How Prepared Are Midsize Companies For Volatile Markets? New Study by SMI and Lünendonk
Bonn, August 30, 2010 – The volatility of the markets has risen dramatically in recent years, confronting the managers of global value creation chains with a whole new set of challenges. Germany’s upper-tier midsize businesses are generally seen as winners in the globalization game – but are they suitably armed for the new challenges awaiting them in supply chain management? That’s the question posed in “Breathing supply chains: How prepared are Germany’s upper-tier midsize companies for volatile markets?”, a study by SMI and Lünendonk which has just been published in the BrainNet Science Edition.

BrainNet and SMI Develop Business Tools for Future Research in Procurement and Logistics
Bonn, June 10, 2010 – Natural disasters, political upheaval and currency crises – the global integration and networking of economic and financial systems not only increases the number of potential risks, but also the damage potential of these risks. At the same time, it is becoming harder to predict future events with confidence. This trend presents a tough challenge to business planners. Rather than planning models that are simply based on quantitative indicators, it calls for models that also incorporate qualitative elements to reflect system complexity. One such approach is scenario planning, a model refined by the Center for Futures Studies and Knowledge Management at the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School in collaboration with BrainNet, which has already been put through its paces in real-life applications. Attention was focused on procurement and logistics, which are particularly vulnerable to political, economic and ecological issues.

BrainNet Ranks Amongst the Top 25 Management Consultancy Firms in Germany
Bonn, May 26, 2010 – BrainNet Supply Management Group AG is one of the 25 largest management consultancy firms in Germany according to the current market overview produced by market research company Lünendonk GmbH, “The top 25 management consultancy firms in Germany”. This makes BrainNet the only consultancy firm specializing in procurement and supply chain management (SCM) in the top consultancy firm rankings.

Making more efficient use of marketing budgets: Dovetailing marketing and procurement delivers
Bonn, April 14, 2010 – As a result of the global economic crisis, marketing budgetshave in some cases eroded dramatically. The recent "Efficiency Boost for Marketing – Marketing Procurement Strategies and Trends" trend study shows that optimizing marketing provides enough potential to buck the downwards trend. The focus is shifting towards “marketing procurement”. The study, a collaboration between supply chain management consultancy BrainNet and the Center for Future Research and Knowledge Management at the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI), also shows that there is still scope for building on the synergy effects between marketing and purchasing.

Green Procurement Day at the EBS: strategies for sustainable procurement
Bonn, March 10, 2010 – Value creation characterized by environmental and socialsustainability is increasingly key to the very existence of companies. As the interface with the company’s value creation chain, procurement is subject to particularly tough requirements. The “Green Procurement Day”, held at the European Business School (EBS), focused on real-life, successful and efficient sustainability management. New research findings and corporate practice were presented and discussed at the conference, jointly organized by the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) and BrainNet.

New Office in São Paulo: BrainNet Expands in South America
Bonn, February 3, 2010 – BrainNet Supply Management Group AG has just opened a new branch in São Paulo, Brazil in a move that expands the firm’s international network. For BrainNet, one of the leading international names in supply chain management consulting, the new office represents the latest stage in a successful growth strategy in Latin America’s biggest industrial metropolitan area. The firm has already built up a solid reputation in this emerging region through a number of successful consulting projects.

Climate Targets Can’t Be Met without Changing Corporate Processes
Bonn, December 10, 2009 - Between December 7 - 18, 2009, world leaders are coming together in Copenhagen in the hope of reaching a new climate agreement to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. But the chances of achieving a sustained reduction in global warming and CO2 emissions are modest. Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, described the targets proffered by the industrialized nations as “woefully inadequate.” Yet it is already clear that climate targets cannot be achieved with new technologies and alternative energies alone. If we are to combat climate change, business processes also need to be fundamentally modified. Sven T. Marlinghaus, Partner and Managing Director of BrainNet - the consulting firm specializing in supply chain management - and Prof. Constantin Blome from the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) at the European Business School, explain why.

Technology Change in the Automotive Industry: the Touchstone for Corporate Purchasing
Bonn, November 26, 2009 – Far-reaching technology change in the automotive industry presents a hefty challenge to purc?hasing departments. Many of the materials needed for new technologies such as hybrid drives are scarce, subject to price volatility or sourced from politically unstable regions. The availability of these resources is becoming one of the major risks to progress. A recent analysis by consultancy firm BrainNet Supply Management Group AG reveals that corporate purchasing departments in the automotive industry are not adequately prepared for these challenges.

Robin Lemke Becomes Partner in the BrainNet Supply Management Group
Bonn, October 19, 2009 – Robin Lemke, a senior partner at Kerkhoff Consulting GmbH, is moving to the supply chain management consultancy firm BrainNet. From January 1, 2010 he will become a partner and member of the management team and help to further expand the company.

BrainNet Again Enjoys Growth in Excess of 20 Percent
Bonn, October 12, 2009 – BrainNet Supply Management Group AG has published its results for the 2008/09 financial year which ended on June 30, 2009 an?d during which consolidated sales by the BrainNet group exceeded €30 million. This means that BrainNet has grown by more than 20 percent, as it did in the two previous years, despite the difficult market environment. The number of staff employed around the world has also increased in line with sales.

Siemens wins award for international training program
Bonn, October 6th, 2009 – The Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School (EBS) presented the first international award “Develop Leaders! Talents in Supply Chain Management” to Siemens. Further prize winners were Nestlé, The United States Postal Service (USPS) and Swisscom.

Improved results with dwindling marketing budgets thanks to intelligent marketing procurement
Bonn, 28 September 2009 – Dramatic cuts in marketing budgets are a common response among companies facing times of crisis as a quick way of saving costs. In the second quarter of 2009, for instance, the ? media and advertising research firm Nielsen recorded a reduction of 4.6 per cent in gross advertising investments in Germany for the classical media of TV, print, outdoor advertising and radio commercials. But even with severely reduced budgets, it is possible to boost marketing efficiency – without any compromises in advertising pressure, USP or creativity. This is confirmed by the latest trend study, “Marketing Procurement – making the marketing budget go further!” by Supply Chain Management Consultancy BrainNet and the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) at the European Business School (EBS). The study asked marketing decision-makers from the advertising
industry and bosses of the major media and marketing agencies in Germany for their views.

New Book: “Training in Supply Chain Management”
Bonn, July 21st, 2009 – From September 14th, 2009, “Development in Supply Chain Management: Turning Buyers in Supply Chain Managers”, the new reference work for strategic training in procurement and logistics, will be available from booksellers. Its author is Nicole Gaiziunas, Managing Director Executive Education at the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School (EBS). The highly practically focused work uses successful international projects and innovative, methodical approaches to h?ighlight the best training strategies for preparing employees in Supply Chain Management for current and future challenges. The reference projects cited are the top 10 of the applications submitted for the first “Develop Leaders! Talents in Supply Chain Management” Award. The initiator of the competition, which is supported by BrainNet, is also the SMI

“Develop Leaders! Talents in Supply Chain Management”
Shortlist for the International Award Announced
Bonn, July 8, 2009 – There is a lack of appropriately qualified individuals in procurement – only a small number of procurement and logistics departments are sufficiently prepared for the challenges of the coming years. Not only do budgets lack money for further training, but there is also a lack of appropriate academic courses and sustainable concepts. Many companies are therefore taking the strategic training of their SC managers into their own hands. The world’s best concepts are now being honored with the new award, “Develop Leaders! Talents in Supply Chain Management.”
The competition, which is being supported by BrainNet, was initiated by the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School (EBS). The EBS will host the awards ceremony on September 30, 2009.

Efficiency boost for media budgets
Bonn, July 2, 2009 – Falling advertising budgets and the decreasing effectiveness of advertising measures are putting massive pressure on media services to be more efficient. Only a media management approach which considers processes in their entirety can help advertisers achieve an efficiency boost in all of the communication tools they use. Billetts, a leading international media auditor, and BrainNet Supply Management Group AG, the corporate consultancy specializing in purchasing optimization, are together offering advertisers a new approach aimed at making
communications budgets as cost-effective as possible.

Green Procurement Remains Crisis-proof
Bonn, June 25, 2009 – More and more European companies are focusing on sustainable procurement strategies that even the global economic crisis is unable to throw off course. This is the result of the recently published trend study entitled “Green and Sustainable Procurement Today – A Perspective on Leading European Companies” by the Supply ?Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School (EBS). At the management levels of the companies surveyed,
strategies for constructing sustainable added value chains feature high on the agenda. The study published in “BrainNet Science Edition” reports on the status quo of sustainable procurement, illustrating which implementation strategies are particularly successful and where the greatest obstacles to implementation lie.

Strategies against Protectionism
Bonn, May 18, 2009 – The economic mood this spring is decidedly flat: a second major wave of insolvencies and redundancies looks inevitable – right in the peak phase of the German elections. In these situations, the temptation to reach for popular measures such as protectionism is great. Already, the European Union is attempting to boost its economies through the increasing isolation of domestic
markets. Experts are united in their opinion that this policy will lead to a long-term disruption of the global economy and will prolong the downturn rather than alleviate it. As the latest investigations by BrainNet confirm, many companies are already responding to this development with a change in their global sourcing strategies.

New office in Stockholm: BrainNet expands in the Nordic countries
Bonn, 27 May 2009 – The BrainNet Supply Management Group AG continues to expand its international network with a new branch office in the Swedish capital Stockholm. BrainNet has been operating successfully in Sweden for a number of years. With the establishment of its new office, BrainNet is further expanding its activities into the Nordic countries. This step will also strengthen BrainNet’s position as one of the leading international brands for supply chain management
consultancy.

New Study puts BrainNet Number 1 for Purchasing Advice
Bonn, May 20, 2009 – The consulting market in Germany is worth around Euro 18 billion, and almost a quarter of the turnover earned here goes to just 25 management consulting firms. In this highly prized top sector, which is characterized by professional expertise, strong sales, outstanding staff and a high degree of customer confidence, a number of specialists have maintained their profiles alongside established firms for decades. These now include as well the supply chain management consulting firm Br?ainNet, as the current study “Hidden Champions of the Consulting Market,” commissioned by the Scientific Society for Management and Consulting (WGMB) confirms.

BrainNet founds Center for Futures Studies
Bonn, May 7, 2009 – BrainNet, one of the leading brands worldwide for supply chain management consulting, is supporting the foundation of the Center for Futures Studies and Knowledge Management at the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) of the European Business School (EBS). Led by Dr. Heiko von der Gracht, the new center will primarily come up with future scenarios in order to assist companies and political decision-makers with the development of long-term strategies.

Intelligent Crisis Prevention: Optimizing Working Capital As A Lifeline For Liquidity
Bonn, March 12, 2009 – The banking crisis, the economic downturn and the credit crunch: The competitiveness of companies now depends on effective and fastacting solutions in finance manageme?nt. As several international studies undertaken by supply chain management consultancy firm BrainNet show, many companies can still activate key cash reserves by better managing their working capital. It is of particular importance to optimize working capital, i.e. the capital tied in accounts receivable, stocks and accounts payable.

Growth despite the economic crisis - BrainNet continues to expand its market position and opens an office in London
Bonn, 2nd March 2009 – BrainNet continues to expand its market position as one of the international leading supply chain management consultancy brands and has opened an office in London. BrainNet has already been operating successfully in Britain with its own team for a number of years. With the opening of its own office the company will now further expand and intensify its activities.

Changing Tides in Global Purchasing: Focus on Cost-efficiencyand Sustainability
Bonn, February 16, 2009 – In the face of global financial turmoil, more and more ?companies are focusing on sustainable purchasing decisions. The study entitled “Best-value Country Sourcing – A Paradigm Shift for Global Sourcing Approaches” shows that strategies based solely on cost considerations are becoming less prominent. In their place, a “Best-value Country Sourcing” approach is gaining ground. This approach involves making global procurement decisions based on a range of different criteria.

India as a Location for Procuring Goods and Services: BrainNet EAC and SMI India Offer Assistance on the IndianProcurement Market
Bonn, December 17, 2008 – BrainNet EAC is working with the Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) to provide a “procurement compass” to show companies the way in their search for suppliers and selection of locations in India. This ‘compass’ is the sourcing cluster portfolio approach. The huge complexity and lack of transparency in the sub-continent as well as important regional differences are a major hurdle – especially to long-term procurement decisions. Given that procurement requirements have grown more stringent as a result of global sourcing, experts believe that consistent sourcing cluster management is a key requirement for purchasing success.

Landesbank Baden-Württemberg wins 2008 innovation prize of the German Association Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics (BME)
Bonn, November 12, 2008 – The Landesbank Baden-Württemberg (LBBW) is the winner of this year’s BME innovation prize. The prize, launched in 1986, awards innovative achievements and concepts in purchasing and logistics which make a key contribution to a company’s result. The BrainNet Supply Management Group assisted with the design concept for the winning project. Last year the prize went to agricultural machine manufacturer CLAAS for its post-merger integration project, also run with input from BrainNet.

New Series of Publications in Cooperation with the European Business School BrainNet Science Edition – Series of Scientific Publications on Supply Chain Management
Bonn, October 21, 2008 – BrainNet Supply Management Group AG is publishing a series of publications on Supply Chain Management. The consultancy firm is joining forces with the renowned Supply Chain Management Institute (SMI) to publish studies an?d books on challenges and solutions for procurement and logistics under the name “BrainNet Science Edition”.

IBM top manager Dieter Massek becomes Senior Vice President of supply chain management consulting firm BrainNet
Bonn, 1st March 2007 - Dieter Massek, former Vice President of the IBM Procurement Technology Group in the USA, has appointed Senior Vice President of the international supply cahin management consulting firm BrainNet. In this role, he will support BrainNet in its mission to expand its North American business and private equity practice...