Copefrut ensures confidence and transparency in industrial purchases thanks to digitalisation

Four years ago, Copefrut, one of the country's main fresh fruit exporters, decided to digitalise its supply area and incorporate the wherEX platform for quotations and tenders. A tool that has given it confidence and transparency in its purchasing processes.

This procurement portal uses technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to connect the company's requirements for supplies and services to a marketplace of more than 20,000 suppliers. It manages to find the best alternative according to the company's needs.

María José Castillo, supply manager for more than 12 years at the company, says that leaving behind the traditional system of the typical three phone calls and mail crosses has allowed Copefrut to speed up and optimise its processes. The company estimates that it has managed to reduce the administrative burden by 33% thanks to this digital tool. As a result, procurement executives have more time to focus on strategic tasks, such as analysing their purchasing processes and suppliers.

In addition, María José stresses that this tool has helped the company to reach more suppliers, increasing the number of bidders in the purchasing processes. "The platform allows you to reach places that we could not reach with human capacity, nor would we have access to know", she emphasises.

This greater openness has been fundamental to being able to supply during the pandemic, which today is the company's number one priority. And although the crisis has driven up costs worldwide, the fruit company has seen opportunities for savings of between 15% and 18% thanks to the greater variety of suppliers, and therefore greater competition, offered by wherEX.

Confidence and transparency in procurement

Transparency in business today is a very sensitive issue, especially in the area of procurement, where a lot of money is at stake, she says.

With wherEX, the company has been able to establish transparent, traceable and efficient purchasing processes. "The platform has allowed us to have a regulated purchasing process. It ensures that all suppliers quote at the same time, answer questions through the portal within the established deadlines and comply with the same rules. The award is no longer at the discretion of who receives the e-mail," he says.

Trust and transparency are key to the success of the procurement area. Suppliers that are part of wherEX have already been previously evaluated and their information is online with the Internal Revenue Service (SII). This gives buyers peace of mind and confidence and facilitates the decision making process. It is also helpful when conducting internal audits and complying with regulations because the history of each transaction is recorded in one place.

The company has carried out large tenders through the portal. For example, the transport and logistics service from its plants to the country's ports, a critical supplier for its business that was able to connect with Copefrut thanks to wherEX and that today guarantees that the fruit company's star products, such as cherries and apples, are successfully exported to the rest of the world.

Copefrut currently purchases all its non-strategic expenses through wherEX. In other words, "inputs that are standard in the market, commodities and some services such as transport freight. We hope to bring all our supply processes through the platform within two years", concludes María José Castillo.