Juha Lappalainen, MSc
Senior Vice President, Strategy and Operational Development at Valmet
”Four strategic training areas were defined when Valmet became a listed company, including procurement. The aim was to develop operations in a more strategic and proactive direction.
Aalto PRO was chosen as an educational partner in procurement. We were impressed with their content knowledge and networks with external lecturers. Aalto PRO was able to build the right package for us. Valmet is a global corporation, and we wanted to find a global partner. Aalto PRO has a distinctly international provision.
The network created during the program is one of the key impacts, although the program does also bring direct financial advantages.”
At Valmet, 400 people work in procurement, 60 of which have taken part in the program. The feedback has been highly positive, and employees have been grateful for the opportunity to take part. The program requires commitment: some travel to the other side of the world, the days are long, and there’s project work in between the modules. The content of the modules needs to be spot on, as the program requires a great deal of time and money.
Professional lecturers master both the content and pedagogy. They are able to keep up the momentum and present the subject in an interesting way. The content can be fine-tuned based on the feedback, and this was done after the program kick-started.
The network created during the program is one of the key impacts, although the program does also bring direct financial advantages: we came up with ideas for additional savings during project work that in theory amount to millions. The projects involved groups thinking up ways to operate more cost-efficiently. If the ideas are put into practice, they would reap up to 3-4 million in savings.”
Case:
Networking Procurement program offered by Aalto PRO and Valmet. Goals include developing procurement expertise and offering a joint platform for experts to formulate Valmet’s new operating method. Contact teaching in Finland, the Netherlands, and Denmark.
Participants from several different countries, including Finland, Sweden, China, Japan, India, USA, Brazil, Indonesia, Thailand, and Czech Republic. Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation, and services for the pulp, paper, and energy industries.
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