Moving Boundaries of Procurement

The opening keynote was delivered by Tomáš Dvořák, an economist from Oxford Economics. He offered insights into current developments in global markets and the expected price trends of key commodities. He pointed out that the effects of U.S. tariff policy will materialise with a delay; however, a high level of uncertainty is already visible today, leading to a slowdown in investment.
Regarding the development of the domestic economy, he noted that: “The Czech Republic has solid fundamentals, but our potential growth is slowing. We need structural changes similar to those in Germany to take advantage of the economic upswing.”

Dominik Růžička from the traditional bentwood furniture manufacturer TON followed with a focus on energy self-sufficiency in production. From the perspective of a Facility Manager, he offered a detailed look at the most advanced approach to utilising the potential of a photovoltaic installation thanks to an energy storage system:
“The battery stores enough energy for one hour of production or purchases energy at night-time rates and secures the supply for the morning peak.” The battery is managed by an energy management system, which the company purchases as a service. Such a complex task cannot be handled manually. In addition, the system provider is motivated by savings, which determine the service price.

Another representative of renowned Czech manufacturing was Jan Lánský, Head of Procurement at GZ Media in Loděnice. In 1993, the company found itself on the brink of survival due to the boom of CDs. Demand for vinyl records from English hard-rock bands kept it afloat. Today, thanks to the vinyl renaissance, it produces 70 million records annually and holds a 35% share of the global market.
Other global leaders of Czech origin whose procurement operations the audience could explore include Moravia Cans, a producer of aluminium cans represented by Jiří Chladný, and Contipro, one of the world’s key players in the production of hyaluronic acid, represented by Head of Procurement Zdeněk Najman.

How the integration of the acquired company Pivovary CZ into the Kofola Group unfolded from both a project management and procurement perspective was explained by Petr Kulovaný. Jakub Chalupecký from Košík.cz and Cyril Klepek from Cyrkl Resource Platform then presented a successful partnership-based project through which they cleared long-standing issues from the closet and, using a modern approach and data management, transformed waste management from a cost item into a profitable business.

Companies continue to push the boundaries of efficiency thanks to digitalisation; on the other hand, the implementation of artificial intelligence into corporate processes still lags behind, while pressure on individuals to adopt it is growing. A fresh perspective on how to think differently about AI tools was offered by Michal Kučera of Digiskills, recognised as AI Personality of the Year 2024 by the Czech Association for Artificial Intelligence.

“When you say A as in AI, you must also say B as in security and C as in compliance,” argued Jindřich Kalíšek, founder of regfor. He drew attention to the key role of procurement in cybersecurity and compliance, sharing clear reasons why these critical areas cannot be safeguarded solely by IT or solely by legal departments.
Where exactly procurement professionals can benefit from commercial skills and how to “sell” the results of their work internally was discussed by Jaroslav Salva from Basic Principles and Michal Kosař from Semicolon. Both highlighted a clear common denominator — the other side cares about you only if you manage to solve their problem. “Nobody cares about you,” stressed Jaroslav Salva in his talk. Petr Kulovaný, in contrast, shared his practice of eliminating the internal stigma attached to procurement as a whole by communicating the successes of individuals. Michaela Beránková from Alleima and Hana Burýšková from ZOK – system offered, among other insights, a look into how they work with their teams and use praise as a management tool.
Modern procurement must be able to navigate the intersection of economics, technology and interpersonal communication. The ability to respond to change with vision and empathy — whether in decarbonisation, digitalisation or people development — is becoming a key theme.

Organizer: Blue Events
More information: tereza.ordonez@blueevents.eu

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