SOURCE: Emptoris

April 14, 2008 01:44 ET

European Supply and Contract Management Leaders to Gather for Discussion on Improving Innovation, Efficiency and Impact in Challenging Global Market Conditions

Emptoris Empower Europe 2008 Will Focus on Supplier Risk, Contract Management, Global Sourcing and Spend Analysis

LONDON and BURLINGTON, MA--(Marketwire - April 14, 2008) - Emptoris, a leading provider of enterprise supply and contract management software, announced today that professionals from leading Global 2000 companies in Europe will gather for interactive discussions and educational sessions on supply and contract management in late April at Emptoris Empower Europe 2008. The conference is the flagship event in Europe for Emptoris and will act as the culmination of a series of educational and thought leadership events help by Emptoris across the continent over the past year.

"To compete in an ever more competitive global economy, especially in an economic downturn, companies need to practice efficient and innovative supply and contract management," said Eric Allen, Vice President and General Manager, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) for Emptoris. "The Empower Europe 2008 Conference is intended to help companies fuel that efficiency and innovation through a discussion with their peers about best practices and the application of technology to deliver significant and sustained business performance improvements."

Emptoris Empower Europe 2008 will feature presentations and discussions on a range of topics, including cost reduction, analyzing spending, negotiating for greater value, and managing supplier risk, as well as green and sustainable sourcing. Presenters will include leaders from business, academia and supply management professional organizations, such as:

--  Dr. Hans Elmsheuser, Chief Procurement Officer for Syngenta AG, who
    will present on contract management as a strategic weapon against supply
    risk;
--  Matthias Knoop, Director of the PMI Procurement Centre for Philip
    Morris International, who will present on managing indirect materials and
    services and procurement transformation;
--  Tim Cummins, Executive Director of the International Association for
    Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM); who will lead a discussion on
    the role of technology in achieving improved business results;
--  Professor Andrew Cox, Professor of Business Strategy and Procurement
    at Birmingham Business School, who will present on supplier performance and
    risk management; and
--  Kirit Pandit, author of "Spend Analysis: The Window into Strategic
    Sourcing," who will lead a discussion on how spend analysis can be used to
    improve identification of cost reduction opportunities and prioritization
    of sourcing projects, as well as ensuring that cost savings reach the
    bottom line.
    

The Emptoris Empower Europe 2008 conference will take place on April 23rd and 24th, 2008 at the Great Fosters Hotel in Surrey, UK. Further information and registration for the conference are available online at: http://www.emptoris.com/empower-europe/index.asp

"Education, information and open discussion truly drive innovation -- and when best practices and technology are applied to supply management the results drive straight to the bottom line," said Allen. "That is why Emptoris is proud to continue its commitment to furthering thought leadership and best practice sharing in the supply management community across Europe."

In addition to Emptoris Empower Europe, Emptoris and the International Association for Contract and Commercial Management (IACCM) are currently holding educational sessions in Paris, Frankfurt and London to discuss contract management best practices and technologies, and their impact on improving efficiency, innovation and business results. The sessions include presentations by leaders from organizations such as Cisco Systems, Syngenta AG, Emptoris and the London School of Economics. To participate in or learn more about those sessions, register on http://www.emptoris.com/newsroom/events.asp

Over the past year, Emptoris and the global consulting firm Accenture sponsored a series of executive debate roundtable sessions focused on examining key trends and practices in achieving world class procurement at Fortune 1000 and Global 2000 organizations across Europe. The sessions saw chief procurement officers and senior procurement executives from more than 150 leading companies come together at events in Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Milan, Paris and Stockholm. To read a summary of the findings from those events, visit the Emptoris executive debate sessions (http://www.emptoris.com/cpo-debates/index.asp).

A summary of Emptoris Empower Europe 2008 will be published online following the event at www.emptoris.com

About Emptoris

Emptoris is a world leader in innovative supply and contract management software solutions that empower enterprises to realize best value and accelerate profitable growth. Emptoris solutions are used by successful Global 2000 companies in every industry. Customers include American Express, Boeing, ConocoPhillips, GlaxoSmithKline, Kraft, Motorola, Owens Corning, Syngenta, and Vodafone.