Patric Olsson
Director, Operations Transformation, PwC Sweden
Patric works as a management consultant and focuses on topics related to the procurement function and working capital. His role is to support customers in digitizing and digitalizing the procurement function, and optimizing costs and tied-up capital to achieve long-term sustainable results.
What challenges and opportunities do the companies you work with have?
Our customers are often faced with the challenge of either digitalizing their procurement function or reviewing their costs or working capital. In cases where they are facing a digitization journey and wish to digitalize their procurement function, the purpose is often to increase efficiency, transparency, meet new ESG requirements or strengthen their control of suppliers. Cost reduction is often something our customers request as a result of a weaker market where margins are squeezed over time and capital tie-up (working capital). This is usually linked to the fact that the general market has been weak for a while or that external events in the outside world have affected the flow of goods and the availability of materials.
These external events, which can be a pandemic, a component shortage in a part of the world or a boat that gets stuck in the Suez Canal, usually result in great uncertainty for many functions such as planning, purchasing, manufacturing, logistics and warehousing. The result of this uncertainty is often a desire for purchasing to buy more for storage, which in turn is not sold at the desired speed as a result of the market losing the desire to buy. The market’s reduced appetite for buying results in increased inventory levels with rising capital tied up as well as suppliers and customers who want to negotiate their payment terms.
How do you help PwC’s clients?
We support our customers in conducting pre-studies to identify which requirements are most important when choosing a system, guide them through the journey of choosing the right system, and implementing the chosen system. We also help our customers review costs for purchasing and reduce them, as well as review capital tied up in inventory and Purchase-2-pay to optimize and reduce it.
What are your skills and competencies?
Reduce costs for purchases
Reduce and optimize working capital
Supports customers in choosing the right system when digitalizing the procurement function
Var är du född och uppvuxen?
I was born and raised in the middle of Skåne, where part of my family still lives. In order to keep a connection to Skåne, I got myself a small house in Österlen where I find peace when time allows.
Vad gör du på fritiden?
In the summer I play golf and give love to my garden and in the winter I go skiing, preferably in a country I have not visited before. I also have a great interest in real estate, preferably older buildings, and as a hobby I make posters with building facades from different cities,
