Fujitsu digitises its procurement and increases engagements with First Nations suppliers
In collaboration with SAP and Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium, Fujitsu streamlines its procurement process to more effectively drive sustainable initiatives.
Melbourne, Australia, 12 March, 2024 — Fujitsu, a global digital transformation company has implemented SAP Ariba, transforming its procurement function and enabling it to successfully channel spend towards its First Nations suppliers, which has increased from $200,000 to over $5.1 million over the last few years.
Fujitsu has over 3,000 employees across Australia and New Zealand whose purpose is to make the world more sustainable by building trust in society through innovation. Previously, Fujitsu’s procurement process was decentralised, creating limited visibility of its supply chain which led to challenges when it came to channeling spend to their First Nations partners.
The company sought a platform that would enable it to establish a single source of truth for all company spend and associated data. It aimed to allow employees and managers to make more informed decisions, while at the same time make it easier for staff to drive forward business strategies and initiatives with purpose – including empowering and supporting First Nations businesses.
Fujitsu selected SAP Ariba Guided Buying Platform to create a more inclusive and diverse supply chain, collaborating with the Indigenous Defence & Infrastructure Consortium (iDiC), which develops sustainable Indigenous businesses across Australia. Together, they worked to create a First Nations Supplier portal which provides a dedicated buying channel for its First Nations suppliers. Since launching the portal, the company has not only increased its spend with First Nations suppliers to $5.1 million but has also increased its spend to $12.5 million per annum with its SME partners.
Furthermore, by implementing SAP Ariba, Fujitsu has automated and streamlined its procurement processes, establishing a standardised hub for end-to-end procurement activities. It has reduced new vendor processing time by over 65%, freeing-up staff to focus on more strategic tasks. Additionally, the establishment of a central contract repository has led to over 2,000 active contract workspaces, with 30% of contracts operationalised for downstream procure to pay.
Nicole Forrester, VP, Purpose, People and Culture, Fujitsu Asia Pacific says, “Fujitsu has a long history for championing and driving transformative change across environmental sustainability, diversity, equity and inclusion, and social impact, and our procurement team plays an important role in helping us achieve this.
“The SAP solution has provided a platform for Fujitsu to assist our diverse supply chain strategy, which has enabled the increase of spend with First Nations suppliers. When we’re able to channel spend towards First Nations suppliers, we’re helping to create a prosperous, vibrant and sustainable First Nations engagement.”
Adam Goodes, Chief Executive Officer, Indigenous Defence and Infrastructure Consortium says, “We’re proud to partner with Fujitsu to assist them with the development and implementation of their First Nations Procurement policy and engagements.
“This implementation represents a meaningful commitment to supporting First Nations people and Fujitsu’s new guided buying system will provide long-term support and opportunities for Indigenous businesses and communities, helping to shape a rewarding and equitable future,” he adds.
“We believe that technology has a critical role in helping the world run better and improving people’s lives. We have work to do to better support our First Nations peoples in Australia and New Zealand and Fujitsu’s implementation of SAP Ariba demonstrates the power of technology in helping drive purposeful procurement and the meaningful impact it can have on the communities in which it operates,” says Angela Colantuono, President and Managing Director, SAP ANZ.
“Fujitsu’s new guided buying platform underlines the transformative potential of SAP Ariba for organisations striving for operational excellence and a more equitable, sustainable world.”
Fujitsu plans to continue to leverage SAP Ariba to create hubs for operational support and standardisation of business processes to empower teams across the APAC region, furthering its goal of creating a truly centralised and consolidated business that enables a diverse supply chain.
