Historically, procurement has often been viewed as a cost centre. Today, after years of social, economic, and political upheaval, procurement is transforming into a strategic function and playing a crucial role in helping organizations achieve their broader business goals.
Todd Heimes, worldwide director and general manager of Amazon Business, sat down with the MIT-SMR Connections team to discuss how and why procurement is moving toward a more digitized, automated future ripe for innovation and what Amazon Business is doing to support this transformation. Topics include:
• Insights into the various technologies — including artificial
intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data analytics,
blockchain, and automation — that have the potential to vastly
increase procurement efficiency and innovate supplier
relationships
• The increasing use of data and analytics tools as organizations
pursue a more sophisticated technical footprint, and the tech-
savvy talent needed to support these initiatives
• The benefits — and challenges — of digital transformation, such as
identifying the resources, talent pool, and internal buy-in
needed to move procurement into the future
Download the executive interview as we rethink what’s possible for procurement.
