Purchasing & Supply Chain Management in Small and Medium Enterprises

Purchasing and Supply Chain Management have been undervalued and neglected by SMEs over the last couple of years. Considering cost optimization and cost reduction as crucial aspect of today's business environment this book highlights the importance of being able to source good quality raw materials, consumables and pre-assembled goods at reasonable costs. Numerous tools and techniques that help SMEs to decrease their cost directly (e.g. Negotiations, Long Term Supplier Relationships, etc.) and indirectly (Purchasing Planning, Categorization, etc.) are identified and introduced in the context of a efficient and effective supply chain solution. The research provides Small and Medium Enterprises not only a promising, but a validated and practical approach to improve their company's success by using purchasing methods "A company may fail either because of a lack of strategic fit or because its overall supply chain design, processes and resources do not provide the capabilities to support the desired strategic fit." (Chopra, S. and Meindl, P.)