Saint Gobain - Registration document 2016

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4 AN EFFICIENT AND RESPONSIBLE GROUP
2. Operational excellence policies
72 SAINT-GOBAIN - REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2016
Purchases based on the 2.2.3
competitiveness factor
Non-trade purchases a)
services, etc.).
production purchases, investment purchases, transport
purchases (on sales and on supplies), energy purchases and
general purchases (general expenses, non-production
Non-trade purchases are divided into five overall families:
The high number of non-trade suppliers reflects the great
diversity of Saint-Gobain’s activities.
and sites.
800 professional purchasers, trained in purchasing practices
based on the various categories of purchases and positioned
within the various levels of the Saint-Gobain organization:
Group, General Delegations, Activities, countries, companies
The non-trade purchases rely on a community of more than
by the Purchasing Department to Saint-Gobain’s
performance, particularly in the field of responsible
purchasing.
recognized as a key factor of the Group’s competitiveness
and innovation. A specific leadership program has been
developed, World Class Purchasing (WCP), in order to
strengthen the industry and improve the contribution made
operates at the service of the Group’s operations and is
This collaborative and professional community of purchasers
Trade purchases b)
throughout their path.
brands and entities of the Building Distribution Sector with a
view to meeting and serving customer requirements
Trade purchases are purchases of products made by the
suppliers on whom the Sector brands rely nationally; and the
“Niche” suppliers who contribute particular products that are
essential for the product mix of a region.
Building Distribution Sector brands. An annual segmentation
of purchases makes it possible to identify the “Strategic
Partner” suppliers with whom a strong international
partnership is built year after year; the “National Strategic”
The Building Distribution supplier portfolio comprises 26,000
suppliers from more than 50 countries distributed over 15
markets, reflecting the various markets of customers of the
activities, allowing the latter to measure and understand how
he is positioned within the markets in which he is active.
Finally, an action plan is drawn up jointly in order to improve
the quality of the local partnership.
the Building Distribution Sector and the partner have joint
teams, CSR and digital strategy. A report is then drawn up,
including the data collected from all the countries in which
to the annual Partnership Analysis. Every year, all the
Business Units of the Building Distribution Sector evaluate the
partners with whom they are working based on seven
standard criteria: trade, marketing, logistics, purchases,
suppliers selected to provide the best products at the best
price with the best service to satisfy customers. Optimization
of the supplier portfolio is a priority objective which, following
listing, is reflected in personalized support for partners thanks
products at a competitive price, supporting brands in sales
and advice, providing an effective logistic network and being
profitable. This measure results in the listing of the best
This categorization constitutes stage 1 of a process of
concentrating trade purchases among a certain number of
loyal, innovating partners capable of anchoring their activities
over time while respecting the environment, offering quality
program has been developed in four languages, making it
accessible to the highest possible number of employees.
strengthen this community and its skills. It defines the
purchasing and category management strategy and
promotes good practices. An e-learning version of this
provides the opportunity to take stock of the development of
the markets, to present the development of the division and
to exchange good practices. Finally, a training named the
Purchasing Excellence Program, makes it possible to
strategy in the brands; and, finally, the European market
meetings define common action plans with partners. The 150
representatives of this community meet once a year at the
time of the Global Category Committee meeting which
establishes the strategy; the Purchasing Committee meets
four times a year, passes on and leads the Purchasing
well-defined roles: the Sector Management Committee
The Building Distribution Category Managers form a
community of more than 800 employees. They are
responsible for the management of one or more supplier
portfolios. This community is guided by three authorities with