Procurement Magazine January 2024 | Page 37

In a world riven with risk , uncertainty and disruption , the businesses that thrive are those who are plumbed into strong support networks and ecosystems . Collaboration is very much the watchword .

This is especially true in the world of procurement , which by its nature involves multi-tiered networks of vendors that can number in the thousands for large multinational businesses such as Coca-Cola .
In fact , next time you find yourself supping from a bottle of Coke , spare a thought for those who help put such bottles in the hands of us consumers . For that feat is a miracle of cooperation and collaboration .
The bottling side of Coca-Cola ’ s operation is handled by the Coca-Cola Bottlers ’ ​ Sales and Services ( CCBSS ). This is a separate company to Coca-Cola , and is jointly owned by 70 independent Coca‐Cola bottlers .
As a shared services provider , it leverages the scale of the Coca‐Cola system to drive organisational and operational efficiencies , something that is integral to the success of the entire Coca‐Cola bottling system in North America .
CCBSS supports operations for its bottler-owners , for bottler-owned production cooperatives , and for the Coca-Cola North America Operating Unit ( NAOU ), a body that facilitates
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