How manufacturers balance cost, complexity, and supply chain resilience In automotive manufacturing, procurement decisions made during sourcing have a direct impact on product competitiveness. The supplier selected for a component, the commercial terms negotiated, and the technical feasibility of a part can influence manufacturing costs, production continuity, and vehicle quality long after the sourcing event is… Continue reading Managing Direct Material Sourcing at Automotive Scale
Introduction We are pleased to announce that MeRLIN version 23.0 is now live. This release introduces enhancements across Supplier Management, Sourcing Events Management, Direct Sourcing, Requisition Management, Procurement, Invoice Management, and Platform capabilities. The updates below reflect customer-driven improvements and product engineering initiatives designed to simplify workflows and strengthen control. New Features Supplier Management Supplier… Continue reading MeRLIN Release Notes Version 23.0 August 2026
The What: What Are Maverick and Tail Spend? Maverick spend is any purchase made outside the approved process: an unapproved supplier, no purchase order, a corporate card used for something it was never meant to cover. The purchase itself might be reasonable. The way it happened is the problem. Tail spend is different. It’s the long list of suppliers who each… Continue reading Episode 7 – The What: What Are Maverick and Tail Spend?
Build a sourcing strategy that reduces costs, manages supplier risk, and improves procurement performance. The What: What Is a Strategic Sourcing Plan? A strategic sourcing plan is the document that decides how a category gets sourced before anyone talks to suppliers, not after. Most sourcing still works backward. A need comes up, someone gets three quotes, the… Continue reading Episode – 6 How to Develop a Strategic Sourcing Plan
The What: What Is a Supplier Scorecard? A supplier scorecard is a standing document that scores every active supplier against the same set of criteria, on a repeating schedule, instead of once at onboarding and never again. Most supplier evaluations happen at exactly one moment: before the contract is signed. After that, performance gets tracked… Continue reading Episode – 5 How to Build a Supplier Scorecard (and Use It to Manage Supplier Risk)
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
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.
