How UMGI established a unified procurement framework across business units

About the client

UMGI Investments is a major industrial group with a vast portfolio spanning mining, machinery, logistics, and infrastructure. In such a large-scale environment, differences in operational execution often emerge in small, subtle ways in how decisions are made and how various teams interpret the same tasks across different business contexts.

With diverse business units operating under one group, a shared approach to procurement was essential to maintain strategic alignment without constraining each unit’s operational flexibility.

Challenge

Requests, tenders, and supplier communication had each developed in their own ways. Over time, this made alignment harder, slowed decisions, and made it difficult to maintain a full picture of procurement activity.

Any changes also had to work alongside the existing ERP without adding friction.

Key pain points included:

• Tenders, requests, and supplier communications were handled differently across each unit, leading to fragmented processes
• Separate workflows made organizational alignment increasingly difficult over time
• Fragmented processes slowed down critical decision-making across the group, reducing overall agility
• Leadership lacked a comprehensive and consistent view of procurement activities
• Any new solution needed to integrate seamlessly with the existing ERP system without introducing additional friction

Key project objectives included:

• Establish a unified procurement logic across all business units
• Connect new workflows directly with the existing ERP system
• Standardize tendering so all units follow one consistent approach
• Simplify supplier selection to make results easy to compare and explain

Solution

The objective was to establish a shared way of working that enhanced, rather than overcomplicated, the existing infrastructure.

Within a 24-week timeline, APSentra brought all key procurement activities into a single environment, connected directly to the existing ERP.

Strategic implementation pillars:

• ERP integration: directly linking procurement workflows with the existing ERP system.
• Unified tendering: establishing a single, consistent logic for all tender activities.
• Simplified selection: transforming supplier selection into a process that is easy to compare and explain.
• Centralized environment: moving away from separate, localized approaches to a consolidated hub.

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Results

Unified procurement function

Procurement now works as one coordinated function across all business units, replacing the fragmented, unit-specific approaches that previously complicated alignment.

Standardized tendering

Tendering follows a standardized and predictable approach across the entire group, making results easier to compare and decisions easier to justify.

Transparent supplier selection

Supplier selection is clearer and more transparent, reducing the time spent interpreting or reconciling different evaluation methods.

Comprehensive reporting

Reporting now gives a complete view of activities and daily operations, supporting better decision-making at both the unit and group levels.

Full team integration

60 key employees have fully integrated the system into their daily work, creating a consistent operational baseline across all businesses.

Business impact

Teams no longer need to adapt to different methodologies or spend time reconciling data between units. Day-to-day activities now follow a clear and consistent structure, making processes easier to understand and execute. Decisions are made with greater clarity and confidence, as they are based on a shared logic rather than local practices. As a result, coordination across business units requires significantly less effort, allowing teams to focus more on execution than alignment.