ECONOMY

BUSINESS: 338 PRACTICES


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Initiative

Integrated issue management model in its supply chain

Integrated issue management model in its supply chain
SUBMITTED FROM:

INTERAMERICAN

INTERAMERICAN was founded in 1969. Ιn 2001 the company was incorporated in one of the top European financial groups, ACHMEA. INTERAMERICAN is a leader in the insurance market in Health and Assistance Services, whilst is being included among the top companies in Life and Pension insurance sectors.

 

Read more:  www.interamerican.gr


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Objective Action

The Company recognizes the risks inherent in the entire scope of the supply chain. For this purpose, INTERAMERICAN strives unobtrusively to ensure the proper and sustainable operation of every service and/or product it offers, as well as every partnership it enters into. In particular, the Company recognizes the risk of a possible collaboration with suppliers who do not comply with international standards of sustainable development, but also who do not adopt common policies and values with it. The appearance of such risks may bring about negative effects both on a financial (e.g. through the imposition of fines) and operational (e.g. interruption of collaborations with suppliers) level as well as on a non-financial level (e.g. impact on reputation and the credibility of the organization. Therefore, completely responsible management of the supply chain is both a necessary condition for the sustainable development of INTERAMERICAN, as well as a competitive advantage over similar companies. In recent years, the Company has taken the necessary steps to redesign its logistics strategy chain, having developed a more modernized overall management model.

 

Target Audience

The appearance of risks in the supply chain can have negative effects both on a financial (e.g. through the imposition of fines) and operational (e.g. interruption of collaborations with suppliers) level as well as on a non-financial level (e.g. impact on reputation and credibility of the organization. Therefore, any relevant actions and measures taken by the company in this direction are intended for suppliers and partners in service or product purchase categories. The most important categories are:

  • the operating infrastructure of facilities and services provided,
  • medical services, materials and machinery,
  • consulting services,
  • marketing and advertising services,
  • travel and events.
 

Duration


Description

In recent years, the Company has proceeded with the necessary actions to redesign its supply chain strategy, having developed a more modernized overall management model. In the aforementioned direction, we have established a central Purchasing and Procurement Department, anticipating the further optimization of internal operations regarding the efficiency of supply chain structures. The specific department reports directly to the Financial Director of the Company and has undertaken the gradual gathering and processing of all relevant procedures defined by the Company. The Purchases and Procurement Department, together with the Procurement Committee and the Executive Committee have overall responsibility for managing all of supply chain processes, with objectives which are summarized in the following:

  • Optimizing the level of service to the Company's internal customers, combined with the effective management of the respective budget.
  • Ensuring compliance with all terms of transparency, integrity, regulatory compliance and business continuity of each department or Company.
  • Ensuring compliance with INTERAMERICAN's Supplier Code of Ethics, as detailed on the company website (www.interamerican.gr/providers-code-of-ethics).
  • Equal management of the suppliers participating in the Company's processes, with the aim of creating long-term strategic partnerships, where this is deemed necessary.
  • The equal access and management of suppliers, which is ensured during the purchasing and procurement procedures, is a major parameter in order to develop a healthy climate of cooperation between the Companies and approved suppliers. These collaborations can either take the form of long-term collaboration in cases where there are reasons, e.g. business continuity, or occasional collaborations for e.g. purchases of goods and services of the INTERAMERICAN Companies.

 

Regulation of Purchases and Supplies

The Purchases and Procurement Regulation, which was approved and entered into force in 2014, records and codifies the rules that regulate the procurement of any material or service to meet the needs of all INTERAMERICAN subsidiary companies. The regulation is posted on the internal company website, with the aim that every employee can refer to it and be informed at any time. The goal is to constantly have corrective additions based on ever-increasing needs and developments.

For the implementation of the model, the implementation of the appropriate supply chain management procedures and the selection of the final supplier, the competent bodies are the Purchases and Procurement Department and the Procurement Committee. At INTERAMERICAN procurement is conducted in the following three ways:

  • Procurement without Tender: This procedure is carried out in purchases of items or services for which the estimated cost is less than 15,000 euros. In these cases, the process requires the receipt of a sufficient number of offers (at least three) which are evaluated accordingly.
  • Closed Tender Procurement: This procedure is carried out in purchases of goods or services with an estimated cost of more than 15,000 euros and less than 500,000 euros.
  • Open Tender Procurement: This procedure is carried out in purchases of items or services with an estimated cost of more than 500,000 euros

 

In 2015, the "Supplier Code of Conduct" was incorporated into the Purchases and Procurement Regulation, which is an integral part of any contractual cooperation between INTERAMERICAN and its suppliers. By signing an agreement with INTERAMERICAN, each supplier of products and services must respect and align with:

  • with the Corporate Responsibility principles adopted by INTERAMERICAN,
  • with the Social and Environmental Responsibility commitments undertaken by the Company, such as the "Principles for Sustainable Insurance" of the UN Environment Programme. (UNEP Finance Initiative – “Principles for Sustainable Insurance”),
  • to observe the ten principles and conditions of Corporate Responsibility included in the Universal Covenant of the U.N. (UN Global Compact).

 

INTERAMERICAN systematically monitors suppliers' compliance with the above contractual obligations. Failure to comply with them will result in the termination of their cooperation with the Company. The supplier's contractual obligations are described mainly with SLAs (Service Level Agreements) which have been formulated in the contract in a detailed manner, and which are monitored by the business owner of the project on a daily basis and in collaboration with the Company's Procurement Department when required ( e.g. in some escalation, major issue, etc.).

Developing responsible relationships in the supply chain

INTERAMERICAN is governed by the Code of Conduct and Ethics, as well as the Integrity and Anti-Fraud Policy, with the aim of becoming the most trusted insurance company and always with the client's best interests in mind. The corporate culture of transparency and integrity applies to all employees and partners of the Company, without exception. For this reason, INTERAMERICAN promotes collaborations exclusively with partners who are committed to the same principles and values as it, in terms of combating all forms of fraud and corruption such as conflict of interest, facilitation payments, bribery, money laundering and financing of terrorism, tax evasion , internal and external fraud. The parties undertake not to accept any type of corruption and, in addition, they are bound by the rules of professional ethics as described in the PEE of the Council of Ministers 86/5.4.2016 and included in the new draft law adopting the Directive on IDD Insurance Mediation.

Green Supplies

INTERAMERICAN during the process of selecting and evaluating its suppliers, in addition to economic and technical criteria, also applies criteria based on the principles of green procurement.

These criteria concern, on behalf of suppliers:

the existence of a certified Environmental Management System (ISO 14001 or EMAS),

in the implementation of environmental policy, in compliance with environmental legislation,

in the implementation of initiatives and commitments regarding the protection of the environment.

Human Rights in the Supply Chain As mentioned above, the Company's partners are selected according to strict criteria. Nevertheless, in the agreements and contracts that the Company concludes with them, it does not include special terms regarding human rights. Respect for human rights is protected by Greek and international legislation and, by extension, the agreements that the Company enters into are subject to the current legislative framework.


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Impact on Society

The relevant actions carried out with the aim of the ever-increasing optimization of INTERAMERICAN's supply chain processes, indicatively concern:

  • in the continuous evaluation of all the Company's suppliers, in every case of cooperation, both at the level of services provided and at the level of financial performance, with the aim of creating a database of suppliers by category of requested service or product,
  • in the application of Lean/Agile practices, in the daily processing of procedures and in accordance with the general guidelines of the Company,
  • in expanding the automation of product supply processes using an electronic platform, which is fully connected to the Company's accounting system (SAP),
  • in the intensive monitoring of important efficiency and evaluation indicators regarding costs, procurement cycle duration, automation of daily processes, rates of compliance with the Company's regulatory directives.

 

During 2018 INTERAMERICAN cooperated with more than 3,340 suppliers in service or product purchase categories. The most important categories are:

  • the operating infrastructure of facilities and services provided,
  • medical services, materials and machinery,
  • consulting services,
  • marketing and advertising services,
  • travel and events.

 

The Company's expenses for the purchase of products and services in 2018 exceeded 72 million euros.

For the Organization, cooperation with local suppliers is a priority in the context of strengthening INTERAMERICAN's contribution to the national economy and the development of local societies. In this context, in 2018 the percentage of cooperating suppliers based and operating in Greece was over 85% (of the total).

During 2018, there were no substantiated complaints about the unlawful use of the personal data of the Company's clients/insureds, employees and suppliers.



Initiative Location

For INTERAMERICAN, cooperation with local suppliers is a priority in the context of strengthening INTERAMERICAN's contribution to the national economy and the development of local societies. In 2018, the percentage of cooperating suppliers based and operating in Greece was over 85% (of the total).


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Working with Organization


The Purchasing and Procurement Department, together with the Procurement Committee and the Executive Committee have overall responsibility for managing all supply chain processes,

INTERAMERICAN's Purchasing and Procurement Committee is an independent executive body of the Company. It consists of one (1) member of the Executive Committee, four (4) regular members elected by the Executive Committee, as well as a lawyer appointed by the Executive Committee, without voting rights.

Based on the relevant internal regulations, the committee has been authorized to receive all the necessary data required for the examination of material-service purchase issues of the Organization's companies with a cost of more than 15,000 euros and to either give an opinion on them or promote its detailed proposals to the higher executive bodies of INTERAMERICAN (e.g. Executive Committee, Board of Directors). In addition, the Purchases and Procurement Regulation, which was approved and entered into force in 2014, records and codifies the rules that regulate the procurement of any material or service to meet the needs of all INTERAMERICAN subsidiary companies.
 


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Workers Participation

The Purchasing and Procurement Department, together with the Procurement Committee and the Executive Committee, have overall responsibility for managing all supply chain processes.


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Benefits for Οrganization


The responsible management of the supply chain is both a necessary condition for the sustainable development of INTERAMERICAN, as well as a competitive advantage over similar companies. The benefits for the organization are summarized as follows:

  • Optimizing the level of service to the Company's internal customers, combined with the effective management of the respective budget.
  • Ensuring compliance with all terms of transparency, integrity, regulatory compliance and business continuity of each department or Company.
  • Ensuring compliance with INTERAMERICAN's Supplier Code of Ethics, as detailed on the company website (www.interamerican.gr/providers-code-of-ethics).
  • Equal management of the suppliers participating in the Company's processes, with the aim of creating long-term strategic partnerships, where this is deemed necessary.
  • The equal access and management of suppliers, which is ensured during the purchasing and procurement procedures, is a major parameter in order to develop a healthy climate of cooperation between the Companies and approved suppliers. These collaborations can either take the form of long-term collaboration in cases where there are reasons, e.g. business continuity, or occasional collaborations for e.g. purchases of goods and services of the INTERAMERICAN Companies.



Connection with Global Goals







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