Molded case circuit breakers Market Procurement Intelligence Report

The market for Engineering Components and its sub-segments such as Molded case circuit breakers are at an interesting intersection. Markets across the globe are reeling under shortage of professionals and workforce that have relevant skills and training. Minimum wages and stringent regulations are compelling suppliers to increase their employee expenses which are expected to have an inflationary impact on buyers' procurement cost.

Technology is improving productivity and creating fresh demand. Convergence of data science, automation tools, 3D printing, robotics, AI and big data has opened up multiple possibilities to better serve customers at a lower operational cost.

Suppliers of Molded case circuit breakers are moving up the value chain - both organically as well as through M&As. Their portfolios are increasingly being diversified with the objective of offering integrated solutions that go beyond just Molded case circuit breakers. Even buyers are engaging vendors who can act as a one-stop solution provider across their geographic footprint. Such strategic engagements can help buyers with savings associated with economies of scale and management of a much smaller supplier base.

Trends like these and many others discussed in this report are necessitating a relook at the way Molded case circuit breakers is procured and the procurement cost saving opportunities that exist.

Sometimes, procurement functions are unable to timely alter their practices while responding to market conditions. Industry experts acknowledge that periodically reviewing procurement best practices and adopting learnings from across procurement categories can help procurement teams respond to market needs in a more agile way. This report combines our experience of other categories with Molded case circuit breakers procurement insights and hand picks best practices that can work for category managers delving in this market.

For example, Competitive bidding as a cost optimization tool is extremely potent but should be carefully deployed only when there is no significant differentiation among Molded case circuit breakers suppliers.

Buyers must have a clear understanding of the subcontracting policies, if any, of Molded case circuit breakers suppliers. Factors such as cost incurred, service quality, adherence to timelines, and regulatory compliance of subcontractors employed by suppliers should be carefully assessed prior to engagement.

Buyers should assess the level of adoption of the latest technologies by suppliers to assess cost-saving opportunities and quality that can be provided by the latter. For instance, the adoption of technologies such as cloud computing will enable suppliers to reduce their internal computing hardware requirements for operations such as CAD and CAM. This can, in turn, enable them to reduce their operating costs, thereby suppliers can offer products at lower rates to buyers.

Molded case circuit breakers procurement managers also need to proactively identify and mitigate potential risks that can arise in the supply chain or contracts for Molded case circuit breakers procurement. Some examples include: