adm
adm works to understand clients so it can deliver marketing campaigns that build client brands and add value. By Eric Slack
From its North American headquarters in Stamford, Conn., adm is embarking on an exciting journey. Its roots stretch back to 1992 when it was part of the company, Polyconcept. In 2015, the management team of adm acquired the business from Polyconcept with the goal of building on a stable business platform and a global infrastructure to continue the development of its capabilities to better serve clients as a standalone business.
Today, it is one of the largest independent marketing services businesses in the world. Its team of process experts consult, reengineer and execute global supply chain solutions that deliver competitive advantage and cost optimization. The company has over 300 people and 21 offices in 17 countries, allowing the company to deliver local activation of global strategies for brands across the world.
“We are truly global and continually drive greater global synergies across our business to execute campaigns ,” Vice President of Sourcing and Supply Chain Alyssa Young says.
Knowing Clients
Working with clients under long-term contracts, adm becomes their execution partner to deliver marketing campaigns that build brands and add value. Global organizations and brands look to adm to implement enterprise solutions that deliver benefits like cost optimization, streamlining processes, eliminating risk, driving brand compliance, protecting brand equity and delivering sustainable innovation. The company consults with clients to build a collaborative roadmap for success.
Young was appointed by adm USA in January 2016 to oversee the domestic procurement and supply chain process. She has the responsibility of creating and implementing an industry leading category management strategy that enhances the company’s overall global procurement offering while driving both efficiencies and effectiveness for its U.S. client base.
“Everything starts with analysis and review. From there we define a clear strategy for success,” Young says. “We need to establish a pulse check of the current client procurement status and collaboratively build a roadmap which is ultimately built around people, process and technology. We are unearthing a lot of opportunity within the U.S. marketplace and the more we engage clients and supply partners, the more we realize what a unique proposition we have. There are a number of areas where we have a high level of sophistication such as providing detail spend visibility, implementing compliance programs and driving greater marketing effectiveness, all wrapped into one technology platform is resonating with clients.”
While adm boasts a mature procurement platform adopted by its offices globally, the U.S. team led by Young is hard at work at evaluating and onboarding domestic suppliers that can play a role within the joined up global procurement strategy, which also give U.S. suppliers the opportunity to a global gateway.
Rapid Evolution
As for its investments in U.S. operations, people, process and technology are the key areas for resources at present. Finding the right people is a main focus.
“We managed to secure some initial staff transfers from our European operations to support client demand, but combined this with great local talent,” Young says. “We’ve also identified the need to appoint an in-house talent manager to build a pipeline of great people to support growth. Another consideration is office location and space. Within 12 months, we have established a footprint in Stamford, New York, Miami and Toronto, with additional expansion plans for Q1 2017.”
For adm, success revolves around having the right support team in place internally to ensure that the business is well run while also finding the right external partners. It can be a significant challenge to find the right suppliers to provide products that meet the requirements of its customers.
“It is important that we identify the best suppliers to support our business and ensure we maintain a thorough evaluation process. Our standards are high,” Young says. “It is the same with transportation and fulfillment partners.”
Now, adm is investing in operations in the U.S. and around the world. New staff and offices are coming online in many nations. Young is involved with what is happening globally, working with her global procurement counterparts to ensure shared success.
“We are moving forward together and leverage economies of scale to enhance efficiencies and ensure seamless POS management transitions for clients,” Young says.