Business management: Identifying liquidity risks and optimizing supplier relations

Businesses can identify financial liquidity issues in partners through several early warning signs. These include increasing delays in payments, requests to extend payment terms, and less specific responses regarding outstanding invoices. Data from 2026 indicates that 29% of companies that eventually undergo formal restructuring already showed signs of financial trouble in the National Debt Register a year prior, a figure that rises to approximately 45% at the time of restructuring.

Beyond liquidity, the operational efficiency of a supplier significantly impacts business relationships. Large retailers and partners often prioritize ease of service over price alone. Ineffective contract management and high manual intervention costs—such as invoice errors, delivery discrepancies, and frequent corrections—can lead to value losses of up to 9% of annual revenue. Automation in the order-to-cash cycle can reduce costs significantly, with international analyses suggesting savings of up to 51 EUR per automated process compared to manual handling.