Industry news

Companies must invest in training alongside use of new supply chain technology to maximise its effectiveness, according to a report.

The Global Risk Landscape 2022 report, by consultancy BDO, said investment in improving supply chain resilience and efficiency had risen during the pandemic as the cost of disruption grew.

A survey of over 500 C-Suite executives across the globe found 40% had invested in new supply chain technologies, but to “bring that tech to life, you’ve got to look at the business case for investing in your team”.

Read more on CIPS Supply Management here.

• GovTech refers to the public sector’s use of emerging technologies and digital products, often provided by start-ups and SMEs.

• GovTech solutions address problems across the entire spectrum of public tasks with the potential to digitally transform the public sector at large.

• Strengthening GovTech requires a better understanding of innovative solutions in the public sector and a stronger focus of public procurement on those solutions

Read more on World Economic Forum here.

Teleperformance (Paris:TEP), the global leader in outsourced customer and citizen experience management and related digital services, was named to PEOPLE’s "100 Companies that Care" for 2022. This is the sixth year that PEOPLE has partnered with Great Places to Work® to spotlight employers that have gone above and beyond to create positive workplaces for their staff and the community at large. Companies That Care is the only company culture award in America that selects winners based on the level of care and concern for their employees, their communities, and the environment.

Read more on BusinessWire here.

As head of global ESG at KPMG International (and head of ESG, KPMG UK), John McCalla-Leacy is responsible for embedding ESG practices into KPMG’s global strategy – and its UK firm’s strategy. He also leads on the delivery of ESG solutions, products and services to KPMG’s clients.

Here he reveals his insights into the direction of travel for ESG and the sustainability skills challenge in conversation with Environment Analyst’s Steve Gilmore.

Read more on Environment Analyst here.

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain said on Wednesday it would strengthen its cybersecurity laws to better protect essential services like water, energy and transport by bringing outsourced information technology services under the scope of existing regulations.

"The services we rely on for healthcare, water, energy and computing must not be brought to a standstill by criminals and hostile states," cyber minister Julia Lopez said.

The government said it would update 2018 regulations which were designed to make sure companies providing critical services improved their cyber security.

Citing cyber attacks like 'CloudHopper', in which hackers targeted big tech companies, Britain's digital department said the rules needed to be updated to cover companies that provide services such as security monitoring and digital billing

Read more on Reuters here.

An outlook on the importance of building supply chain sustainability.

In brief

• Supply chain practitioners are increasingly adopting strategies to build a vigorous system.
• Cost reduction is not the only focus of organizations, as was earlier
• Technology can help digitize the supple chain and make it more transparent and resilient. 

Read the full article on EY here.

Unilever’s new chief procurement officer Willem Uijen has outlined how the company is using its sourcing strategy and supplier collaboration to “raise industry standards”.

Uijen, who started the role in September, said in a blog suppliers who demonstrated action taken on sustainability standards would be prioritised.

Read more on CIPS supply management here.

During the last International Business Matchmaking Forum, an event organized in Houston by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Tourism of Colombia and ProColombia —the country's promotion agency— business appointments were made between 215 Colombian companies, of which 76% (164 companies) were MSMEs, and 118 international buyers from 15 countries, with the Americans being the true protagonists.

Read more on PR Newswire here.

More and more businesses are choosing to outsource their IT support to keep up with the rapidly changing landscape of technology. Outsourcing IT support can offer a wide range of benefits for any growing business, from cost savings to greater flexibility and access to expertise. This article will explore ways outsourcing your IT support can add value to your company. 

Read more on Flux here.

Tackling rising prices within the parameters of public procurement.

One of the main symptoms of the current economic crisis is rising prices, for individuals and businesses. Brexit and the Russian invasion of Ukraine are just two contributory factors in fuelling increases in prices across the supply chain in the UK, particularly the cost of raw materials, labour and transport.

Public-private sector contracts often have to be publicly procured and if you are involved in public procurement, whether as a procuring authority or a bidder, high inflation and rising prices only bring uncertainty. The question on the minds of suppliers and authorities alike is what this means for the successful delivery of projects, and whether the new Procurement Bill is likely to provide additional assistance?

Read more on Shoosmiths here.