Tag: SAPICS

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

logistafrica

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…

Read More

SAPICS PANELISTS EXPLORE SUPPLY CHAIN’S CLIMATE IMPACT AND JOURNEY TO NET-ZERO CARBON EMISSIONS

logistafrica

While sustainability, circularity and the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050 are topping the agendas of organisations around the world, South Africa is caught in a chicken and egg situation that is delaying the roll out of clean energy and alternate fuels. This was a key message from the experts who took part in a thought-provoking panel discussion on the management of supply chain’s climate impact and the journey to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 at the 2022 SAPICS Conference for supply chain professionals. Transportation is one of supply chain’s…

Read More

AFRICAN SUPPLY CHAIN COMMUNITY LEARNS HOW TO DO BUSINESS WITH THE UNITED NATIONS

logistafrica

African companies can do business with the United Nations (UN), and the process has been streamlined by the recent merging of the UN’s previously separate procurement and logistics departments into an integrated Office of Supply Chain Management in the Department of Operational Support. This was the message delivered to around 600 African supply chain professionals at the 2022 SAPICS Conference in Cape Town by Herbert Pechek, who is the Chief of Supply Chain Service at the United Nations Global Service Centre (UNGSC) in Brindisi, Italy. “I am here as an ambassador, to…

Read More

PUT PEOPLE FIRST FOR AI SUCCESS, TECHNOLOGY EXPERT ADVISES

logistafrica

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a hot topic and big buzzword in business today. Infoholic Research predicts that AI in the logistics and supply chain markets will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 42.9% until 2023. According to author, AI and automation expert Johan Steyn, everyone wants AI but there are pitfalls to avoid. In his compelling keynote presentation at the 2022 SAPICS Conference, Steyn explored how intelligent technology will impact supply chains. Technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), smart sensors providing real-time insights, autonomous decision making and predictive analytics will play…

Read More

E-COMMERCE AND Q-COMMERCE BOOM BENEFITS CONSUMERS AND COURIERS

logistafrica

Imagine a future in which your new cell phone is delivered to your home by a courier who also sets up your new device for you. What about a courier who can deliver a spare part for your washing machine and install it while he is there? These were some of the scenarios explored by parcel industry experts in an absorbing panel discussion on e-commerce and the last mile at the 2022 SAPICS Conference for supply chain professionals. The COVID-19 pandemic triggered unprecedented growth in e-commerce and the courier industry.…

Read More

SUPPLY CHAIN COMMUNITY’S FIRST IN-PERSON GATHERING SINCE COVID-19 WAS A HUGE SUCCESS

logistafrica

More than 600 supply chain professionals from Africa and around the world met in Cape Town for the 44th annual SAPICS Conference, hosted by The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management. It was the first in-person gathering of the SAPICS supply chain community since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic more than two years ago and the organisers report that it was a “huge success”. Social media users have concurred, with supply chain professionals taking to their social media platforms to commend the compelling presentations, the organisation of the conference,…

Read More

FUEL PRICE HIKE WILL DRIVE UP COSTS ACROSS VIRTUALLY ALL SUPPLY CHAINS

logistafrica

South Africans should brace themselves for the hard hitting and far-reaching impact of the fuel price hike, which will increase costs across entire supply chains, says MJ Schoemaker, president of SAPICS, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management. “Transport companies and logistics service providers that are paying more for their diesel will have to push these costs through to their customers in the form of a fuel surcharge. However, it is not only transport costs that will be affected. What many South Africans are underestimating is how the petrol and diesel price…

Read More