Category managers across procurement verticals are increasingly looking at a variety of sourcing destinations so as to mitigate, if not altogether eliminate, supplier uncertainty and price volatility of raw materials and services.
The African continent is poised to emerge as one of favoured procurement destinations for category managers of many multinational companies, years after the rise of regions such as Eastern Europe, Latin America and Asia.
The key to efficiently and effectively procure from Africa is a wellspring of reliable information.
Some of the challenges faced by companies looking to procure from Africa are: lack of local intelligence, lack of secondary sources of information, shortage of primary and technical expertise, and dearth of quantitative data.
These challenges can be addressed only if there is a network of strong local experts, who can help glean critical bits of hidden information that could be of use to category managers. And as companies move towards category management there is a need for continuous supply of Africa market intelligence as opposed to discrete chunks of data that are currently being churned out.
Beroe understands the importance of having on-field presence in Africa so as to begin supplying continuous market intelligence to Fortune 500 clients - a chain of information that can prove critical for category managers who are looking to procure from Africa.
And who else other than Mervin Rajamany, a veteran with deep local knowledge of Africa procurement, is suitable to oversee the firm's new Africa office? Through its office in South Africa, which will be a full-fledged research centre, Beroe looks to better serve over 200 clients - 75 of whom are Fortune 500 firms - who all have previously experienced difficulties in sourcing right type of intelligence from Africa.
Why South Africa? According to the Africa Report 2013 for the Top 500 Companies in Africa, over 80 percent of the companies ranked in the Top 45 are from the rainbow nation.
"South Africa has a strong foothold in Africa and serves as a "gateway economy" into Africa," said Rajamany, who has 13 years of experience in the procurement field.
In future, Beroe also plans to open several satellite offices in rest of the continent to build on local expertise and intelligence.
With the commencement of its Africa operations, Beroe is now present in all economically important regions across the globe, including China and Latin America. Latin American market is presently looked after by Beroe's Argentina office.
Positioned at the forefront of procurement intelligence operations and customized market research, Beroe is unique in its 100 percent exclusive focus on procurement.
Named for a Greek goddess with the gift of prophecy, Beroe acts as a strategic global partner, providing businesses with critical decision-making support.
