Shared values within a complex supply chain

 

Computacenter works with a diverse set of suppliers, many of whom play a key part in the success of our business. Maintaining a reliable, resilient supply chain that understands how we work and aligns with our sustainability goals is of paramount importance - not just to us, but to our customers too.

 

Up and down the supply chain, Computacenter works with a diversity of businesses and organisations across a range of industries. We engage with customers across a variety of sectors along with manufacturers, developers, utility providers – and everything in between. Our position enables us to enact positive practices within the industry and share the results with our people and customers.

 

We have clear terms of engagement for our suppliers which are described in our Supplier Code of Conduct. This helps to guide the way we work together with transparency and trust, and ensures that our supply chain is aligned with our business values and objectives.

Selection & Onboarding

 

selectionAndOnboarding

 

Selection and Onboarding is managed by our dedicated Supplier Contract Management team. We use self-assessment processes to gain a thorough understanding of any prospective supplier, and ensure they understand and agree to our key policies such as Business Ethics, IT Security, and Anti-Bribery and Corruption.

Supplier Management

 

supplierManagement

 

Our Supplier Contract Management team works with our supply chain to share information, assess performance, communicate change and identify areas for improvement. Ongoing management helps to keep our respective teams aligned to common goals, and provides a platform for sharing information that’s important to our business and our customers.

Monitoring & transparency

 

monitoring

 

We monitor our supply chain to ensure it remains robust and resilient, and to track improvements in line with our sustainability objectives. Transparency is vital, so we make it as easy as possible for our supply chain members to share issues with us – including publishing our Whistleblowing hotline to our suppliers to enable reporting of any suspected human-rights issues.

Collaboration & Influence

 

collaboration

 

We work with our supply chain to make improvements aligned to our sustainability goals. Whether it’s encouraging the removal of single-use plastics from product packaging, encouraging e-invoicing, or working with logistics partners to maximise the use of low emissions vehicles, we work in partnership with our suppliers to continually improve our sustainable supply chain.

Our Supplier Code of Conduct sets out the ten The Code of Conduct sets out the ten principles in the UNGC, which include human rights, modern slavery, anti-bribery and corruption, and environmental matters. It provides a common basis for our ethical and sustainable approach to doing business and helps to ensure that we select and nurture the right supply chain partners. 

 

Computacenter’s complex and diverse supply chain has thousands of suppliers around the world. Throughout this commercial network, Computacenter is vigilant and proactive about conducting business with companies that share our values and respect the sovereignty of individuals. Our people policies, such as Modern Slavery, relate to not only the people within our company, but also those that work around us; from contractors who attend our sites to people from the manufacturing sectors of our supply chain. Our people policies are defined by the ethics by which our company operates.

Efficiency and Sustainability – hand in hand

 

Computacenter operates in over 70 countries around the world. In several key regions, we have our own Integration Centers to manage the physical transfer, configuration, and management of goods. Our local capabilities enable companies to bypass inefficient contact points in traditional transport networks by delegating shipment, configuration, and distribution directly to Computacenter. Our capabilities to deliver space, time, energy, and carbon-efficient solutions at scale are enhanced by clean electricity produced onsite, a model that we’re rolling out to more locations around the world.

 

Continual innovation in how Computacenter operates has driven positive change for both the company and our customers. Improvements stemming from automation in our Integration Centers to a strategic growth in capabilities have helped us to streamline so much of what we do. Whether providing customers one-touch device replacements in the workplace, or using an economy of scale to leverage purchasing power, each action we take to drive efficiency will almost always be the most environmentally friendly. Efficiency and sustainability go hand-in-hand, with less contact, packaging, transport, manufacturing, energy consumed. The more we can do with less, the lower the demand on our natural and fiscal resources will be.

Further reading