Why top-performing companies use AI to boost procurement
Leading organisations are augmenting their source-to-pay processes with automation and artificial intelligence (AI), unlocking greater efficiency and driving improved bottom-line and sustainability outcomes. By Sandi de Souza, chief financial officer at SAP Africa One...
Supply chain companies latch on to systems thinking
Systems thinking is gaining traction among supply chain firms. This type of thinking embraces a holistic approach to analyse how a system's constituent parts relate to and work with one another. In terms of logistics, it allows companies to view the entire end-to-end...
Telematics protect trucks against expanding risks
South Africa's road freight transport sector currently accounts for about 85% of all goods transported in the country, and is growing rapidly each year. To ensure that goods are delivered safely, promptly, and affordably - all without interfering with traffic - it is...
Trustworthy data makes for better procurement choices
Mitigating the risk of procurement fraud and other irregularities is possible by equipping organisations with the tools necessary to improve transparency, decision-making, and cost-effectiveness in procuremen. This is according to Sameer Kumandan, MD of SearchWorks,...
Skills development key to supply chain optimisation
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...
Feeling the heat: supply chains and climate change
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...
Reimagining the supply chain for resilience
The world as we knew it has changed - and there's no going back. For many and complex reasons, supply chain disruptions have become the norm rather than the exception, and the onus is on manufacturers to adapt and strengthen their ability to react in an agile manner....
Use digital tech to supercharge supply chain ROI
Distribution and logistics companies in Africa face challenging times. Fuel prices are high, inflation is rising, road and rail infrastructure is patchy, and supply chains have yet to settle following years of pandemic disruption. At the same time, consumers and B2B...
Global container capacity is increasing
Despite some recent volatility, the container industry is getting much closer to a new equilibrium, with high-frequency metrics showing a significant degree of stabilisation. Growth is being driven by an increase in container vessels, as carriers add significant...
SAPICS 2023 to tackle 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...
Sustainable supply chain makes business and environmental sense
More and more manufacturers are starting to shift their focus to the sustainability of their supply chains. This is attributable to an increasingly prominent conversation around climate change, and to recent and growing legislation around supply chain sustainability,...
Logistics industry trends that are reshaping supply chains
The logistics industry battled a number of challenges in 2022, least of all the war in Ukraine and turmoil over China's strict Covid-19 policies. That said, the world also emerged from the worst of the pandemic, meaning that supply chains returned to some degree of...