You can’t address what you do not see or acknowledge!
In a recent PI Window on Business segment on 21st Century Leadership, I talked with a guest panel of four internationally acclaimed bestselling authors regarding what else, leadership.
The heart of this discussion focused on the key attributes of leadership in today’s complex world, and vision (and not just for the future but in the here and now) was one of the key tenets of enterprise success and sustainability.
There is of course a reason why Norwegian conglomerate Orkla has been around for 350 years, and you guessed it . . . vision has also played a big part.
And perhaps, they knew something when they chose Zycus as their “strategic window” on their global enterprise spend.
I myself haven’t been around for 350 years (although some days 50 can seem like 350). But I have been of the opinion that Zycus delivers the value , insight and ultimately the knowledge that enables an organization such as Orkla to effectively address the “challenges” of a rapidly changing, increasingly complicated global market.
The following is a case snapshot provided by Zycus regarding the Orkla program. It may be worth reading . . . at least being in business for 350 years and counting would suggest it is worth at least a look.
Zycus Spend Analysis Enables Orkla to Accelerate Savings
Case Study Snapshot:
Orkla ASA, which commenced operations in 1654 with pyrite mining operations has rapidly expanded over the past few decades into new business areas through mergers & acquisitions – its core businesses are Orkla Brands, Orkla Aluminum Solutions, Orkla Materials, Orkla Associates, and Orkla Financial Investments. Today, Orkla is one of the largest companies in Norway with 35,000 employees, operations in more than 40 countries, and turnover exceeding NOK 65 billion (10 billion USD) in 2008.
The Challenge:
Orkla ASA, A Norwegian giant battled with scattered multilingual data across its line of businesses. This resulted in practically no view of where they were spending and who were their suppliers. The company chose Zycus Spend Analysis when Orkla’s competitors were rapidly increasing their supplier radius , introducing new suppliers from low cost areas. In addition, the general trend on raw material prices was beginning to put pressure on the company’s bottom line.
The Solution:
There was significant overlap in the sourcing groups across several of Orkla’s organizations which led to a strategic direction of capturing inter-company synergies. Zycus provided industry thought leadership and critical insight using Zycus’ artificial intelligence based Spend Analysis solution.
The Result:
The initiative provided “spend transparency” across 40+ ERP platforms and systems in less than six months. Zycus implemented the solution under extreme time pressures to meet Orkla’s overall plan of reducing spend by approximately 850 M NOK (approximately 100 M USD) by 2008.
Commentary:
In the end, results speak louder than any brochure or advertisement. Orkla, as well as the seemingly never-ending stream of clients that are jumping on the proverbial Zycus bandwagon has quietly led this New Titan of the SaaS World (and yes, here is the link to our first installment of the “Emerging Giants: The New Titans of the SaaS World” broadcast in which Zycus VP Anurag Dixit was interviewed with four senior executives from other organizations) to emerge as a global provider of Spend Management Solutions.
Visit the Zycus Profile Page for additional company information.
Procurement Insights 
Posted on July 8, 2009
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