Supply chain management
Handsets, network equipment, marketing and IT services account for the majority of Vodafone’s purchases, with the bulk of these purchases from global suppliers. The Group’s Supply Chain Management (“SCM”) team is responsible for managing the Group’s relationships with all suppliers, except for handsets.
The transformation of the supply chain organisation into a single community under one leadership and the application of global material category strategies, in conjunction with local market expertise, have enabled savings across all operating companies. This is supported by a uniform savings methodology applied across all operating companies and the alignment of objectives across all material categories, operations and enabling functions. Innovative sourcing methods such as eAuctions and seamless business to business applications form a vital part in utilising the Group’s scale. The Vodafone Procurement Company S.a.r.l. was founded in Luxembourg in the 2008 financial year and is expected to enable additional leverage of scale and scope through a leaner procurement model.
SCM is a major contributor to the European cost reduction programme. The publicly announced goal to save 8% of the external networks spend over two years has been overachieved.
SCM won two major industry awards in 2007: the European Leaders in Procurement Award for Corporate Responsibility and the European Supply Chain Excellence Award in Sourcing and Procurement.
The major suppliers to Vodafone are required to comply with the Group’s Code of Ethical Purchasing. Further detail on this can be found in Corporate Responsibility.
The China Sourcing Centre based in Beijing, founded in March 2007, has enabled Vodafone to introduce new suppliers from emerging markets to further enhance competitive advantage.
It is the Group’s policy to agree terms of transactions, including payment terms, with suppliers and it is the Group’s normal practice that payment is made accordingly. The number of days outstanding between receipt of invoices and date of payment, calculated by reference to the amount owed to suppliers at the year end as a proportion of the amounts invoiced by suppliers during the year, was 37 days (2007: 34 days) in aggregate for the Group.