Structuring an international purchasing function for a railway company
Our customer, an industrial group in the rail sector, was awarded a 10-year contract to maintain and operate a metro line in Cairo. This contract required the rapid implementation of a local structure, with an immediately operational purchasing and supply chain organisation, capable of managing complex flows between France and Egypt.
EPSA was asked to manage the entire technical operation and structure an integrated functional platform. Here’s a look back at a strategic mission focused on performance and efficiency.
Objectives: logistical efficiency and secure flows
The customer wanted :
- Outsource the management of strategic purchasing
- Guarantee regular and compliant supplies
- A single point of entry to manage all technical, logistical and contractual operations
This system was designed to allow rapid implementation, without mobilising additional internal resources, while ensuring complete visibility of performance indicators.
A two-stage organisation
Structuring phase (BUILD)
The first phase involved laying the foundations for the future organisation. It enabled us to :
- Precisely define the project’s technical requirements and constraints
- Set up a centralised purchasing and flow management structure
- Contract with key suppliers
- Launch a pilot to validate processes and deadlines
This stage also enabled us to define the logistical arrangements (storage in France, documentary management, export to Egypt by CIF).
Operational phase (RUN)
Once the system had been validated, our teams took charge of :
- Day-to-day management of international supplies
- Quality monitoring, including management of certificates of origin, guarantees and product conformity
- Organising monthly shipments to the Egyptian subsidiary
- Coordination between internal and external players (freight forwarders, suppliers, storage platforms)
Key figures
-
6 M€
annual purchase volume
-
20
number of family purchases (rolling stock, tools, machinery, electrical and electronic components, maintenance, etc.) volume of purchases per year
-
3
months for an operational purchasing department
Results obtained
- Purchasing function operational in less than 3 months
- Secure supply from France to Egypt
- Guaranteed compliance for critical rolling stock parts
- Streamlined logistics platform, with regular reporting of performance indicators
- Significant time savings for local teams
The organisation deployed made it possible to ensure the reliability of the entire supply chain, limit operational interruptions and ensure the continuity of technical services in the field.
An approach focused on operational performance
Our EPSA experts designed and managed a tailor-made solution, combining technical expertise, contractual rigour and international coordination. Our role: to secure operations from the earliest phases of the project and deliver measurable performance at every stage.
By capitalising on our sector expertise and our know-how in managing complex operations, we have put in place an efficient organisation capable of meeting the specific challenges of rail transport in a demanding international environment.
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