From Chaos to Clarity: How GenAI Is Redefining Procurement
We sat down with Christoph Kunel, Chief Product Officer at Crowdfox, ahead of ProcureCon Europe 2025, to explore how generative AI is transforming procurement from complex, fragmented processes into seamless, intelligent workflows that deliver real business value.
Do you think GenAI will revolutionise procurement practices?
Christoph Kunel: Absolutely – but only if GenAI is operationalised where it really matters. We believe the real revolution begins at the point of requisition: where needs are defined, options compared, and spend triggered. This is often where inefficiencies, delays, and misunderstandings arise – especially between business users and procurement.
GenAI has the potential to solve exactly that. It brings intelligence into the intake process, guiding users in natural language, surfacing the best available options, and aligning all stakeholders around shared logic – all within the existing ERP or SRM system.
But GenAI alone isn’t the answer. Without harmonised data, process integration, and system context, it remains a disconnected tool. That’s why our approach combines large language models with product matching (UTIN®) and deep ERP/SRM integration – to create real collaboration and measurable value across departments.
Can you give us a real-world example of how your GenAI tools are transforming day-to-day procurement operations for your clients?
Christoph Kunel: A strong example is our ongoing collaboration with Röhm, a global chemical manufacturer with complex indirect spend across multiple regions.
In under three months, we implemented a fully integrated procurement platform based on Crowdfox. Instead of adding yet another tool, we embedded a unified search and decision layer directly into Röhm’s ERP system – simplifying the way requisitions are created and managed. The team can now compare suppliers across multiple platforms in a single Interface, identify the most suitable options based on real-time criteria, and act on that insight immediately.
The next step is already in planning: bringing in our GenAI assistant, ChatCFX. Once rolled out, it will enable users to describe their needs in everyday language – and receive system-ready, compliant suggestions in return. The result: less back-and-forth, fewer manual steps, and a consistent process experience across countries and roles.
With your solution going live on-site at ProcureCon this September, what should attendees be most excited to hear more about or experience firsthand?
Christoph Kunel: At ProcureCon, we’ll showcase how modern procurement can be both structured and user-friendly, without creating extra layers or isolated solutions.
Together with Röhm, we’ll demonstrate how a global enterprise redefined its indirect spend processes: from scattered catalog structures to a single source of truth, from siloed teams to shared decision logic, and from complexity to clarity.
We’ll also give a first look at how GenAI is changing the nature of intake: turning vague requests into actionable, compliant requisitions – all in one seamless workflow. What we’re presenting isn’t a proof of concept. It’s a scalable framework that shows what happens when process, data and collaboration truly come together.
About Christoph Kunel, Chief Product Officer, Crowdfox:
Christoph Kunel is the driving force behind Crowdfox’s product vision and innovation strategy. As Chief Product Officer, he combines deep expertise in procurement platforms, and enterprise system architecture – always with a focus on user-centric design. His goal: to turn generative AI into real operational advantage.
You can hear from Christoph Kunel at ProcureCon Europe, 23 - 25 September 2025 at Austria Center Vienna. View the full agenda here.