Source : Procurement Leaders
Auteur : Steve Hall
AT&T has reported that, during 2011, it spent $12bn with diverse suppliers
According to the communications company last year’s focus on supply chain diversity meant that it beat its own internal target, which was to achieve 21.5% of total spend on diverse suppliers by 2012.
"Diverse suppliers are an integral part of our supply chain," said Randall Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T. "They bring different viewpoints and fresh perspectives to the table, which benefit our customers, the community and our company. I’m proud of our commitment to supplier diversity and even prouder we reached our goal one year ahead of schedule."
To improve supply chain diversity AT&T set up a scheme dubbed Global Supplier Diversity to connect certified diverse suppliers - minority, women, and service disabled veteran-owned businesses - with opportunities to provide products and services. The company also recently initiated Operation Hand Salute, a national 12 month education and mentoring program for service disabled veteran business CEOs.
AT&T said it continues to look for diverse suppliers in key areas including mobile Internet, wireless and cloud services.