SAPICS 2023 WILL TACKLE GLOBAL HEALTH SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES

Global health supply chain challenges are among the issues topping the agenda at the annual SAPICS Conference, which takes place next month. Representatives from global and African non-profit organisations, health initiatives, private sector and development agencies are among the hundreds of supply chain practitioners from around the world who will gather in Cape Town from 11th to 14th June 2023 for Africa’s leading event for the profession. “We are proud to have an incredible line-up of speakers, sponsors and organisations from the health supply chain sphere joining us this year…

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THE 2023 SAPICS CONFERENCE UNPACKS SUPPLY CHAIN’S CRITICAL ROLE IN GLOBAL ESG IMPERATIVE WITH A FOCUS ON FRUIT DISTRIBUTION AND HEALTH SUPPLY CHAINS

Circular and sustainable supply chains must be on the agenda of all organisations aiming to future-proof their businesses, according to SAPICS (the Professional Body for Supply Chain Management). This challenge, which is a critical part of the global environmental, social and governance (ESG) imperative, is one of the important topics that will be in the spotlight at the upcoming 2023 SAPICS Conference, Africa’s leading event for the supply chain profession. Hundreds of supply chain practitioners from around the world will gather in Cape Town from 11 to 14 June 2023 for this annual…

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GROWING AFRICAN ECONOMIES AND BUILDING COMMUNITIES WITH FRESH PRODUCE EXPORTS

Over the past ten years, there has been a gradual transformation of African farming practices to enhance the focus on Africa’s export capacity. The continent is now firmly on the path to emerge as one of the world’s top exporters of fresh produce, but there are still lessons to be learned and supply chain challenges to be understood and overcome, according to Keith Marshall, CEVA Logistics’ air freight leader for Middle East and Africa. For the past two decades, Marshall has been directly involved in tracking volumes of major African…

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SUPPLY CHAIN OPTIMISATION OFFERS BIG BENEFITS FOR RETAILERS

The prevailing business environment is more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) than ever before, and today’s consumers are more demanding and unpredictable. To keep customers satisfied and to ensure that the right goods are available where and when they are needed, regardless of the latest local or global disruption, supply chain management has become more important than ever for retailers. Recognising this, the organisers of the upcoming SAPICS Conference, Africa’s leading event for the supply chain profession, have lined up numerous retail and consumer goods focused presentations. Hosted annually…

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GET THE TOOLS TO BUILD A BIONIC SUPPLY CHAIN AT THE 2023 SAPICS CONFERENCE

The supply chain is the backbone of almost every business. If it breaks, an organisation may never recover from the lost time, money and customers. A bionic supply chain – which harnesses the best that humans and machines have to offer – may sound like something out of science fiction, but according to SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management in Southern Africa), it is what African businesses should be building, to future proof their supply chains in an increasingly volatile, uncertain and complex environment. The latest technology that…

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SAPICS AND SAAFF JOIN FORCES FOR 45TH ANNUAL SAPICS CONFERENCE

Supply chain practitioners from around the world will meet in Cape Town from 11 to 14 June 2023 for the annual SAPICS Conference, Africa’s foremost knowledge sharing and networking event for the supply chain profession. This year’s 45th SAPICS Conference features an exciting collaboration between SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management) and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), which will co-host the 2023 event. This powerful partnership will benefit SAPICS and SAAFF members, as well as the supply chain community as a whole, comments SAPICS president MJ Schoemaker. “We…

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FORWARD THINKING SUPPLY CHAINS ARE NEEDED TO WITHSTAND DISRUPTIONS AND VOLATILITY

More than two and a half years of disruption and volatility stretched supply chains to breaking point. Traditional and historic processes proved to be insufficient, and cracks in the critical armour of supply chain resilience are showing. For many organisations, business continuity hangs in the balance. According to MJ Schoemaker, president of SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain management, companies must do things differently to mitigate the risks and succeed in today’s challenging and constantly changing environment.  “We need forward thinking supply chains. It is crucial that organisations future…

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TECHNOLOGY BOOSTS PUBLIC HEALTH SUPPLY CHAINS IN AFRICA

Healthcare in developing African countries is being jeopardised because pharmacists must often take on the job of supply chain planning, including understanding minimum order quantities, demand signals and planning, and inventory management. Having to take on these responsibilities as well as their duties as a pharmacist who must get the right medicines out to patients in need, can result in write-offs and life-threatening shortages. Speaking at the 2022 SAPICS Conference, Vitalliance general manager David Crewe-Brown, highlighted the challenges in the public health supply chain in developing African countries. He also…

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SAPICS ANNOUNCES SPRING CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL YOUNG PROFESSIONAL AND STUDENT CONFERENCE

Supply chain professionals who were unable to attend this year’s in-person SAPICS Conference in Cape Town will have the chance to catch up on much of what they missed at the upcoming SAPICS Spring Conference. SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management, has announced that its Spring Conference on 7 September 2022 will showcase the “best-of-the-best” from the 44th Annual SAPICS Conference which was held in person in Cape Town in June. “The Spring Conference is a virtual event that is ideal for those who could not join us for…

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MORE SUPPORT AND CAREER PATHING NEEDED FOR WOMEN IN SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

A lack of career opportunities is the main reason that women leave the supply chain profession, according to respondents in the recently published seventh annual Gartner / AWESOME Women in Supply Chain research survey. MJ Schoemaker, president of SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management in Southern Africa, notes that while supply chain management has come a long way from the once male dominated field in which women only filled service roles, it still has a long way to go in terms of gender parity. “We have seen an increase in the…

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