A spokesman for a large Tier 1 supplier who asked not to be identified given the sensitive nature of the topic said that all of the Detroit 3 are either moving to automate some buying procedures, or discussing such a move.<\/p>\n
He said his own company is also moving toward automated processes \"whenever possible.\"<\/p>\n
\"We are focused on automation of some repetitive steps in our sourcing process, where customers extend a program life and we, in turn, need to extend the contractual obligation to our supply base,\" the spokesman said.<\/p>\n
The Tier 1 supplier is also developing a tool for members of its purchasing team to ask questions, find resources online or launch an IT request for access to data, he said.<\/p>\n
The initial moves may be small, but they appear to be the beginning of a trend.<\/p>\n
Volkswagen's Von Seelen said it is a case where the auto industry is catching up to other sectors.<\/p>\n
\"Other industries are more advanced,\" she noted. \"We need to be more transparent from the supply base, but also from the automaker side.\"<\/p>\n
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Automakers and suppliers explore automated purchasing - Automotive News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A spokesman for a large Tier 1 supplier who asked not to be identified given the sensitive nature of the topic said that all of the Detroit 3 are either moving to automate some buying procedures, or discussing such a move. He said his own company is also moving toward automated processes \"whenever possible.\" \"We are focused on automation of some repetitive steps in our sourcing process, where customers extend a program life and we, in turn, need to extend the contractual obligation to our supply base,\" the spokesman said Continue reading