Procurement: Air Liquide wins a Procurement Award in France

Air Liquide received a Gold Medal in the procurement management and team of the year category at the 10^thProcurement Awards ceremony held on June 20, 2016. This award recognizes the procurement department for its innovation, both at the supplier relationship management level and for creating value and change management.

The Air Liquide procurement department has launched several initiatives designed to shape the transformation of the procurement function, including the establishment ofcollaborative procurement processesinvolving both suppliers and employees upstream in projects and theenhanced steering of the procurement sectorwith the opportunity forspecific career paths.

技术sophistication of Air Liquide's business and its commitment to Corporate Sustainability explain its practice ofsupplier qualificationanddevelopment. Suppliers are often integrated upstream in projects. In particular, this approach makes it possible to draw on the expertise of innovative companies with which the Group can build technical links and partnerships for the development of new technologies.

In practice, thisopen innovationapproach is based on networking platforms that are both internal and external. In 2016, more than80 collaborative procurement projectshave been identified.

In parallel, Air Liquide has also created a specific occupational category for procurement, offering teams career path and training opportunities. Combined withthe digital animation of the procurement community, the creation of a career path places procurement skills management within a new dynamic.