SDI announces MRO symposium

SDI, a leading provider of supply chain as-a-service for maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), has announced it will be hosting an afternoon of innovation, educational presentations and networking on March 1 at the company’s headquarters in Bristol, Pa.

The event is intended to raise awareness of the importance of strategically managing tail spend, the spend that typically goes unmanaged due to the high volume and the perceived non-core nature.

According to The Hackett Group’s procurement benchmark, 29% of indirect spend is not on contract today. That 29% is what procurement professionals refer to as the “tail” of their spend. SDI will be co-hosting the March 1st Innovation Symposium on how to Stop Chasing your Tail and Start Addressing Tail Spend.

With speakers from:
Ascend Performance Material
Dryden
The Hackett Group
Penn State’s Center for Supply Chain Research

Click here for full details on the speakers and presentations.

“Unmanaged tail spend costs companies millions of dollars each year, but because there’s such little visibility into this area, getting that spend under contract isn’t usually a high priority,” said Chris Moore, president and CEO at SDI. “The March 1st Innovation Symposium brings together various practitioners, research analysts and subject matter experts to innovate and discuss why tail spend is the last frontier of procurement. And explore how different solutions – from spend analysis and eProcurement platforms to on-site buying desks and outsourced solutions – can open up a world of opportunity for value creation. It’s really about elevating this topic and discussing how all the different options out there work together.”

The company will also launch the Excellence in MRO Awards at the Innovation Symposium. The awards program recognizes leaders that have transformed MRO from a cost of doing business to a strategic lever of competitiveness.

“Recognizing excellence, sharing key industry insights, and building a community and culture of success are the goals of the inaugural Excellence in MRO Awards,” Moore said.

The event is being held at 1pm on March 1st, 2017 at SDI’s North American headquarters at 1414 Radcliffe St, Ste 300 in Bristol, Pa. Presentations will be followed by cocktails and networking from 5pm – 7pm. While the event is free of charge, space is limited. Attendees must register by February 15th at http://www.sdi.com/contact/symposium-registration