Episode 024: Bridging the Gap in Maintenance and Procurement with Aaron Horn

Guest: Aaron Horn – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Sarah Nelson – Senior Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Erik Derenne – Director, Strategic Solution Advisory, SAP Finance & Spend

Host: Justin Morse – Vice President, Solution Advisory, SAP Americas, Finance & Spend

What happens with the priorities of maintenance engineers in asset intensive industries don’t align with the polices and compliance goals of procurement? Friction…barriers…transformation roadblocks to name a few. Our guest today would even go so far as to say he “hated” the procurement processes he was asked to follow.

But what if there was a better way for these teams to collaborate?

Although he’s a Solution Advisor at SAP today, helping customers drive procurement excellence, in a prior life our guest Aaron Horn worked as a Maintenance Reliability Engineer in the Oil Refining industry. Aaron draws on this background to give a unique perspective on the challenges of managing the conflicting priorities of maintenance managers and procurement teams and the importance of collaboration and feedback in bridging the gap.

As more companies look to technology to enable business and procurement transformation initiatives, Aaron emphasizes the importance of maintenance professionals being involved in procurement decisions and conversations to better align priorities and embrace continuous improvement to adapt to changing business needs. The surprising conclusion – fostering empathy might be just as important as the underlying technology and AI.

So, let’s dive in, and don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe. I am your host Erik Derenne, and you’re listening to The Future of Procurement Podcast.

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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arhorn/

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