| Historically, purchasing has often been viewed as a cost center. Today, after years of social, economic, and political upheaval, the purchasing department is transforming into a strategic function and playing a crucial role in helping organizations achieve their broader business objectives.
Todd Heimes, worldwide director and general manager of Amazon Business, met with the MIT-SMR Connections team to discuss how and why purchasing is moving toward a more digitized and automated future that is ideal for innovation, and what Amazon Business is doing to support this transformation. The topics covered were:
- Information on the various technologies (including artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), big data analytics, blockchain, and automation) that have the potential to greatly increase the efficiency of procurement and innovate supplier relationships
- The increasing use of data and analytics tools as organizations seek to achieve a more sophisticated technical footprint, and the technological 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 bring procurement into the future.
Download the executive interview where we rethink what’s possible for shopping . |