Procurement Excellence: Lessons from Molson Coors

How can you achieve procurement excellence in a world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA)?

In this interview, Momcilo Orlandic, Procurement Centre of Excellence Director for EMEA and APAC at Molson Coors discusses how the procurement function needs to navigate this new reality.  

This includes the organizational structure, strategy, processes, digital tools, and human investment to manage risk. He also talks about how great supplier relationships have improved both sustainability and operational efficiency.  

Topic under discussion include: 

The evolving role of procurement 

Procurement is no longer focused solely on controlling costs, supply assurance, and payment terms. Instead, it is a core contributor to enterprise value by increasing resilience, managing supplier risk, and digitalization.  

Resilience and organizational structure 

To navigate a VUCA world, you need a procurement structure that is designed to mitigate disruption.  

Orlandic explains the power of the Molson Coors Procurement Resilience Control Tower. This supports data-driven decisions and helps the team to adjust strategy quickly when needed.  

The importance of digital transformation 

Molson Coors digital ecosystem includes procurement event management, supplier risk, commodity forecasting, cost modelling, sourcing strategies, and more. Orlandic explains how this allows Molson Coors to shift from reactively managing disruptive events, to proactively mitigating looming threats.  

How AI can enhance human professionals 

Orlandic is enthusiastic about the future of AI in procurement. However, the value will not come from technology alone. Instead, the intersection of artificial and human intelligence will elevate procurement professionals by offering forward-looking predictions for enhanced decision-making. 

The importance of people, skills, and culture 

Technology plays an important role in procurement excellence. However, it is equally important to invest in people. This includes upskilling, continuous learning, and taking ownership, and allowing teams to act decisively. 

Figure 1: Barley is necessary for beer, but not all barley is suitable for malting. Grains must meet certain requirements for germination energy, protein content, moisture levels and be free of defects. 

The power of supporting technology

To transform procurement, you need both internal executive alignment and supporting technology. Using supply chain risk intelligence from Everstream Analytics, Molson Coors can get a forward looking view of risk. This includes monitoring suppliers, logistics nodes, and their sub-tier network. This gives them early insight to act before threats disrupt their supply. 

In addition, Orlandic and his team at Molson Coors worked together with Everstream Analytics to co-develop an innovative crop prediction solution.  

This combines weather intelligence and agrometeorological modelling to forecast crop yield and quality months before the harvest is due. Molson Coors can use this insight for the strategic sourcing of goods. 

How ESG and sustainability is embedded in procurement at Molson Coors 

Sustainability is not treated as a standalone initiative at Molson Coors. This is because the company depends on natural resources and a complex global supply chain. 

With this mindset, the procurement team embeds it into daily operations. Molson Coors frames sustainability as both a risk management imperative and a long-term value driver.  

The future of procurement 

In the future, procurement will balance technological autonomy with human accountability. While AI may allow for autonomous procurement, humans will always own strategic and ethical decision-making. 

To read the full interview below.