Aite Group Report: Best Practices for SCF Programmes
A new report from Aite Group identifies the best practices of a successful supply chain finance (SCF) programme. The report is based on an online survey of more than 100 European practitioners of corporate finance conducted between the months of June and August 2010. The report also sheds light on the effectiveness of SCF programmes.
The objective of a SCF programme is to provide corporates with visibility and resolution of discrepancies in financial supply chain events, from source to payment and from customer order to cash. They also enable access to liquidity while mitigating risk, and unlock working capital by allowing suppliers to sell credit term invoices.
As the value of SCF programmes becomes increasingly evident to corporate treasurers and their procurement office peers, interest is shifting from how to define SCF is toward how to best implement SCF programmes. There is currently little documentation on how to best execute effective SCF programmes; initiatives are still performed on a case-by-case basis, and successful experiences, considered a competitive advantage, are not publicised.
“The need to use supply chain finance programmes has become apparent in the aftermath of the financial crisis,” said Enrico Camerinelli, senior analyst with Aite Group and author of this report. “Unfortunately for both corporations and financial institutions, little information has been available regarding the best practices of implementing these programmes. Aite Group’s survey analysis provides a set of critical factors for corporations and financial institutions seeking to successfully plan, implement, and execute a supply chain finance programme.”