In purchasing management operations, there are various issues such as going paperless, reducing purchasing costs, and strengthening controls. In addition, there is an increasing need for smooth access to necessary goods and services regardless of location, based on diverse work styles such as teleworking. At the same time, with the spread of cloud computing, an increasing number of major companies are working to flexibly collaborate with various suppliers to reduce inefficient operations and develop new, high-value-added operations. We have started this collaboration because linking Amazon Business, which is used by many customers in indirect material purchasing, with the HUE Purchase system, which has many clients as a purchasing management system, will meet the above needs and promote efficient purchasing support for major companies. Amazon Business is a leading provider of purchasing management systems in Japan and the U.S.

Note that Amazon Business is an e-commerce service for corporate and sole proprietor clients that was launched in Japan in September 2017. It helps companies around the world improve their management efficiency by providing a variety of purchasing and procurement-specific features and services, including a selection of hundreds of millions of products, including corporate-only products, corporate pricing on certain products, invoice payment and approval rules, weekend pickup settings, purchase analysis and reporting, and more.

Supporting operational efficiency and strengthening of internal controls by linking internal purchasing applications with Amazon Business

The purchasing flow in the Amazon business, including product selection, purchase application, approval processing, order placement, delivery, and payment, is seamlessly realized through system integration (punch-out integration). This eliminates the need for the applicant to search for products that comply with internal purchasing rules and apply for reimbursement of expenses. In addition, the purchasing department can control the purchase amounts and suppliers, thereby strengthening internal controls.

・Support implementation of cost reduction based on accumulated purchasing data

Improving the cost of small indirect materials consumed daily has tended to be an issue that has been put on the back burner due to the high cost of monitoring the purchasing status and negotiating with multiple suppliers. Purchasing analysis based on the accumulated purchasing database will facilitate cost improvement by identifying indirect materials necessary for business operations, establishing corporate purchasing policies, and identifying indirect materials with high usage volume after confirming purchasing trends over a 6-month to 1-year period.