At Wincor Nixdorf, all purchasing activities are coordinated by Group Purchasing, which is also responsible for long-term goals, strategies and directives. The main principle behind our purchasing activities is a decentralized organization which is, however, managed from the center. This ensures that all purchasing activities within the Group are undertaken in close collaboration with local offices and production facilities.

Products, components and assemblies as well as services and software products are sourced from suppliers using a Group-wide, international purchasing system with a uniform contract database. This approach helps us achieve the best possible terms and, as a result, lower costs.

One area of focus of the strategic purchasing function during the fiscal year was the further internationalization of our supplier base, specifically in the Asian market. Key activities in this market include coordinating local purchasing operations, finding new low-cost suppliers, expanding existing relationships and adjusting these to meet various quality requirements within the Group. In the fiscal year, we also concentrated on reducing supplier lead times and achieving further cost savings.

Consistent improvement of our production logistics has enabled us to further reduce the throughput time between order entry and product installation. This resulted in faster, more flexible fulfillment of customer orders as well as improvements in the capability and deadline-compliance of our suppliers especially important in view of the Group’s ever-increasing international business activities.