We spoke with Igor Džajić, Senior Sourcing Manager Adria at BAT, about the new Be Supplier Adria program through which the company aims to find new suppliers and thereby support local innovative companies that will further encourage them to transform their business.
Can you tell us more about the Be Supplier Adria program?
The Be Supplier Adria program is a project through which BAT aims to initiate a different, new form of collaboration with suppliers with the goal of implementing innovative solutions and technologies into existing established processes in the supply chain. We want to attract all those who have new ideas and solutions that can contribute to the development of innovations in business in general. Embracing innovation is one of the strategic levers of overall economic development, and through this program, we want to support innovative companies.
What benefits can your suppliers, both old and new, expect – why would you recommend they apply?
By applying to this project, suppliers will have the opportunity to present their company, share their best practices, and join our team of suppliers. This is a common practice in the world where new suppliers are included through a specific project and through collaboration with us develop into successful regional companies, to mutual benefit.
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What are your expectations from the applications – what kind of companies would you like to collaborate with?
Primarily, we expect companies with fresh ideas and applicable solutions for specific areas of marketing activities, e.g., 121 activations, customer retention strategies, sales staff training strategies, and similar. We want to attract innovative solutions that challenge us to change and transform our business, in line with our strategy of building a better tomorrow. We want our suppliers to surprise us, shock us, and ultimately win us over with their solutions so that together we can meet the growing demands of our clients.
How many suppliers will you select and for what period will the collaboration be signed?
The number of suppliers is not limited. The calls will remain open as long as we see that we are gaining something new and worthy of attention and applicable in practice through them. We are also open to solutions that require further development and our support and collaboration to fully develop or upgrade the solutions. We hope that suppliers will take this opportunity, and we promise to be very patient and listen to all presentations during the Be Supplier Pitch Day. The first step for all suppliers begins with applying on our Be Supplier page where they will fill out a short questionnaire and briefly explain their solution, thus entering the supplier selection process.
