Integrators are the Future in Sourcing Safety Supplies

PPE industry is fragmented with many regional and global players competing with each other on various fronts. Buyer?s brand preference makes sourcing PPE a complex process thereby incurring more time and cost. This paper throws light on the importance of procurement in PPE and also the major challenges faced by the buyers. Despite the complex nature, sourcing PPE products, the potential for cost savings still holds true which is why the focus is increasing in this area in companies across industries. At present, distributors are proven to be the go to source to procure PPE. However, in future with increased proliferation, PPE integrators might offer better cost saving as well as better services to buyers. The global Industrial PPE industry, being highly fragmented, has a large number of buyers and suppliers that contribute to the dynamics of the market. PPE is a collection of protective equipment includes head, ear, eye, hand and leg protection etc., PPE has been required by multiple industries includes automobiles, semiconductor, pharmaceutical, healthcare, mining and construction. Governing bodies like OSHA and other regional health safety bodies together with respective operational safety ministers of respective governments formulate certain set of rules for the employers to follow to provide safety to the employed workers in their facilities. It is expected that every employer is subjected to offer relevant PPE to their employees working in their units depending on the type of operations involved. The cost of PPE is often lesser than the value it creates by assuring safety to its employees as the cost of operational downtime and other legal implications because of any mishap or quality audits often cost much higher than the total of PPE procured to that unit.