The What: What Is a Supplier Evaluation? A supplier evaluation is a structured way of assessing whether a supplier can actually deliver what they’re promising, consistently, without creating risk elsewhere in the business. Most procurement teams pick suppliers based on price and a decent conversation with the sales rep. It works, until it doesn’t. A supplier that looked fine on… Continue reading Episode 4 : How to Conduct a Supplier Evaluation
The What: What is Category Management? Category Management is a strategic procurement approach that groups similar products or services into categories and manages them as individual business units. Rather than purchasing items on a transaction-by-transaction basis, procurement teams analyse spend, suppliers, market conditions, risks, and business requirements across an entire category to develop long-term sourcing strategies. Examples of procurement categories include: Raw… Continue reading Episode 3: How to Implement Category Management in Procurement: A Step-by-Step Guide
The EU AI Act is not a future obligation. It is a present one. In seven minutes, you will know exactly where your organisation stands, and what to do before someone else forces the question. MeRLIN Sourcing sits at the centre of how enterprise procurement teams make decisions. We see the tools being deployed, the workflows… Continue reading Your Procurement AI Is Already Non-Compliant. You Just Have Not Been Asked to Prove It Yet.
The What: What is an RFQ Process? An RFQ (Request for Quotation) is a structured sourcing process used to obtain pricing, commercial terms, and delivery commitments from multiple suppliers for a defined requirement. In theory, RFQs create competition and help buyers identify the best supplier. In practice, many procurement teams still run RFQs through email, spreadsheets, and… Continue reading Episode 2: How to Run a Competitive RFQ Process Without Endless Emails
The What: What is direct material cost? Direct material cost = all physical components and raw inputs that go into a finished product (parts, assemblies, packaging inputs, etc.). Direct materials, the components, raw materials, and sub-assemblies that go directly into your finished product, represent the single largest cost category for most discrete manufacturers. Even a modest… Continue reading Episode 1: How to Reduce Direct Material Costs in Discrete Manufacturing
AI is already deciding who makes your shortlist. The EU AI Act wants to know who owns that decision. Most organisations have no answer. In the next seven minutes, find out if yours is one of them. Picture a sourcing workflow that runs every day without incident. Suppliers are ranked. Bids are scored. Shortlists are… Continue reading The Sourcing Decision Your AI Made Yesterday. Who Signed Off On It?
Introduction We are pleased to announce that MeRLIN version 22.0 is now live. The updates have been compiled into release notes below, providing an overview of the enhancements in our product, ensuring that users are up to date with the latest developments. New Features Supplier Management Supplier Portal The supplier portal dashboard now shows the responsible buyer’s… Continue reading MeRLIN Release Notes Version 22.0 May 2026
Your procurement team negotiated strong contracts this year. Savings were logged. Suppliers were consolidated. The quarterly review looked good. Meanwhile, somewhere between 15 and 30 percent of your organization’s actual spend went through none of it. No approved supplier. No negotiated rate. No procurement visibility. Just departments buying what they needed, the way that was… Continue reading You Fixed Strategic Sourcing. Your Tail Spend Is Still on Fire.
Every procurement vendor has added AI to their product page. Every analyst is forecasting disruption. Every CFO is asking their procurement to lead whether the function is keeping up. Here is the question nobody is asking loudly enough: keeping up with what, exactly? Because beneath the noise, a significant portion of what is being marketed as AI in procurement is either rebranded automation, statistical… Continue reading Stop Buying the AI Story. Start Asking the Right Questions.
Procurement is no longer a cost-control function. It is a risk nerve center, a working capital lever, and a resilience engine. Yet most organizations are still making procurement decisions based on fragmented data, outdated reports, and reactive workflows. In volatile global markets, that approach is no longer inefficient, it is dangerous. Data-driven procurement is not about dashboards. It is about turning… Continue reading Data-Driven Procurement: The Competitive Advantage Most Organizations Are Still Missing
Vetri celebrated three years as CEO of MeRLIN Sourcing in June 2023. His vision spearheaded the transformation of the company internally through modernization and HR transformation and externally with the promise of delivering value to customers and putting them at the heart of the MeRLIN Sourcing business and product development strategy.
Vetri built his career in global software businesses over the last decades. Seasoned professional with a global perspective, spanning the Americas, Europe, and Asia, and a diverse industry background across EPC, Defense, manufacturing, automotive, and life sciences industries.
A firm believer in the principles of doing well by doing good, he won his two awards as the IT Executive of 2014-2015 and 2016-2017 in Europe. He is a highly regarded global thought leader in the IT and cloud software industries and is an active investor/advisor for emerging companies. He is known as a leader who builds and motivates world class teams, champions diversity, and exudes a deep passion for how technology can transform the workplace and empower individuals.
Dr. Werner Breuers completed his studies in chemistry at the RWTH Aachen University with a doctorate. He began his professional career in 1989 as a chemist at Hoechst AG in Frankfurt in the research and development department.
After managerial positions at Hoechst AG, Dr. Breuers took over management of the license and catalyst business at the polyethylene manufacturer Elenac GmbH in Kehl in 1999, which became part of the Basell group a year later. As a member of Basell’s Executive management team, he headed the global Technology Business division based in Milan and most recently served as President of Basell Polyolefins Europe based in Amsterdam.
Dr. Breuers has also been a member of the Board of Management of LANXESS AG since May 14, 2007 and was responsible for the Performance Polymers and Advanced Intermediates business units. His responsibilities and strategic operations also include the functional areas of Global Procurement & Logistics, Innovation & Technology and Industrial & Environmental Affairs. He has been board of several other companies and has also served as trustee of RWTH Aachen University and currently advising and supportinfg the growth of MeRLIN Sourcing in Europe.
Oliver Scheffert is an experienced entrepreneur with a successful completed doctoral program in business administration and a master’s degree in International Business Studies. He held management positions at Microsoft for nearly 13 years, receiving prestigious awards for exceptional leadership and results like the Circle of Excellence Platinum Award. Notably, Oliver led the ISV business unit in Germany to a billion-dollar revenue stream.
He later served as the General Manager/Managing Director at Aparavi Software Europe GmbH and recently founded CNSLT Partners GmbH, a strategy and management consultancy, leveraging his extensive specialist knowledge to help IT companies achieve lasting success.
