist at ING, the indicators are good news for consumer prices: "Easing supply chain problems are helping to limit the growth of producer prices. Firms have reported the weakest increase in their commodity prices since April, which could help to slow inflation", in the coming months. IHS Markit economist Chris Williamson is more cautious: "The January survey showed a record rise in the prices of goods and services, as rising labor costs and the cost of energy canceled out the effects of slowing commodity price inflation, dashing hopes of an imminent reduction in inflationary pressures". The service sector is struggling. For the euro zone, the index, at its lowest for 9 months, fell to 51.2 after 53.1 in December. The Covid-19 crisis continues to weigh. "The Omicron wave resulted in a further sharp drop in spending across many services at the start of the year, with tourism and leisure particularly hard hit," says Chris Williamson. Tourism and leisure activities declined at a pace not seen since last February, with the transport and media sectors also contracting. >> Read the full article on the Les Echos website

Nicolas Dufourcq - BPI- "We need to find the high end of our industry"

"Our country is rich in industrial research, in French universities or laboratories. The ecosystem is in place to detect them, in particular with the SATT network, technology transfer acceleration companies. Then, the researcher-entrepreneur must also display a real entrepreneurial vision in the industry. I'm not just talking about all the breakthrough innovations or industry that shines. We must also create high-end factories in the "not noble" industry. We must have a solid network of tier 3 subcontractors. To have, for example, the best vis self-locking in the world, it's important. It's what the Germans have been doing for a long time." >> Read the full interview on the Ouest France website

Scarcity of paper endangers the graphics industry warns Intergraf

Intergraf has received very worrying feedback from its members. "The situation with paper deliveries is critical to the point that some customers are being forced to go digital," a major heatset printing company told the association. For another large format company, "we are losing loyal print buyers, catalog users, due to production costs and paper shortages. There is a big risk that these print buyers don't come back. This jeopardizes our industry and we will suffer irreparable damage." According to its feedback from the field, the association estimates that from mid-February 40% of the necessary paper will not be available. "Failure to print will result in significant financial loss not only for the printing company, but also for the end customer. This will lead to foreseeable shortages of many printed consumer goods and certain products, including foodstuffs and supplies medical products, which cannot be marketed due to a lack of packaging." Intergraf therefore calls on the paper industry to establish a collaborative approach and a transparent discussion on the supply of current and future graphic paper in Europe. The association also asks the European and national authorities to take the current situation seriously and to guarantee an adequate supply of raw materials (fresh and recycled fibres) in order to guarantee a continuous production of essential goods such as packaging, newspapers, magazines and books. >> Read the full article on the Graphiline website

How Tesla is playing with the shortage of chips hitting the automobile

"Their first advantage is that they have fewer vehicles to produce", notes Bertrand Rakoto, consultant at Ducker in Detroit. "It's also a new company, using more modern components, which are therefore more readily available." But Tesla has mostly benefited greatly from its integrated software capabilities. Starting from scratch, the group designed its vehicles around a central computer system, capable of managing all of the car's functions, and whose programs were written by its own engineers. "This centralized architecture makes the system simpler, and allows the company to be more agile," says consultant Michael Valentin, author of a book on The Tesla System. >> Read the full article on the Les Echos website

Public order

The government regulates the use of private firms

The information report of the finance committee of the national assembly, written under the direction of Cendra Motin (LREM) and Véronique Louwagie (LR) and published this Tuesday, January 18, gave a shock figure: that of 814 million euros spent in 2019 for external consulting services for the benefit of public administrations. Heard before the senators, Amélie de Montchalin put forward another figure. Excluding advice and IT services, it is rather 140 million for the period 2018-2020, according to the minister. And "during this five-year term, consulting expenses have not increased". For Éliane Assassi, "the evolution of computer systems can explain the need for service providers, because our services are not yet structured to accomplish certain tasks". For the rest, it pleads for the presence of private experts to be kept to a minimum and to make it possible to train civil servants with a view to internalizing these missions definitively. >> Read the full article on the La Croix website

A senatorial report in favor of the generalization of the use of negotiation

Among the recommendations suggested by the report, there are several changes to the Public Procurement Code (CCP). First, the "need to generalize the use of negotiation". The senators note that "all the players (public and private) today wish to strengthen the possibilities of negotiation, at least with an increase in the thresholds beyond which it is not possible to derogate from the procedures for calls for tenders , when a pure and simple removal of these thresholds is not requested. The document indicates, in support of its analysis, that "even for ministries where the professionalization of purchasing is particularly advanced and where public purchasers know how to make full use of the flexibility granted by the public procurement code such as the Ministry of economy, finance and recovery, the ordinary tendering procedure still represents 75% of public service contracts." The General Secretariat of the Government (SGG) admits that the French experience of MAMAs "advocates in the direction of greater freedom for contracting authorities". The report therefore hopes that "this enlargement will be considered and is pleased that the government plans to address this issue during the work carried out under the French presidency of the European Union." >> Read the full article on the Sante-achat.info website

Covid 19: A Marseille lawyer files a complaint against Pfizer

The Marseilles lawyer Eric Lanzarone denounces the non-responsibility clause imposed by Pfizer on the State, in the context of the anti-Covid vaccination. Pfizer will never be responsible for any consequences of the vaccine. How to accept that the State signed such a contract, with this clause, illegal in the public contract? “According to Master Lanzarone, normally it is the administration which imposes its conditions. “There, we have privatized the profits and socialized the risks. It is the state that will pay for Pfizer's liability." In the event of problems following the vaccination, who will compensate the victims? "Normally it is ONIAM, (the National Office for Compensation of Medical Accidents ), but with this clause, it will surely not be possible". "The State has made itself very small in front of Pfizer by accepting leonine clauses". Because something else bothers the Marseille lawyer: apparently, in the event of litigation, Pfizer cannot be summoned only before a Belgian court, under Belgian law.” Why? I have no response ! But it is very possible that following the appeal filed with the administrative court of Paris, I will be sent to a Belgian court!">> Read the full article on the France3 website

A damning report by the Court of Auditors on the digital transformation of justice

The Court of Auditors has submitted a very critical report to the Senate Finance Committee on the digital transformation plan at 530 million euros of justice. Bad governance, lack of strategy, insufficient investment and excessive outsourcing are among the main remonstrances of the magistrates of Rue Cambon towards this plan of "catching up" rather than "transformation". >> Read the full article on the Public Actors website

GHBS: an in-house app to track purchase requests

In search of a digital tool capable of tracking and tracing requests and actions, the purchasing department is carrying out a little investigation. But sourcing is a blank. If the offer is busy with regard to, for example, the search for new companies, assistance in drafting contract documents, the management of procedures or the placing of orders, the same is not true for requests. purchases of non-stocked goods or services. Starting from the principle that one is never better served than by oneself, the GHBS decides to imagine its own application, drawing inspiration from the models of requests for interventions or repairs, the famous "tickets" of the IT sector. The expected benefits? The fluidity of requests and exchanges, the allocation of the request to the right interlocutor. And of course traceability: dating of the request, identification of the user department, progress of the file... But also the improvement of the organization and working conditions of the purchasing team. The linchpin of the project, Véronique Odic, both buyer and purchasing management controller, thinks about the architecture of the solution, the fields and the contents of the forms. Working hand in hand with a fellow IT specialist in charge of developing the tool, she also performs the tests before going into production. All in a short time. “Between two to three months all inclusive”, assures Jérôme Meunier. >> Read the full article on the Sante-achat.info website

The weight of public procurement in the Union

2163 billion euros. This is the estimate of total public administration expenditure on works, goods and services within the Union in 2018, according to a document relating to public procurement indicators posted online last December by the European Commission. Or 13.6% of GDP. France points to 338 billion, far behind Germany (538 billion) in pole position, but ahead of the United Kingdom, at the time a member of the Union (313 billion). Next come Italy (184 billion) and the Netherlands (151 billion). All these expenses are not subject to insertions in TED, supplement to the Official Journal of the European Union "dedicated to European public procurement. >> Read the full article on Sante-achat.info

CSR

Moncler, known for its high-end down jackets, is giving up fur

Italian Moncler, known for its high-end parkas, announced on Tuesday that it was also giving up fur use of animal fur (...). “The company will stop sourcing fur this year and the last collection to feature fur will be Fall/Winter 2023,” a statement said. An approach "in line with Moncler's ongoing commitment to responsible business practices" and "which builds on the brand's commitment with the Italian animal rights organization LAV representing the Fur Free Alliance", according to the brand. For several years, many luxury brands including giants like Chanel have turned away from fur. >> Read the full article on the BFM website

Strategic market, ecological challenge... Understanding rare earths in 5 questions

The process of extracting and refining rare earths is extremely toxic and has direct impacts on human health and the 'environment. "You have to extract the ore, treat it and separate the rare earth metals. To do this, we use large quantities of solvents, some of which are toxic", recalls Michel Latroche. "Either you are virtuous and you treat it until they become harmless, or you are less virtuous and you reject them in nature...", he summarizes. Another problem: the deposits very often contain radioactive elements. "Traditionally lax" on the environmental front, China has decided to overhaul its standards and has opened the hunt for illegal mining, "under pressure from public opinion" and "in the face of this crisis that the country cannot no longer ignore", underlines an Ifri report from 2019. The production of one ton of rare earths in Baotou, in Inner Mongolia, simultaneously produces 75,000 liters of acidic wastewater and one ton of radioactive residues. >> Read the full article on the Les Echos website

Camaieu launches the environmental labeling of its products

To define the environmental impact of a product Camaieu has therefore chosen to consider each of the stages of the cycle, according to an evaluation method called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). From the birth of the fiber to the end of the garment's life, the brand assesses this reality in collaboration with partner suppliers, in order to work together to improve results. Accompanied by expert partners (COSE361 and Glimpact) to guarantee the reliability of the results, the brand uses a method developed and recommended by the European Union: the PEF (Product Environmental Footprint) method. To define the eco-note, the method is based on: The calculation of the impacts on the environment around 16 key indicators divided into 5 categories: climate, natural resources, water, ecosystems and human health; The application of this method at all stages of the product life cycle: raw materials, dyeing, manufacturing, distribution... >> Read the full article on the DNA website

Yoghurt pots will finally be able to be recycled in France

A consortium of agrifood manufacturers including Lactalis, Yoplait and Bigard has agreed to finance a recycling sector for yoghurt pots and trays meat or fish, packaging almost never recycled in France until now. After 18 months of work, the industrialists gathered within the PS25 group indicated Thursday in a press release that they "undertake to participate in the financing of the start-up of a French polystyrene recycling sector" in order to "s' part of a circular economy". Of all the plastic waste that invades the bins, the recycling of polystyrene (PS), expanded or not, is one of the big gaps to be filled in order to achieve the goal of 100% recycled plastic set by Emmanuel Macron. Of the 100,000 tonnes of polystyrene placed on the French market each year, barely 4 to 5,000 tonnes are recycled, in Spain or Germany, in products with "low added value", indicates Citeo, a company specializing in the recycling of household packaging. . The rest ends up buried or incinerated. >> Read the full article on the BFM website

How CCI 34 and Ademe will boost responsible purchasing in companies

C.E.S.A.R, for Collective Engaged in Responsible Purchasing Strategies. An ambitious name for an action that is no less ambitious. The CCI 34 presents this new program as an unprecedented initiative in France, which aims to support 30 major public and private buyers for three years in the implementation of their responsible purchasing strategy. Ten organizations will be supported each year, until 2024. The first promotion includes the communities of Sète Agglopôle, the Pays de l'Or, the Grand Pic-Saint-Loup, the city of Mauguio and the companies Purple, Suez, Montpellier Airport Méditerranée, Buesa, Grand Large Yachting and Rochette Industrie. With an overall budget of 409,000 euros, including 270,000 euros financed by Ademe and the Occitanie Region, the C.E.S.A.R program also wants to help nearly 300 local suppliers to make their inventory and better respond to responsible purchasing requests. . >> Read the full article on the Tribune website

Supply chain

Amazon is tackling the problem of packaging waste with AI and saving millions

Amazon has developed a machine-learning (ML) solution - powered by the Amazon SageMaker machine learning platform. Its main goal is to create a more sustainable packaging process, while keeping the customer experience bar high. For example, in a blog post, the company describes how artificial intelligence helps it determine how to use the right amount of packaging for the hundreds of millions of products it ships. To limit its waste production, the e-commerce giant uses its machine-learning as well as a combination of natural language processing and computer vision. According to Amazon, these tools have allowed it to reduce the weight of packaging per shipment by 36%. That's more than one million tons of packages, the equivalent of more than 2 billion shipping boxes, over the past six years. Specifically, these technologies allow the company to refine the choice of packaging for each product. Indeed, given the size of Amazon's catalog, finding the right amount of packaging to ship an item is a tall order. >> Read the full article on the 20mnIT website

Gémo adopts an ERP in the cloud to transform itself

The Rise with SAP "Business Transformation as a Service" offer aims to offer the client company, here Gémo, a contract and a single interlocutor covering the whole project. Gémo had already carried out projects around data with the tools of Google Cloud Platform and the choice of this platform was therefore logical, the public cloud providing a resilient and secure infrastructure that is fully managed. By 2025, Delaware is leading a gradual rollout of features to ensure quality in both supply, with centralized inventory information, and customer experience.>> Read the full article on the CIO website

Radio France is migrating its SAP S4/Hana to Microsoft's Azure Cloud

French public radio station Radio France, also a leader in podcasts, is migrating its SAP S4/Hana business management software to hosting in Microsoft's Azure Cloud. SAP software at Radio France is used to manage payroll, suppliers and purchases. The migration to the Cloud should provide the company with a gain in flexibility, performance and optimization of infrastructure costs. The project is carried out with Orange Business Services. Following a call for tenders conducted by Radio France, Orange Business Services is responsible for the migration and outsourcing of the critical SAP S4/HANA ERP application to the Microsoft Azure public cloud. The end-to-end service provided by Orange Business Services includes securing the overall architecture, optimizing costs and implementing a post-migration disaster recovery plan. This plan is intended to guarantee optimal recovery times and to meet Radio France's challenges in terms of business continuity and limiting the impacts for business teams. >> Read the full article on the La Revue du Digital website

HR / Management / Career.... and others!

Cats: a good way to be less stressed at work

In Japan, we go up a notch by encouraging the presence of animals in the office. While some companies have one or another mascot, others, like computer company Ferray in Tokyo (where cat bars abound), have outright cat-friendly policies in the workplace. Over there, a dozen felines wander between the offices, jumping on the knees of the employees, sleeping next to the keyboards... "I encourage the employees to come to work with their cat, explains the director. And I pay a bonus of 5000 yen (about 40 euros) to those who adopt a cat in need." Of course, there are small incidents: bitten wires, disconnected sockets, passage on the keyboards... Not to mention the risk of allergy. But the effect of caresses and purrs prevails. >> Read the full article on the Est Eclair website