Juan Pinto

The Big Picture of Supply Chains What makes supply chain fascinating is that it’s a career where theory doesn’t always match reality. We learn models, frameworks, and processes in class but no single module prepared us for a pandemic. Yet, supply chain professionals held up entire economies during the pandemic. We had to think beyond theory, innovate under pressure, and create solutions that weren’t in the textbooks. It was a real test of resilience, creativity, and collective problem-solving. This point was strongly emphasized during the CIPS Forum on The Future of Supply Chain and CIPS Strategic Positioning, where it was highlighted that supply chain extends far beyond procurement and purchasing. It is about the entire flow of goods from the ultimate supplier to the ultimate consumer. The conversation reminded me how much our thinking must evolve. Supply chain is no longer a transactional back-office function. It’s a value network, integrating strategy, resilience, and sustainability. There is a growing imperative to bridge theory with practice and to embed this to the very core of supply chain thinking. We must move beyond teaching supply chain as merely a series of transactions and instead equip the next generation to think strategically about long-term value creation. This kind of thinking should not be reserved for advanced learning, it needs to be integrated into our induction programs from the very start. Joshua Gitoho Njoroge , Chartered MCIPS Lucky Manyasa Eric Kiamba MCIPS,MKISM

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Category management and make-or-buy strategy For many years, through my past and current roles as well as during external courses I’ve delivered, I’ve had the privilege of reviewing hundreds of category strategies. When category management reaches a certain level of maturity, it often leads to make-or-buy analyses and decisions. This becomes extremely strategic and drives amazing conversations with the business stakeholders. Procurement becomes part of the team building the business case—and in some cases, even takes the lead. A few examples that come to mind (beyond the more frequent, opportunistic production-capacity make-or-buy situations): ▶️ Bottleneck situations with full dependency on a monopolistic supplier – from buy to make:
• A major case involved a provider of beer bottle caps where the decision was made to bring production in-house.
• In another case, a vendor specialized in high-end medical training events in hospitals was replaced by the company deciding to manage those events internally. ▶️ Shifts in supply and demand within a commodity market – from buy to make:
• In industries such as food and textiles, companies often move upstream by managing raw material farming directly (e.g., pistachios, vanilla, or cotton). Firms can even start working directly with a small pool of farmers fully dependent on them. ▶️ Changes in internal R&D strategy or product portfolio – from make to buy:
• In automotive, pharma, or medtech, companies that long designed core components in-house and subcontracted only manufacturing according to their detailed instructions, often decided to shift toward external high value partners providing end-to-end expertise—covering full design, production, and delivery.
• Similarly, in transportation and warehousing many companies have moved from basic suppliers under their full daily operational management to fully delegate to integrated a 4PL partner. ▶️ New ESG requirements – from make to buy:
• In several cases, the high investments needed to meet new sustainability or compliance requirements push companies to externalize production or build highly collaborative deals with specialized manufacturers who have already invested and adapted. Getting procurement involved early enough is not easy—but it is a true game changer for companies that do. Strong category strategies are a great entry point to spark and drive these make-or-buy conversations and decisions. Have you managed make-or-buy cases through category management❓
How can procurement be engaged early enough in those make or buy business cases❓ I’d love to hear your experiences. #Procurement #purchasing #Sourcing #procurementbluesky #futurodecompras

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Supply Chains Are Facing a Crossroads — and Most Aren’t Ready Gartner’s “Future of Supply Chain 2025” report highlights a stark reality: Only 29% of companies have built at least three of the five capabilities needed to future-proof their supply chains: → agility, resilience, regionalization, ecosystem integration, and strategic alignment. The good news? DSV Air & Sea ‘Supply Chain Solutions’ already enables customers to be in that very top-performing group. What distinguishes the leaders? 1️⃣ Design before technology The majority of outperformers prioritize business model innovation over just implementing new tools. DSV applies this same principle — with simplified, segment-based, scalable OMS & FMS solutions. 2️⃣ Talent before tools Leaders are twice as likely to have embedded talent-driven capabilities. At DSV, we don’t just invest in people — we structure execution around Program Management and decision-making frameworks that enable fast, commercially sound action close to the customer. 3️⃣ Scenario planning over guesswork Only 19% of companies are doing this — yet it’s a defining trait of future-ready supply chains. With DSV AI-powered steering models, we enable our customers to anticipate, simulate and steer — not just react. 4️⃣ Clarity over complexity Top supply chains invest deliberately — in fewer but more impactful areas. DSV delivers that focus: clear business cases, operational feasibility, measurable outcomes. 📍Bottom line: DSV - Global Transport and Logistics ‘Supply Chain Solutions’ brings to life what Gartner defines as future-ready. Not in theory, but in daily operations. #DSV #AirAndSea #SupplyChainSolutions #FutureReady #OMS #FMS #LogisticsLeadership #Agility #Resilience #Visibility

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Does your next CEO sit within Procurement? In July, Renault Group announced that Francois PROVOST, its Chief Procurement Officer, would step into the role of CEO. For those in Supply Chain and Procurement, it was a move that quietly signals a major shift in what boards value most in their leaders. For decades, Procurement has been seen as a cost centre - vital, but rarely viewed as a pathway to the top. That perception is changing fast. Provost’s appointment shows that Procurement isn’t just about price negotiation and cost control anymore. It’s about strategy, resilience, and partnership. He’s spent years managing global suppliers, navigating one of the most complex supply chains in the world. That mix of commercial acumen, geopolitical awareness and operational execution is exactly what modern CEOs need. In a world defined by disruption - raw material shortages, sustainability pressures, geopolitical risk, and in the case of Automotive, the EV revolution - the leaders who truly understand the end-to-end value chain are becoming the ones best equipped to lead entire organisations. We've seen this with Chief Supply Chain Officers stepping into CEO roles; but I suspect we will see Chief Procurement Officers also contending for the role in the very near future. So maybe the next big question isn’t if Procurement leaders can become CEOs… It’s how many will over the next decade. #Procurement #SupplyChain #CEO

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Always energizing to connect with peers who share a genuine passion for elevating the #procurement function. Thank you, Luis Ortega, for a fantastic discussion. Some themes where our views strongly resonated: 🔹 Procurement’s self-created language vs. business language Procurement often measures its impact in savings, but these don’t always translate into the P&L. To truly align with business, the function must shift from a narrow savings mindset to a broader focus on cost and financial impact. Strengthening finance fundamentals is essential for this shift. 🔹 Delivering while evolving Leaders often struggle to balance delivering results today while driving transformation for tomorrow. Neuroscience tells us that under pressure, the brain defaults to habitual pathways because it consumes less energy than forming new ones. While leaders recognize the value of upskilling, limited bandwidth pulls them back to familiar behaviors. Breaking this vicious circle requires conscious effort — and rewiring through practice. 🔹 Regional maturity The procurement function in the region is still at an early stage of maturity. This brings its share of challenges, but it also opens a unique window of opportunity — to shape best practices, build stronger business alignment, and deliver outsized impact compared to more mature markets. In the end, it’s not the strongest or the biggest that survive — it’s the fastest to adapt and respond. Procurement is no different. #Procurement #Leadership #Transformation #Innovation

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