When GFG Alliance acquired a traditional Australian steel manufacturer in 2017, it set a course for a carbon-neutral future via its ‘GreenSteel’ vision. To ensure a sustainable future for GFG employees and suppliers, the procurement team created a people-development programme; ‘Sustaining our future’ which has continued to build strength since the acquisition.

Over the past 12 months, $140,000 and 300 working days have been invested in formal training across the category team. Knowledge sharing and learning has become part of the culture, with regular idea-generation sessions and masterclasses as part of a Centre of Excellence. Additionally, the MCIPS accreditation was embedded into the programme to enrich knowledge and capability: 19% of the team is now MCIPS qualified, with 50% studying for MCIPS completion in 2020 and a target of 100% MCIPS qualification by 2022.

As a result, the team is now better equipped to leverage global opportunities. Specifically, the programme empowered raw materials category manager Merwin Faria to take alternative approaches to alloy sourcing, thus building direct relationships with new and existing suppliers, previously conducted through traders. This allowed for greater understanding of developments in the steel industries and access to new technology, and the procurement of substitute products; reducing supply risk and cutting costs by 5.8% against the $60m spend.