3 Buyer Challenges the B2B Platform Addresses in a Tight Supply Market

It’s a tight supply market for industrial metal materials.  Suppliers are struggling to keep up with demand and are low on stock which is driving longer lead times.  Here’s a few coping tips using the Metal Networks.AI B2B marketplace platform:

1. The process for sourcing metals has not changed in decades. Lots of emails, spreadsheets, pdf’s, phone calls and even fax machines.  Issuing RFQ’s, comparing responses, and closing deals is administratively intensive.  Many hours are spent just on “paperwork”.  The Metal Networks.AI B2B platform streamlines the workflow in one easy-to-use application: issue RFQ’s to multiple suppliers simultaneously, compare all quotes in one click, and close the deal using our collaboration & document exchange tools.

2. Commodity prices are changing by the hour leading to Supplier quotes valid for only 1 or 2 business days. This leaves Sellers little time to assemble their customer quotes causing them to request an updated quote from their Supplier (along with the hope that the material is still available).  More emails, more quoting, more administration for the same customer orders!  Using the Metal Networks.AI B2B platform, re-submit all your materials RFQ’s in one click and the Supplier can refresh their quote with a few simple updates.  Whether you send 10 RFQ’s/month or 50, the workflow is the same and the time savings multiply.

3. Suppliers are short-staffed, leading to slower turnaround times and selective practices. Whether understaffed due to demand spikes or understaffed due to weak economic cycles, it seems the metals industry is always constrained on front-line Sellers.  Using the Metal Networks.AI B2B platform, workflows can be managed, delegated, re-assigned and streamlined in one secure, cloud-based application.   Save anywhere from 50-75% time on the end-to-end process while creating a trusted network of first-degree connections with our invitation-based platform.  In good times or bad, the Metal Networks.AI B2B platform powered by JAQI® AI Search provides the consistency and predictability the industry needs.