With growing global challenges, volatile supply chains, rising procurement complexity and increasing responsibility for sustainability and compliance, procurement has become a strategic control center more than ever.
For a long time, procurement stood in the shadow of other business functions. In recent years, however, the picture has changed. With growing global challenges, volatile supply chains, rising complexity in procurement and increasing responsibility for sustainability and compliance, procurement has become a strategic control center more than ever. Yet precisely in this phase, a familiar problem hits with full force: the shortage of skilled professionals.
Operationally, the skilled labor shortage shows above all in delayed procurement processes. With fewer qualified buyers available, processing times for orders, supplier inquiries and tenders increase significantly. This can lead to serious bottlenecks that not only stall individual projects but also strain entire supply chains, resulting in production delays, higher costs and a reduced ability to fulfill orders on time.
The remaining employees are often overloaded and have to handle considerably more volume per person. This not only raises stress levels but also leads to more errors, superficial negotiations and declining process quality.
Every additional supplier and every new order triggers complex procedures:
As a result, process times and costs rise and block capacity at a time when it is scarcer than ever.
Strategically, the skilled labor shortage also has considerable consequences. With less capacity, supplier management, market analyses and the development of new sources of supply often fall short. Dependency on individual partners grows, negotiating power declines and important optimization potential remains untapped. In the long run, companies lose flexibility and competitiveness.
The lack of qualified professionals has become a bottleneck for efficient business processes in many organizations, and it is far from an isolated case. According to a survey by the German Association for Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics (BME), 66% of the companies surveyed reported difficulties filling specialist positions in procurement, while the day-to-day volume of one-off requirements still has to be handled.
This is where Pedlar comes in as an extended workbench for procurement departments. The 1-creditor model offers a new perspective on exactly this problem and closes the coverage gap in indirect procurement.
Instead of investing valuable resources in managing numerous suppliers, Pedlar takes over the handling of indirect procurement as the central creditor. For procurement departments, this means:
Process costs and throughput times can be measurably reduced by up to 85%, and administrative effort drops dramatically. At the same time, more time remains for strategic tasks such as developing sustainable supply chains, implementing digital procurement solutions or managing risks.
More and more companies want to digitalize their procurement processes, relying on AI-based analyses and automated workflows. What many forget is that without a stable, lean process foundation, the benefit of such tools evaporates. That is exactly why Pedlar, as a strategic partner, not only provides short-term relief but also forms a scalable foundation for the future.
Learn how the 1-creditor model relieves your team: Get in touch →
