In this article, NPI’s Paul Steiner discusses the political fallout that threatens economic improvements. To fund the healthcare reforms set forth by Congress, medical device manufacturers will soon be charged a 2.3 percent excise tax on the sale of most medical devices.

The threats to and opportunities for the medical device industry over the next several years will be equally substantial. Reducing rampant vendor overspending is one way to tip the scales in favor of manufacturers. By offsetting the recent tax increase, medical device companies can commit more spend to R&D, protect jobs and innovate. And it’s faster than waiting for a political solution.

As ususal, the Walnut gives thoughtful and clear insight into emerging transportation trends. In this interview, SupplyChainBrian.com conducted an inerview at the SCOPE East Conference in Miami.

http://dev.npifinancial.com/News/TV_Media_Coverage/John_Haber_Keeping_Your_Transportation_Costs_in_Line.php

A lively debate is taking place between Spend Matters, Ariba and Forrester on Procurementleaders.com. The big question: will procurement software really improve performance, or is this just another software purchase with incremental but not game-changing value? What do you think?

http://blog.procurementleaders.com/procurement-blog/2010/6/4/the-big-debate-aribas-commerce-cloud-will-open-the-door-to-m.html

With the recent volcano eruption in Iceland, major manufacturers with global suppliers have had to halt operations as flights were grounded throughout Europe. Earlier this year, an earthquake in Chile ground supply chains in the area, halting major food source supplies.

Can disaster planning really help prevent these supply chain disruptions? Are the risks associated with lean inventories worth the cost when operations are halted until supplies are re-stocked? Natural disasters like this, and even the current BP oil leak, can prompt manufacturers to look more closely at their master operating plans.

Read More: http://www.manufacturing.net/Article-Handling-Supply-Chain-Disruptions-052110.aspx?menuid=242

Yep, we’re offering a new resource – developed in-house by our research and delivery teams. Please sign up if you’re interested.

http://www.npifinancial.com/News/Newsletter.php

This edition’s topics include:

Watch Your SaaS – 5 Contract Pitfalls:
Think SaaS is all about savings? Think again. SaaS vendors are well trained to maximize your spend over the term of your agreement. This article will show you how to optimize your SaaS contracts for optimal savings…

NPI – A Supply Chain Optimization Partner? You Bet.
Tired of overpriced, underperforming supply chain consultants? See how American Biosurgical partnered with NPI to optimize supply chain performance well beyond the carrier contract phase…

The 7 R’s of the New Normal CIO:
Welcome to the New Normal. As a CIO or IT leader, what can you do to meet the new demands for higher workforce productivity, lower operating costs and higher efficiency within the context of today’s budgetary demands. This article takes a closer look…

Do You Really Need a 3PL?

If you think outsourcing to a 3PL is going to deliver immediate savings, think again. NPI discusses how a more rigorous spend management approach can be a faster, easier and less disruptive way to reduce costs…

Seven Ways to Reduce Shipping Costs in 2010
It’s that time of year again. NPI experts uncover the trends that will impact your spending – and ways you can reduce shipping costs before mid-year…

Fox Business just invertviewed us on the future of the USPS. ” Instead of falling further into decline, the USPS should seize this chance to increase efficiency and re-energize its brand,” Winsett said. http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/grim-prediction-future-postal-service/. Let us know what you think!

In this volatile business environment, saving money often means cutting jobs.  At NPI, we believe our proven price benchmarking strategies can allow you to cut costs without cutting jobs.

How does price benchmarking work and how can it benefit your business?  Quite simply, it is the process of determining the fair market value for any product or service, and then ensuring that your contracts are in line with these levels.  We find that many businesses are over paying based on telecom, transportation and technology industry price benchmarking levels.  With appropriate strategies in place, your business can negotiate contracts with more favorable terms.

Our goal is to protect your business from overspending by providing a fresh set of eyes, market based perspective and industry knowledge that allows us to uncover cost savings previously overlooked.  Effectively using our price benchmarking services to negotiate favorable contracts allows you to retain valuable human capital.  With benchmarking tools, your business retains the employees needed to be able to innovate and succeed in the future.

The strategies we offer can result in savings returns in as little as 30 to 60 days.  Savings from layoffs are often not seen for nine months or more.  We know that our price benchmarking strategies for telecom, transportation and technology results in millions of dollars of savings annually.  Don’t think that just because you have a long term contract that our strategies won’t be able to help you.  Our tools allow you to approach a vendor with a fact based discussion showing areas of over spending.  Discussions backed with price benchmarking facts can lead to contract savings for your business.

Maintain your ability to grow and succeed in these tough financial times.  Contact NPI today to implement price benchmarking strategies that will lead to cost savings without the need for layoffs.

IT and telecom expenses are typically among the largest for any organization.  Effectively using telecommunications expense management tools can lead your business to significant costs savings.  Here are some of the activities typically involved in telecommunications expense management initiative:

• An evaluation of your telecom consumption.  A typical menu of telecom services can include local, long distance and wireless phone, VPN, PBX, conferencing, email and data expenses.  Getting a handle on these variables is what telecommunications expense management is all about. 
• Establishing business-wide telecom policies.  Once you know your menu of telecom services, it is wise to establish policies for their use. Telecommunications expense management helps to ensure that all employees use the same carrier and equipment and can greatly reduce costs.
• Creating a centralized telecom management team.  Establishing a person, or group, that is dedicated to telecommunications expense management can facilitate cost savings for your business.  Ensuring your telecom team knows your inventory, approved carriers, discounts and policies prevents individual departments and locations from impacting the telecom budget.
• Identify unused or underutilized services.  For many companies savings can quickly be obtained by closing unused accounts or eliminating costs related to non-essential services.  With employee turnover and job reductions, many companies are paying for phone lines and services no one is using.
• Contract review and renegotiation.  A thorough review of your contracts and associated costs will often reveal several easy cost savings options.  Renegotiating contracts with your carriers to obtain more favorable terms is an essential component of telecommunications expense management.

Ensuring the success and profitability of your business is a high stakes job, which means that keeping expenses in line and negotiating contracts with favorable terms is a battle which is only ever increasing.  With the assistance of the spend management experts, these tasks become much easier. 

The NPI spend management team is a hands-on group of experienced negotiators that specialize in the fields of telecom, transportation and information technology.  Each member of our team has years of experience in the industry they support.  Knowing firsthand what vendors are willing to compromise on, means we can quickly lead your business to cost-savings and spend management success.

The goal is simple: provide assistance with the re-structuring of contracts to achieve fair market pricing and favorable terms.  Our partnership approach to spend management begins with an in depth analysis of business practices, and continues through an ongoing dedication to finding new ways to reduce expenses and improve operations.  Our spend management service includes market analysis, vendor audits, price benchmarking and assistance with contract negotiations. 

But where to turn your focus? NPI focuses on transportation, telecom and IT – areas with the most volatile expenses any business faces.  We also look to uncover opportunities for cost savings and more favorable contract terms which result in both long and short term gains for the bottom line.

From small parcel shipping and international freight and logistics, to IT infrastructure and telecommunications expense management, choose a team which has the experience, knowledge and commitment to find spend management solutions that will benefit your business. 

Contact us today to learn more about NPI and our approach to spend management.

 When it comes to trimming margins and increasing profitability, expense reduction analysis is a proven key to success.  Nearly all businesses are looking for ways to cut costs and do more with less.  Today’s challenging business environment makes it necessary to closely examine each budget item and vendor contract for possible cost savings.  With an effective expense reduction analysis, your business will save money without sacrificing jobs or the ability to function effectively.

However completing an internal analysis can be a lengthy and complicated process.   A typical analysis will begin with an evaluation of current vendor agreements, with an eye toward pricing, terms and conditions.  The goal of these reviews is to determine how your current contracts compare to industry benchmarks in each of these areas. 

Besides contract review, another important component of expense reduction analysis is a vendor invoice audit.  A thorough review of invoices can reveal opportunities for savings related to overcharges, misallocated fees and other billing errors.  Many companies are surprised at the savings associated with correcting billing errors and other erroneous charges.

No expense reduction analysis is complete without a review of the competition.   Taking time to investigate lower cost providers, as well as the industry norm for service rates, can lead to significant savings.  Determining if you have received the best possible contract rates and terms makes it easier to know where cost savings can be achieved.

Once a thorough review has been performed, it is necessary to take the resulting information and turn it into viable cost savings.  This is where NPI fits in. We execute a thorough expense reduction analysis with speed and easy.  Our process of determining where cost control measures can be implemented, and our assistance with contract renegotiations, make it possible to see incremental savings in a short time.   At NPI, we partner with clients to conduct a complete the analysis, and then develop a plan for cost savings implementation. 

Contact NPI for more information about our expense reduction analysis services.