MERCK KGAA, DARMSTADT, GERMANY
The partnership helps Merck manage tail spend while freeing up internal resources to focus on strategic priorities.“ Now, the question is‘ how do we expand it further?’” Sebastien asks.
Strategic partnerships, he says, are now essential – not just for tail spend but across procurement.“ Our suppliers and our partners are key to the success as an organisation, but I would argue the same applies to procurement,” he says.
Whether it’ s WNS for tail spend or Beroe for market intelligence, external experts offer reach and specialisation that Merck couldn’ t replicate internally. This shift is changing the shape of procurement entirely.“ They augment procurement, or enrich procurement or complement procurement … they are going to be crucial now and tomorrow,” Sebastien says.
Procurement’ s role in Merck’ s next chapter Looking ahead, Sebastien is clear about the priorities for Merck’ s procurement function.“ We need to continue to deliver on our foundation and on our basics whilst advancing our ability to be more strategic advisors to the organisation.”
That means letting go of manual, standardised tasks and allowing technology and partners to take over.
The future of procurement at Merck, he believes, will rely on automation, strategic partnering and a mindset of constant reinvention – whilst maintaining the core goal of‘ advancing procurement for a better tomorrow and a thriving Merck.’
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