Category: In Depth

IMPACT OF DIGITAL DISRUPTION ON PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN

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Digital disruption, a term now echoing in the business world as a true revolution. While digital technologies continue to transform our daily lives, their impact on businesses is even more profound and transformative. Among the many business functions affected by this revolution, procurement and supply chain play a central role. In this article, we will explore the impact of digital disruption on the field of procurement and supply chain. We will delve into the world of emerging technologies to discover how they fundamentally transform the way businesses manage their procurement…

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Building a Strong Foundation for Urban Mobility in Africa: Lessons from Urban Transport Authorities

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Sub-Saharan Africa stands at a critical juncture, with its cities expanding at an unprecedented rate due to rapid urbanization. This surge in urban populations underscores the urgent need for efficient, well-coordinated transport systems. Acknowledging this critical need, the Africa Transport Policy Program (SSATP) embarked on an in-depth exploration of seven urban mobility organizing authorities within the region, aiming to illuminate both the challenges they face and the successes they’ve achieved. Navigating the Maze: The Quest for Coordination In many African cities, multiple agencies at different levels of government are responsible…

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SUPPLY CHAIN DICTIONARY – PULL PRODUCTION: AN EFFICIENT PRODUCTION METHOD

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Pull production is a manufacturing method that involves producing goods or services only in response to actual demand. This demand can come from an end customer, a distributor, or another player in the supply chain. What is Pull Production? In pull production, production stages are not initiated in advance but only when demand justifies it. This helps avoid the production of unnecessary stocks, which can lead to storage, transportation, and product depreciation costs. To operate, pull production relies on several fundamental principles: Demand drives production: It is the customer’s demand…

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E-commerce in Africa: A rapidly growing market expected to reach $180 billion by 2024

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According to the report “Future of Commerce: Outlook for 2024” published by the consulting firm McKinsey & Company, e-commerce in Africa is expected to reach $180 billion by 2024. This represents a growth rate of 25% per year, compared to 15% globally. This growth is driven by several factors, including: Population growth: Africa is the world’s youngest continent, with a population of over 1.3 billion people, of which 60% are under 25 years old. This growing population has a growing purchasing power and is becoming increasingly connected to the internet. Urbanization: Africa…

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Inventory management tasks and techniques

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Inventory management missions: When it comes to inventory management, the word «manage» is of the utmost importance, and encompasses the following tasks: – Forecasting in inventory management: We can’t talk about management without forecasting. To manage is to forecast. When it comes to inventories, forecasting is as precise and concise as possible: – Economic quantities to be ordered. – The requirements of the various departments and workshops, necessary for their operation. – Prospecting, offer analysis and delivery lead times. – The number of orders to be placed per year. –…

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Discovering Maverick Supply Chain

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Apple, Walmart, Amazon, Uber, Microsoft, Zara, Toyota et General Motors… implement it already! Let ’s learn a little more through these following lines this little popularized concept which is the Supply Chain Maverick. This is not a new notion as it as first uttered in 2001 by Professor Constantine Kontocosta of de New York University. But Professor Michael Porter had already laid the groundwork in 1985 in «Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance». Professor Constantine has used it to describe supply chains managed in an unconventional way. His motto…

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Beyond electric vehicles, what will it take to decarbonize the transport sector in Africa?

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Written by Simon Saddier At COP 27, world leaders recognized transport as one of the key sectors to decarbonize under the Breakthrough Agenda. Accounting for more than 20% of global energy-related direct CO2 emissions, of all sectors, transport has the highest level of reliance on fossil fuels which supply about 95% of its final energy demand. Road transport, in particular, accounts for around 6 GtCO2e, or around 10% of total global emissions. Decarbonizing the sector is therefore critical to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. With recent progress in vehicle and battery development,…

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THE GREAT SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION CONTINUES IN 2023, WARNS PROFESSIONAL BODY FOR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

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Unprecedented disruptions and volatility in recent years have stretched supply chains to breaking point. In 2023, we can expect the “Great Supply Chain Disruption” to continue to challenge industries around the world, according to SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management in Southern Africa. War, raw materials shortages, rising energy costs and extreme weather conditions are just some of the factors that will disrupt global supply chains in 2023, warns the non-profit organisation that is striving to elevate, educate and empower the community of supply chain professionals across Africa. “In…

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INDABA PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON FRAUD, WHISTLEBLOWERS AND THE POLITICAL PRESSURE ON PROCUREMENT AND SUPPLY CHAIN PRACTIONERS

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Irregular expenditure in national and provincial government departments and State-Owned Enterprises is costing South Africa billions of rands every year. Political interference in public sector procurement was one of the compelling topics on the agenda at the 16th annual Smart Procurement World Indaba. Thandy Pino, who is the founder and CEO of Ntakha Consulting and former Chief Director of Supply Chain and Asset Management at the Gauteng Department of Health, shared her insights and advice on this challenge. She described political interference as an emotional subject for public sector procurement practitioners.…

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SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSIONALS LOVE THEIR JOBS AND THEIR EARNING POTENTIAL IS ON THE RISE, SURVEY FINDS

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People working in supply chain management love their jobs and their earning potential is up. However, employers are placing more emphasis on professional development in the supply chain profession, which has been in the public eye more than ever since the pandemic and other recent disruptions.  These are some of the findings of the 2022 Supply Chain Salary and Career Survey Report conducted by the US-based Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM), of which SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management in Southern Africa, is a Premier Elite channel partner.…

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