People make SEI happen, which is why developing team capabilities is one of the most critical components of a successful strategy

Whether supplier innovation is extracted via dedicated functions, through category management or R&D is a matter of company culture

Solid supplier relationship management is a precurser to SEI, including advanced supplier segmentation and performance management

Ensuring that an SEI strategy is carefully aligned with wider business goals – as well as key business units – is one of the key enablers of success

Identifying consumer needs must be done cross-functionally and embrace a wide range of external inputs if it is to be successful

Measuring the effectiveness of SEI is no easy task, but there are ways to prove the value it brings

Managing and sharing knowledge is a crucial element of Supplier-Enabled Innovation and key to the success of any initiative

A variety of technology and information systems can be utilised in the pursuit of SEI

The process of generating ideas can include supplier days, crowd sourcing, open innovation and cross-functional brainstorming sessions, among other approaches

Innovation is a relatively intangible deliverable and, as a result, strong governance must be in place to ensure its delivery

Creating hundreds of ideas is all well and good but a robust challenge process is crucial to ensure that precious resource is spent on the right projects

Procurement must be involved in the implementation of innovation too, playing a key role in facilitating the process of bring a new concept to production

A key component of SEI is to ensure that relevant stakeholders across the business are engaged at a suitable level to enable successful collaboration