Mastering working capital to build financially sustainable supply chains: A research perspective Simon Templar I would like to acknowledge the assistance of the International Supply Chain Finance Community in supporting these research projects.
Agenda 1. The call to action 2. Identifying the stakeholders in the supply chain landscape 3. Identifying the current supply finance practices in business: A case study approach 4. Identifying supply chain financial approaches for SME. Page 2
SCM and Financial Performance The financial impact of purchasing and supply management goes well beyond cost reduction. It extends to such critical performance areas as business growth, profitability, cash flow, and asset utilisation. Supply chain managers need to be able to quantify that broader impact. And then convey that message upward so that top management better understands how purchasing and supply management can contribute to company success. Ellram and Liu 2002:30
Changing the Cash Flow Profile Enhancing and Accelerating Cash Flow Enhancing cash flow Cash flow Accelerating cash flow Time Srivastava et al 1998:10 Page 4
Cash To Cash Cycle Financial Ratio Retail Multiple Food Processor Raw Material Days of Inventory (Average Inventory/ Cost of Sales) *365 16 34 35 + Days of Accounts Receivable (Average Receivables/ Sales Turnover)*365 2 29 30 - Days of Accounts Payable (Average Payables/ Credit purchases)*365 26 34 23 = Average Operating cash cycle (No. of Days) -8 29 42
Functional Integration Finance & Accounting Sales & Marketing Supply Chain Management Page 6
A investigative study into identifying the stakeholders in the Supply Chain Finance landscape William Extra Acknowledge the assistance of the International Supply Chain Finance Community in supporting this project.
SCF Enablers Buyer 1 Alignment between corporations overall objectives and SCM objectives, Perception of need to shift to corporate process orientate approach, S&OP in place, Globalisation and New technology Buyer 2 Bank 1 Bank 2 Consultancy 1 Association 1 Association 2 Association 3 Association 4 Credit Card Player 1 4PL 2 Platform Provider 1 Analyst 1 Academic 1 Systematic approach; allows to be measured and transparent, Joint approach of finance and accounting and Change management (internal and external) Change of trade paradigms (L/C to O/A), New Technology, Global sourcing and awareness of supply chain stability, Increasing awareness of the necessity of an integrating approach to the physical and financial chain, Credit Crunch and Focus on WC within corporation Buyer Awareness of SCF, Technology, Complexity of shipments and invoices, Integrator with understanding and Stakeholder engagement New Technology, Globalization & trade growth, Change of trade paradigms and Compliance regulations Low cost finance, Technology, Credit crunch triggered awareness and Change in trade paradigms Relationship between buyer and supplier and their goals, Change in trade paradigms, Globalisation, New technology and Increased competition Understanding and removal of existing silos, Focus: what is exactly wanted, avoiding overcomplicating, Systems (both technology and staff), Convinced about the risk method and Faith in legal documentation. Good understanding of finance in corporation, Size of the company (buying party) and Technology Supply chain visibility, Technology and Collaboration with buying and supplying side Technology, Globalisation and Change in trade paradigms Technology, Trade Paradigms, Internal alignment (removal of silos) and Understanding of best practices Trust and partnership between buyer / supplier, Understanding of true costs of inventory and Alignment within the business
SCF Inhibitors Buyer 1: Buyer 2: Bank 1: Bank 2: Consultancy 1: Traditional way to manage the business, Poor basic finance competencies, Poor integration and collaboration skills in the organization, Lack of understanding and Culture Long term contracts of suppliers with banks so not able to adopt straight away Many exchangeable suppliers, and Risk of partners in far-east (geographical inhibitor) Silo based corporation thinking Lack of understanding, No technology in place and Silo based operation Association 1: Basel 3; for some elements, depending on creativity from banks to categorise exposures, Lack of consensus on SCF and Poor communication Association 2: Suspicion from suppliers side, Lack of automated systems, Lack of awareness, Accounting for buying company ( possibility of treating as debt instead of trade credit), Multiple systems required for multiple buying parties and Continuity commitment towards suppliers of SCF Association 3: Association 4: Bank: on boarding buyer, then supplier, Banks: reluctance to SCF credit providing compared to other business areas and No standardisation Focus on exactly what you want to offer not overcomplicate, Put in place systems (human/it), Convinced about the risk method, Faith in legal documentation, no slip, no small faults, Market vocabulary is an issue and Basel 3, could be inhibitor 4PL 2: Credit Card Player 1: Analyst 1: Academic 1: Lack of knowledge and Risk related Company that operate with restrictive currency (for example China, Juan), How advanced is the supply chain and Supplier on boarding Little information on practices and execution of SCF programs, Applied on case by case bases, Success stories are not published due to competitive advantage, Lack of internal alignment and commitment, Lack of understanding best-practices and implementation requirements No trust and partnership between buyer / supplier, Lack of understanding the true costs of inventory and Lack of internal alignment
An Investigation into the Current Supply Chain Finance Practices in Business: A case study Approach Simon Templar*, Marion Cosse*, Enrico Camerinelli# and Charles Findlay# * Cranfield School of Management # International Supply Chain Finance Community
Evolution of Supply Chain Finance SCM and value creation Creating value through effective and efficient management of the Supply Chain (SC) SCM and Finance Improving financial performances with SCM, to enhance shareholder value The need for liquidity Extracting liquidity by aligning the financial flows with the operational flows Supply Chain Finance
The Current Challenge Functional gap between Finance and Supply Chain Lack of consensus on SCF Commercial sensitivity of the research Lack of empirical experience Gap between academics and practitioners
SCF Theoretical Framework
Research Method Defini on and Design Ge ng Started Selec ng Poten al Cases Cra ing introduc on protocol Introducing the project Cra ing interview guide Qualifying cases Reviewing exis ng literature Entering the field Data collec on and Analysis Aggregated Analysis and Repor ng
Research Activities Four case studies: Global corporate businesses (annual sales over $2bn) Present in more than 20 countries Headquartered in Europe Industries among the ones showing the highest potential for SCF Case Industry Years of SCF TelCo Telecommunication 2 PharmaCo Pharmaceutical 1 ChemCo Chemical 2 AutoCo Automotive 5 SCF maturity stage First pilot successful/ On boarding expansion First pilot with mitigated achievement/ But renovated strategy and positive expectations First pilot successful/ On boarding expansion SCF successfully implemented and managed on a day-to-day basis Perceived satisfaction to date Data collection (several sources to triangulate the information) interviews conducted with different SCF stakeholders (13 participants) Internal and external documentation collection
Motivations Improving working capital and cash flow generation Insuring the financial sustainability of the SC Cases TelCo PharmCo ChemCo AutoCo Supplier Global Working SCF Cash SC risk Relationship Capital Initiative strategy Management management Management (Payables strategy) Ownership Finance (Procurement Group) Corporate Finance WC team Procurement Operations Procurement
Organisational Factors Tel Co PharmaCo ChemCo AutoCo Initiation Finance and Treasury Sourcing Group Finance and Treasury Purchasing Ownership Finance (Procurement Group) Corporate Finance Working Capital team Procurement Operations Procurement Treasury/ Cash management Working team Procurement Accounting (AP) Legal/ Auditors IT Finance Sponsorship CFO Treasury and Finance Treasury CFO
Emerging Contextual Themes Business Organisation SCF Solution Design Business Processes Page 18
Enablers and Inhibitors Group Category Enablers Inhibitors SCF solution design Business processes Organisation for SCF solution Processes for SCF solution Business organisation and processes for the SCF solution Focal company very good credit rating Multi-skilled and cross-functional dedicated team Support from top management/strong sponsorship Timely communication and marketing strategy tailored to the audience (internal and external) Transparency, information management Existing financing agreement Suppliers situation with other bank /programmes Complex and inefficient invoice matching process (late invoices, duplicate invoices) Resource allocation (internal and supplier training) / lack of focus of the project team Supplier s lack of understanding of SCF
Intangible Tangible SCF Benefits Tel Co Pharma Co Chem Co Auto Co Literature Review Working Capital improvement Cash flow management Value added in the balance sheet Potential investment opportunity Lower cost of goods sold Reduced processing costs Limited factoring of TelCo receivables Builds goodwill with suppliers Strengthened relationship with key suppliers Financial support for strategic suppliers Discipline and visibility in transactions Negotiation tool (when the payment terms are long) Clean settlement process Risk awareness in the SC Improved purchasers financial knowledge Review of the supply base: harmonisation of doing business
Challenges Education - Lack of awareness and understanding, both internally and externally. Gap between Finance and the SCM function silos resulting in the lack of communication and alignment between SC and Finance. Inconsistency and lack of clarity in the design. Complex legal and accounting definition. Allocation of time and resources to the project. Collaboration between the team and SCF provider
Implementation guidelines 1. Ensure that SCF is the appropriate solution for your business; 2. Define your SCF strategy and objectives; 3. Analyse your supply base/listen to your suppliers; 4. Ensure that SCF is the appropriate solution for your suppliers; 5. Design a customised programme by supplier segment; 6. Build awareness and knowledge in SCF; 7. Appraise the common implementation enablers and inhibitors; 8. Build the SCF business case: supplier cluster, SCF selection criteria, size of the programme, IT solution, forecast benefits and measurable targets; 9. Design the implementation process (included suppliers on-boarding) and action plan; 10. Define a project management framework: planning, budget, resource and allocation; 11. Create a multi-functional dedicated team led by a fully committed leader and ensure the support from the top management; 12. Get internal consensus; 13. Ensure collaborative team work involving working across functions, the suppliers and the SCF provider; 14. Build a strong communication and training strategy; 15. Define cross-functional KPIs aligned with the SCF strategy; 16. Monitor the effectiveness of the programme.
Conclusions Not a fully established concept with common understanding of the opportunities and challenges. Bridges Logistics, Procurement and Finance Not been well developed Nor been an area of functional focus Potential area of new value But potential barriers in delivery. Best practices and benchmarks immature but fertile and growing. Opportunities to create value and to sustain and derisk the physical supply chain. SCF is fundamentally contextual and should be designed within each company situation and objectives.
Identify the Opportunity of Applying Supply Chain Finance to Enable the Provision of Additional Product Capacity in a Manufacturing Environment: A Structured Literature Review Yi Chunxuan
SCF and Additional Production Capacity Chunxuan 2013 25
Key Findings From Projects SCF is an emerging area. There appears to be a gap between theory and practice. SCF impacts on the financial performance of supply chain partners. SCF solutions need to be tailored to organisations circumstances. SCF needs a common definition, language and terminology Need to Promote the SCF business case Who should own SCF in the organisation SCF can build collaboration, improve relationships and enhance trust between supply chain partners Organisation s need to understand their physical, information and financial flows. Identify the SCF trigger points within an organisation
SCF People, Perception and Process Perception People Process Page 27
If you are interested in supporting SCF research, please contact: Dr Simon Templar Demand Chain Management Cranfield School of Management Cranfield University United Kingdom Simon.templar@cranfield.ac.uk