Dear Fellow Procurement Professionals,
As we approach the end of a year which has presented supply chain challenges for everyone in the world of procurement, it is good to reflect back to see how far we have come as a profession.
2021 has seen us move from a world of plenty, into a series of global supply chain shortages. This has meant that procurement & supply chain professionals around the world have had to dig deep and be creative to keep supply lines moving. These have been the times when the procurement best practice techniques come to the fore. Once efficient, Lean, Just in time supply chains are now far less viable, and people are looking to source locally to shorten supply chains and reduce risk. Price has been less of a factor as many companies have had to focus on getting goods in at any cost. Single sourcing has become the strategy of last resort for many and reviewing supply chain strategy has been the priority.
As the profession has had to deal with these issues, I do believe that procurement & supply chain is now higher on the board agenda in most companies than ever before, as those outside the profession further appreciate the importance of your roles to the business.
To discuss the impact of Covid & Brexit, and raise the consequent issues, we have been running free courses to recommend how to tackle the issues seen during 2021. We will continue these free courses into 2022 to support all of you people in the procurement & supply chain community, and help you address the issues you see on a daily basis.
As a business, Aspire has grown again this year with more courses and an expanded tutor team. As the demand for well trained, qualified procurement & supply chain professionals continues to increase, then we expect this will further drive our business growth.
Many of you will have had a turbulent year, dealing either with the supply chain challenges within your organisation, or with pandemic-related health issues close to home, or both. Congratulations on the progression of your studies during another exceptional year are well-deserved. On behalf of the Directors, Management Team, Tutors and staff at Aspire I would like to thank you for studying with us during 2021, and wish you, your family and your friends, all a healthy and prosperous New Year. We look forward to seeing you again in 2022.
Best regards,
Mark Parker and Richard Slater
Directors of Aspire Procurement Training