Sri Gopinath, Director of Global Procurement Strategy at Schneider Electric is a senior procurement leader with deep knowledge of global strategic sourcing and comprehensive experience in business strategy, innovation and change management.

Sri led the implementation of the Procurement Strategy for Schneider Electric worldwide with responsibilities for Supply Base Management, Outreach Programs, Categories and Business Transformation initiatives. He previously managed the internal business innovation team within Nissan and led a special assignment for the President of Nissan Brazil to enable business expansion in the market.

MEDIA 7: What do you look forward to most in the morning?
SRI GOPINATH: I hope to make a difference - I have been very fortunate to have gained professional experience internationally, in many different industries and created value for my employers and customers. As part of the procurement and supply chain community, our business and macroeconomic environment is constantly changing. It greatly compels me to think about how these strategies can be translated into meaningful actions to create value for our customers and stakeholders.

No two days are the same, and it excites me to think about new possibilities each day. Also, I enjoy interacting with people with procurement and supply chain talent and contributing to their career aspirations and development. I’m not running out of opportunities!
M7: Can you tell me a little bit about yourself and what led to your position as Procurement Strategy Director at Schneider Electric?
SG: It would help if I connected my evolution to my career with how I came to Schneider Electric. I came here 5 years ago after gaining valuable experience with leading companies like Nissan Motor Company, Motorola and in management consulting. By working with many talented and senior executives from many top companies, I learned about best practices and how to understand the CEO’s perspective early in my career. I then discovered my passion - how to enable boardroom techniques and make them come true and achieve tangible results.

Schneider Electric offered me the opportunity to apply my skills to a global organization, interacting with people from many countries while driving strategic change and innovation. Most importantly I really connect with people who share my passion and desire for results. As a case in point, Schneider Electric was ranked # 34 in Gartner’s Annual Supply Chain rankings in 2015 and in 2020 we achieved the # 4 position! It was an amazing accomplishment in such a short time, and worthwhile for me to have contributed to that effort.

"A supplier needs to be able to articulate and demonstrate a track record of delivering results across multiple requirements." M7: What are some of the key qualities you look for in a supplier?
SG: A supplier needs to be able to articulate and demonstrate a track record of delivering results across multiple requirements - even if providing parts, products or services at a competitive price is a requirement, but expectations are more high. Above all, I am looking for ethical, socially responsible management and a culture and passion for satisfying customers through quality, customer satisfaction, competitiveness, innovation, sustainability and efficient operation. Commitment to collaboration and long -term relationships are key to working effectively.


M7: Buyers and suppliers need to work together more to promote sustainable procurement. What is your vision?
SG: Sustainable procurement is the right thing to do for our society and planet, and has become a necessity for us to succeed, and exceed the expectations of our customers. I am proud to say that Schneider Electric is one of the leading companies in the world recognized for our maintenance practices. We have evolved from regulatory compliance and risk mitigation to building a competitive advantage to deliver all sustainability goals, and we need our suppliers to work with us to be successful together. We are also strongly committed to ethical sourcing - to ensure that our suppliers and their suppliers throughout the value chain adhere to safe and acceptable work practices and human rights.

In our supplier business reviews, reviews and supplier events, we not only recognize areas of improvement, but also recognize and reward suppliers for top maintenance practices and share best practices. We are committed to working with our suppliers as part of our global commitment to build a sustainable world. You can get more details here if you are interested.
M7: How can businesses balance procurement arrangements locally and abroad in a global procurement environment? What actions are you taking to improve cost control in the increasingly competitive environment at Schneider Electric?
SG: To address the topic of local versus global sourcing, procurement leaders need to achieve the right balance between local and global sourcing strategies. There is no right answer - each purchased category or product has its own market dynamics and supply chain footprint that needs to be managed. Some categories such as electronic components and fasteners have been globalized because their manufacturing is dominant in Asia, regardless of final destination. Other categories such as steel, metal stampings, and sheet metal components are more localized due to the challenges of global logistics and raw materials. The best decision is achieved by working with suppliers to “think globally and act locally” - where we can align our requirements with their capabilities to meet or exceed expectations.

Next, we need to understand the pros and cons and identify the key success factors. Understanding the benefits and risks of global sourcing is critical to deciding how much localization is appropriate. A fully flexible, low -risk and highly compliant local supply chain can be prohibitive, while a full global approach can be cost effective but increase risk and reduce supply flexibility. Obviously, the right answer for most companies is in between. Leading suppliers will learn how to work globally and operate locally - providing strong operational performance while building stronger global relationships.

Regarding the actions we take to manage costs, we use both a short -term and long -term approach to driving cost management activities. Negotiations with suppliers are conducted based on data and facts - cost -saving success is necessary but not just the condition to meet our supplier performance requirements. We drive performance by maximizing relationships with our strategic and best suppliers and engage our internal stakeholders in driving cost improvements. Examples of such activities are, cost engineering, supplier product and process innovation, streamlining the end-to-end supply chain, supplier quality and capability improvement, etc.
M7: What are the challenges for Schneider Electric as you look at global takeover in the areas where you work?
SG: We need to look at achieving consistent global performance with our total cost of ownership, quality capabilities, operational performance, risk and stability. Our internal governance and organizational mechanisms for managing these diverse requirements require strong engagement, information sharing and communication with our suppliers and stakeholders. Sourcing strategies are also validated across business units and product leaders to link our customers ’needs to the supplier’s capabilities.

"Leading suppliers know how to work globally and operate locally - providing strong operational performance while building stronger global relationships." M7: How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected your work-what day-to-day processes do you need to reuse to be able to pull them off remotely? What does your remote tech stack look like?
SG: Schneider Electric is a global company, dedicated to providing digital energy and automation solutions for efficiency and sustainability. We operate in environments that are considered important - such as critical energy infrastructure, data centers, hospitals, airports and more. Our people are accustomed to working in flexible environments; therefore, a pandemic is not a big shock when we are required to work from home if our role allows us to do so. My role is global, requiring frequent travel before the crisis. I maintained my global coverage and interactions while working from home considering that I work in all time zones, which can be quite challenging when we are trying to work together or meet at a reasonable time.

Our people use industry-leading collaboration tools for voice and data communication that enable them to be effective at their work, regardless of location. We also use server and cloud-based digital applications for document management, supplier interaction, business intelligence tools and digital enabling of our core work processes.

M7: Speaking of fun, what’s one fun fact about you?
SG: I have traveled to more than 30 countries and climbed the Great Wall of China 4 times in different locations, starting from where the wall begins in Qinhuangdao.


ABOUT SCHNEIDER ELECTRIC

Schneider Electric is a € 27bn global company headquartered in Paris, France with operations in 100+ countries with 135000+ employees worldwide. We provide digital energy and automation solutions for efficiency and sustainability. We combine world-leading energy technologies, real-time automation, software and services into integrated solutions for homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure and industry. We make the process and energy safe and reliable, efficient and sustainable, open and connected. Our technologies ensure that Life is Open everywhere, for everyone and every moment.

Read more: https://wheels.report/thought-leader-on-deck-schneider-electric-sri-gopinath?utm_source=Media%207&utm_medium=Neethu