Smith & Nephew to transform procurement operations in new partnership with SAP Ariba

Leading surgical manufacturer Smith & Nephew has agreed a deal with SAP Ariba to transform their procurement function by expanding their use of business network and cloud-based applications to enhance their digital process and better manage end-to-end spend.

Smith & Nephew already uses a number of a number of SAP solutions for their digital operations and the company is now looking to use the Ariba Network and infrastructure to drive better decision-making.

Andrew Croston, VP Global Indirect & Procurement Transformation for Smith & Nephew, admitted that the company has sometimes found it tough to keep track of its spend because procurement has traditionally been driven by multiple business groups using different systems and processes.

The new partnership, which was announced by SAP Ariba President at the SAP Ariba Live conference in Prague on Tuesday, is expected to ensure that is no longer the case.  

Croston said: “Our goal isn’t just to simplify procurement, but to transform it into an efficient process that delivers value across our organization. 

“With SAP Ariba, we have access to a unique set of tools we can use to do just this.  We knew we needed to implement a more centralized, standard process to give us greater control so that we could better manage our costs and risks and we wanted an integrated system to drive it.”

Paul Devlin, General Manager, SAP Ariba, EMEA and MEE, added: “Procurement is no longer about buying things at the best prices, but operating in new and innovative ways that create value across the entire source-to-settle process.

“Leveraging SAP Ariba’s cloud-based applications and business network, Smith & Nephew can drive a dynamic digital process that transforms their operations and the results they deliver.”