The corporate purchase area has entered the age of professionalism. According to an MRO e-marketplace source on 25th, the number of CPM license holders in Korea has exceeded 1000. A CPM license, granted by ISM in the US , is the highest qualification possible in the purchasing area. It requires a minimum of 3 years experience in the purchasing business, as well as expertise in the 4 modules of process, supply environment, value strategy and management. Around the world, there are about 35,000 holders, most of them concentrated in the US .

Just 5-6 years ago, purchasing was thought of as a simple task and CPM holders were few and far between. But with the revolutionary and strategic sourcing of purchase processes, the importance of purchase supply has taken on new importance and is seeking the nurturing of new professionals.

At the end of last year, LG Electronics employed 151 CPM holders while Samsung Electronics had 126, the 2 companies taking up about 30% of all Korean CPM holders. Samsung Group had a total of 220~230 holders. Counting all large companies, including Posco and Hyundai Industries, there were about 700~800 professional CPM personnel.

With the introduction of the MRO e-marketplace 5~6 years ago, CPM acquisition has become even more popular. There are currently 25 CPM holders in iMarketKorea, and there are plans to increase this number to 50 in the near future. Serveone has about 15, and they aim to increase this number to 35 by the end of the year. Their long-term goal is to have 220 CPM professionals. EN2B, which has 10 CPMs at the moment, is encouraging all 25 people who are related with the purchase business to acquire a CPM license within 2~3 years.

CEOs have also begun to achieve the CPM, with CEO Man-Young Hyun of iMarketKorea acquiring the license in 2004 and EN2B CEO Bong-Kwan Kim also holding a CPM license. CEO Hyun said "I heard from an ISM employee that Korea is the second largest holder of CPMs in the world. Purchase and supply is now being recognized as an area for professionals."