- RSS Feeds
- Industry Studies
- Focus on Poland
B2B Integration Challenges Facing the Automotive Supplier Community
by Mark Morley
In 2007, Poland was the second largest producer of cars in Eastern Europe, manufacturing nearly 700,000 vehicles.
- The State of the Central and Eastern European Automotive Market
by Mark Morley
In recent years the automotive industry has been going through a significant globalisation process with once relatively short supply chains being stretched to every corner of the globe.
- Focus on Poland
- Resources
- Strategy & Execution
-
by Clive Longbottom, a Quocirca Insights Report
- Introduction
- Europe & EU
- The Opportunities
- Issues
- How to plan for Pan-European B2B trading
- Outsourcing
- Conclusions and Recommendations
Solving Electronic Mandate Headaches
by Malcolm Wheatley
- Global Business
-
by Mark Morley
Trade Within Europe has Grown Rapidly, Thanks to the Single Market. But Where is it Heading?
John Lamb weighs the prospects.
The Single European Payments Area and Cross Border Trade
by Steve Keifer
- Innovation
-
by Malcolm Wheatley
Fiscal Dematerialisation–Riddled with Regulations, But Enormous Rewards
by Denise Oakley
Ten Forces Transforming Corporate Banking Connectivity
A GXS Market Perspective
Strategy & Execution
7. Conclusions and Recommendations
Main Findings:
- Pan-European B2B trading holds much promise – but also has its complexities
- Looking to outside B2B service providers offers the capability to participate across Europe, yet concentrate on core competencies
- Outsourced providers also offer cost effective means of identifying new suppliers and customers, while optimising revenue streams and cost structures over the value chain
The opportunities for organisations breaking out from a single country B2B approach to a Pan-European approach are manifold, and yet the issues are complex and overly expensive for individual organisations to effectively deal with.
The larger European trading bloc, particularly when viewed under the subset of the EU, provides a great opportunity for European organisations to source cheaper suppliers and identify more business customers. Issues can arise in identifying which of these customers and suppliers are trustworthy, and in dealing with language, local cultural issues and legal frameworks.
Quocirca recommends that organisations look towards an external provider to manage their B2B transaction capabilities in this space, making the most of the added value services that these providers can supply.
Further, Quocirca recommends that organisations see such providers as accelerating the move towards the automation of their value chains, recommending or mandating that their customer/supplier partners utilise such open systems to exchange necessary information.
Report Note
This article has been written independently by Quocirca Ltd to provide an overview of the issues facing organisations looking to participate in Pan-European B2B ecommerce. The report draws on Quocirca’s extensive knowledge of the technology and business arenas, and provides advice on the approach that organisations should take to create a more effective and efficient environment for future growth.
About the Author
Clive Longbottom is Service Director for Business Processes Facilitation at Quocirca, Ltd, which he founded in 2001. He has been an ITC analyst for over 10 years. Clive has worked with a range of large and small analyst companies, including META Group as VP Europe. His work was recognised in 2007 when he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Promotion of the Arts, Commerce and Manufacturing (FRSA). As an internationally recognised expert in business and ITC, Clive's pragmatic approach concentrates on the provision of actionable advice, keeping away from "flavours of the month" and from the "cut and burn" approaches of many analysts.
Executive Dialogue Blogs
-
Sourcing from China
Volumes of cross-border trade between exporters in China and importers in the US and Europe have been growing consistently over the past 20 years. But a series of potential supply chain disruptions are forcing procurement organizations to rethink their sourcing strategies. Should you diversify your supplier base to other low cost geographies? Read more on the challenges faced exporting goods from China in 2008.
-
The International Food Supply Chain
For decades the food supply chain has been growing increasingly global with seafood, poultry, beef, fruits and vegetable products being sourced from countries around the world. But a new market dynamic may soon lead to a complete reversal in supply chain trends. Read about the eight factors driving consumers desire to buy local food products and what the implications for the grocery supply chain are.
