Renowned Kenyan pan-Africanist, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno (PLO) Lumumba, has been confirmed as the opening keynote speaker at the upcoming Africa Supply Chain in Action (ASCA) event, Africa’s biggest-ever virtual conference for supply chain and procurement professionals.
Renowned pan-Africanist and anti-corruption crusader PLO Lumumba to open landmark event Read More »
National Treasury has highlighted that an important aim of the Public Procurement Bill is to use the procurement system to advance economic opportunities for previously-disadvantaged people, women, the youth and people with disabilities, and their business enterprises. While this is the case, Dr Faith Mashele (FCIPS, MBA, PhD) suggests that there is an opportunity to
By Gordon Reid with input from Mieka Cleghorn, SA Managing Director, Transparent As a semi-retired business executive, and after spending the past twenty plus years working for some of South Africa’s leading companies, the COVID-19 lockdown has afforded me valuable time for some serious thinking. Many businesses will need to change the way they operate
COVID-19 pandemic: a rocky road to a new business norm Read More »
On 27 June 2020, MarketWatch reported that the global disposable face mask market size was anticipated to reach US$23.81-billion by 2027. On 30 June, Goldman Sachs released an extensive economic analysis of why the wearing of a face mask is a must. By studying the link between coronavirus infections and mask mandates in US states
Initiating an enterprise and supplier development (ESD) programme is not something to rush into. It is a process that will achieve very little for everyone involved if it is not carefully planned, aligned with coherent business and supply chain strategies, and rolled out to candidates that have true potential. Lean enterprise acceleration programmes (LEAP) has
5 LEAPs towards successful ESD programmes Read More »
The Absa Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for July 2020 declined slightly compared with June, but continued to signal a further month-on-month improvement for conditions in the manufacturing sector. The PMI declined to 51.2 index points in July, from 53.9 in June, thereby staying above the neutral 50-point mark for a third consecutive month. This suggests
July PMI drops from June, but still points to improved manufacturing activity Read More »
By Jon Butler, an expert in technology operations, outsourcing, offshoring and nearshoring For many years India was the jewel of the American outsourcer’s eye. English speaking resources coupled with a flashy rate card proved hard for companies to resist. In fact, outsourcing to India had developed into such a standard solution that it recalled another
Nobody gets fired for outsourcing to India, but they should Read More »
By Kate Vitasek, Professor in Supply Chain Management, University of Tennessee A report by the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC) outlines the critical skills gaps that face today’s procurement professionals. The good news is that companies have pushed procurement out of the back office and onto centre stage, accelerating the demand for skilled procurement
Companies’ procurement skills woefully lacking Read More »
SmartProcurement has joined forces with SAPICS to offer Africa’s largest-ever online event for supply chain and procurement professionals. Africa Supply Chain in Action takes place on 19 and 20 August 2020. It is expected to bring together more than 1 000 supply chain and procurement professionals.
By Tiran Gunarathna, Senior IT Category Lead, Infosys Business Process Management; andSriKrishna Koneru, AVP – Strategic Business Practice Head, Sourcing and Procurement, Infosys Business Process Management We often hear about vendor management in sourcing and procurement organisations, but how frequently do we talk about vendor relationship management? Are they the same or are they different?
Understanding and managing IT vendor relationships: do they matter? Read More »
