TradeBeyond has announced that OBI, Germany’s top DIY brand and a major player in home and garden retail across Europe, has selected TradeBeyond’s multi-enterprise platform for an extensive supply chain digitalization project. TradeBeyond’s CBX Suite will help OBI to optimize its supply chain end-to-end, from supplier management to its sourcing, quality, order management, and production processes for their own sourcing organization OBI Group Sourcing (OGS) in Asia.
TradeBeyond will replace OGS’s manual systems with efficient, interoperable cloud-based solutions based on real-time data, allowing the company to bring products to market faster and more cost effectively. The decision to partner with TradeBeyond comes at a crucial time, as OBI seeks to modernize its operations and maintain its competitive edge in a rapidly evolving market while moving beyond analogue systems that create inefficiencies and data re-entry challenges.
OBI’s adoption of TradeBeyond comes as tightening ESG regulations across Europe, including the new German Supply Chain Act (LkSG) and the European Union’s impending Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, are necessitating higher standards and more rigorous data collection from retailers than ever before. These legal requirements align with OBI’s commitment to social responsibility, which is why the company has made ESG an integral part of its future strategy.
“We recognized early that manual supply chain processes were inefficient and no longer up to the task of ensuring the sustainable products that our customers expect,” said Thorsten Bauer, Managing Director and Vice President Asia from OGS. “We were impressed by TradeBeyond’s deep understanding of the complexities of global sourcing, and by the company’s strong presence in Asia. Our partnership with TradeBeyond demonstrates our commitment to a more efficient, responsible supply chain, and to our customers. We’re proud that as we continue to scale, we’ll be able to ensure we do so sustainably.”
“Retailers across the globe, and especially across Europe, are realizing that outdated, legacy supply chain processes fall short in monitoring compliance and managing the mounting complexities created by new global supply chain due diligence laws,” said Tim Chiu, Senior Vice President at TradeBeyond. “By choosing to partner with TradeBeyond, OBI has reinforced its commitment to sourcing to the highest standards of responsibility, while staying at the forefront of supply chain innovation. It’s a privilege working with such a respected, forward-looking retail institution.”
OBI’s implementation of TradeBeyond will unfold in phases over the next year, with the first release set to go live by early 2024. TradeBeyond’s tailored implementations allow brands and retailers to address their greatest needs first so they can realize rapid efficiencies and cost-savings from the platform sooner.
