Category: Supply Chain

SMALL BUSINESSES CAN GET A BIG BOOST BY APPLYING FOR CITY OF CAPE TOWN’S SMART SUPPLIER PROGRAMME

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Applications close on 26th January 2024   The eighth annual Smart Supplier Readiness Programme has been launched by the City of Cape Town. This initiative aims to grow and support small businesses. It will empower them to engage effectively with corporate supply chains and access new and larger contract opportunities in the public and private sector. Applications for the programme are open and all qualifying vendors are invited to apply before the closing date on 26 January 2024. The City of Cape Town has again partnered with Smart Procurement World to offer this…

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12TH ANNUAL ABSA ESD EXPO OFFERS SMALL BUSINESSES A MASSIVE BOOST

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Reflecting its commitment to helping South African SMMEs (small, medium and micro enterprises) to grow and prosper, Absa will once again host South Africa’s largest and longest standing event aimed at connecting local suppliers to corporate supply chains. Now in its 12th year, the annual Absa Enterprise and Supplier Development Expo takes place on 12 and 13 September 2023 in Midrand, Gauteng. More than 2 000 attendees are expected to attend the open day on 13 September 2023. This powerful gathering of buyers and suppliers will offer small businesses a…

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GETTING THE SKILLS DEVELOPMENT BASICS RIGHT TO OPTIMISE SUPPLY CHAINS AND DRIVE BOTTOM LINE IMPROVEMENT

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The supply chain is the one function in an organisation that touches all others and supply chain optimisation can drive bottom line improvement. Companies lose millions of rands in their supply chains every year, but there is ample evidence to show that with properly trained and educated staff, these losses can be substantially reduced, says William Schneider, a supply chain specialist and member of the SAPICS supply chain community. SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management) supports and drives the elevation, empowerment and education of supply chain professionals across Africa, to…

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AWARDS HONOUR AND CELEBRATE THE SUPPLY CHAIN PROFESSION IN AFRICA

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The winners of the second annual Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards were announced at a gala event in Johannesburg attended by more than 220 supply chain practitioners from across the continent. These awards recognise the vital role played by the supply chain management profession, and honour and celebrate the outstanding achievements of organisations and individuals working in the field in Africa. There was an overwhelming response to the awards this year, with 92 entries received from 26 countries around Africa, according to the organisers. Launched last year as a collaboration between leading…

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RISK, ESG, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, PUBLIC SECTOR PROCUREMENT ON THE AGENDA AT 2023 SMART PROCUREMENT WORLD INDABA

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Debbie Tagg, Smart Procurement chief operating officer

The 17th annual Smart Procurement World Indaba, South Africa’s largest, longest-standing event for procurement and inbound supply chain professionals, will focus on risk. It takes place from 11 to 14 September 2023 at Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, Gauteng. This year’s theme is “Do Risk Right?”, organiser Smart Procurement has announced. Debbie Tagg, Smart Procurement chief operating officer, says that the profession proved its mettle in navigating risk in recent years, but needs to chart a course in an increasingly volatile, unpredictable and challenging environment. “Procurement and supply chain practitioners played…

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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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FEELING THE HEAT: SUPPLY CHAINS AND CLIMATE CHANGE

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Supply chains and climate change are inextricably linked. Supply chains – including those needed to distribute lifesaving medicines – are being disrupted by extreme, unpredictable weather conditions associated with climate change. Events linked to climate change not only disrupt healthcare supply chains but are also triggering diseases and humanitarian crises. While supply chains are threatened by climate change, they are also contributing to it because they produce vast amounts of greenhouse gases and waste. The critical and complex interconnectedness of climate change and supply chains – particularly healthcare supply chains – was…

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ARTIFICAL INTELLIGENCE IS IMPROVING SUPPLY CHAINS, BUT HUMAN SKILLS ARE STILL CRITICAL, EXPERTS AGREE

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Artificial intelligence (AI) is being used successfully in a range of practical applications in the supply chain. These include demand forecasting, risk, inventory and quality management, and transport and distribution optimisation. It is making roads safer. In healthcare, it is enhancing the diagnosis and treatment of diseases, and helping to ensure that lifesaving medicines are available where and when they are needed. AI will not replace people, but some people will be replaced by people using AI. These were some of the key messages delivered at the 2023 SAPICS Conference…

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CMA CGM launches a ZEBOX hub in Abidjan to support innovation and entrepreneurship in West Africa

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The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, officially launches ZEBOX West Africa in Abidjan, in the presence of Amadou Coulibaly, Minister for Communication and the Digital Economy and Government spokesperson, Jean-Marc Yace, Mayor of Cocody, Gwen Salley, CEO of ZEBOX, Joseph Olivier Biley, Hub Manager of ZEBOX West Africa and Xavier Collignon, Managing Director of CMA CGM Côte d’Ivoire. This is the fifth regional hub of the ZEBOX startup accelerator, following those in Europe, North America, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific.   8 startups…

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RISK REDUCTION, AGILITY AND RESPONSIVENESS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD MEET IN CAPE TOWN

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(Picture) Nomsa Nteleko, chief commercial officer at Amathuba AI and speaker at the 2023 SAPICS Conference – Supply chain practitioners from across Africa and around the world will meet in Cape Town this week for the annual SAPICS Conference, Africa’s premier education, knowledge sharing and networking event for the profession.   Hosted by the Professional Body for Supply Chain Management (SAPICS), this year’s gathering is particularly significant in the wake of numerous events that have disrupted supply chains in recent years, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the blockage of the Suez Canal, riots…

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