Geia Food & WorkPoint 365
Automating the supplier management process with a supplier portal based on WorkPoint 365, increased efficiency and reduced time-consuming manual workflows.
A desire for greater efficiency in everyday work was the direct cause of automation of the supplier management process. Today, the entire Microsoft 365 toolbox is in play when continually optimising. Geia Food optimises supplier audits with supplier management from WorkPoint partner, Simplitize.
Geia Food develops and supplies food concepts to retail customers throughout Scandinavia. Geia Food’s network of food suppliers is extensive, and there are requirements for comprehensive documentation and a high level of security from both authorities and customers.
As part of the company’s BSE certification, Geia Food will conduct ongoing supplier audits. In addition, there is a need to be able to get an overview of suppliers quickly and easily.
Time consuming to collect information
Previously, Geia Food obtained supplier information via Word documents, which were sent out to the +300 suppliers in more than 25 countries. On one supplier alone, it could be up to 20 emails back and forth before all details were correct. Incorrectly or incompletely filled-in fields and other types of miscommunication made the process time-consuming due to the many possibilities for errors which required further investigation and dialogue.
Data was also challenging to access, which made it difficult to obtain a comprehensive overview of their suppliers. An overview which was necessary for Geia Food in order to quickly be able to meet special requirements from customers regarding the quality of food, delivery forms and similar. The Quality Department in Geia Food quality in particular was challenged by the very manual solution, and the time had come for a better, automated and more dynamic set-up.
Extensive change at every stage
In collaboration with Simplitize, Geia Food decided on a solution that combines a supplier portal based on WorkPoint 365 and a questionnaire for suppliers created using Power Apps. The path to a streamlined set-up, which is now a reality, has required commissioning and adaptation.
Several of our suppliers are independent of the old school. All appendices are on paper and new technology is not of interest to them. For a small fisherman in a Norwegian settlement, it can be an overwhelming task to report digitally, but with persistent efforts, good help and cooperation, we have succeeded. The digital reporting is a requirement for being able to deliver to Geia Food, and everyone comes along smoothly.
Correct supplier data in the system
Today, many of the key steps in a supplier audit are automated. When it is time for a new audit, the system automatically sends an e-mail to the specific supplier, who logs in and completes the questionnaire, which includes all the information that was previously collected in the Word document. Wasted time and manual work creating and sending emails and documents is a thing of the past.
The form can only be submitted when all information is in place. This means that we get comprehensive data from the start, and the quality department saves a lot of time. Afterwards, we can easily get an overview and retrieve the information we need.
Overall overview of suppliers
The overview of suppliers is much larger today, where the WorkPoint 365-based supplier portal makes it easy to access data. The possibility of searching for special conditions at suppliers means, for example, that Geia Food can quickly get an overview of which suppliers are included when there are changed requirements from one of Geia Food’s customers.
Everything is digital and we can easily access and get an overview of all our suppliers, because we can quickly extract the information.
Online evaluation of suppliers also makes it easier for Geia Food to quickly identify and report back if there are special challenges in an area. This gives the supplier the opportunity to adjust the conditions so they meet the retail customers’ expectations for quality, production conditions, palletising, and other factors.
Power Apps are part of the plans for the future
At Geia Food, there are many plans for what the supplier portal should be developed in to over time. Product registration and expanded supplier evaluation are next on the list, and competencies in Power Apps weigh heavily when recruiting new employees to ensure quick onboarding and user adoption.
We must do much more along that path. Both on its own and with the help of Simplitize. The people at Simplitize know the Microsoft 365 platform inside out, and they have really opened my eyes to the many possibilities.
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