South Africa’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased to 47.1 index points in February 2016, up from 43.5 in January. The highest level since October 2015, the index is now above the average recorded in 2015’s fourth quarter (Q4) of 45.6 index points.
February PMI above 2015’s Q4 average Read More »
The old adage “the only constant is change” may never have been truer than in today’s economic uncertainty. Amid constant calls to reduce operating costs, purchasing departments will be challenged to do things differently – centralise, decentralise, rationalise, even outsource. If your organisation has SAP (or any ERP system for that matter), these kinds
Procurement department change management – are you doing it the right way? Read More »
The seasonally adjusted Barclays Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained virtually unchanged at 49 index points in September 2015, marginally up from 48.9 in August. The average for the third quarter is 49.8 index points, slightly better than the 49.2 recorded in the second quarter, but still below the neutral 50-point mark. While the headline
Q3 PMI up by 0.6 compared with Q2 Read More »
With companies constantly striving to maximise output and reduce operational costs, the days of parts and materials planners having their own personal buyer are long gone. Centralised procurement is quite the norm. Often in these environments one hears that “when the buyer sat next to me we never had the issues around material and
7 SAP procurement automation tips to maintain plant uptime Read More »
The flat reading follows a strong gain (albeit from very depressed levels) in May and a further rise in June. “The PMI price index declined by 2.1 points to 75. The easing in cost pressures may already reflect the effects of lower commodity prices, including the renewed decline in the Brent crude oil price.
PMI remained unchanged at 51.4 index points in July Read More »
The SA Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) ticked up by 0.6 index points to reach 51.4 in June 2015. The increase brings the average for Q2 to 49.2 index points, slightly below the average of 49.9 recorded in Q1. This suggests that the manufacturing sector remained under pressure and that a solid recovery in quarterly
June PMI ticked up, but solid manufacturing growth remains unlikely Read More »
It is not unusual to find the procurement departments inside SAP-driven companies at loggerheads with their internal customers. In extreme cases sales, production planning, maintenance and procurement staff are on the verge of conflict – the common enemy being procurement. The typical symptom is accusations of dismal service countered by allegations of poor or
Your SAP user community might be lying to you, but only because you let them Read More »
The SA Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recovered from an 11-month low in April to reach 50.8 index points in May. The 5.4 index-point increase brought the index back above the neutral 50-point mark, albeit only slightly. The biggest driver of the increase in the headline PMI was the solid recovery in the new sales
May PMI recovers above 50-point mark Read More »
BEE is changing. It’s less a box-ticking exercise and much more a strategy focussed on sustainability and real change. Under the New Codes of Good practice SA should experience truly broad-based black economic empowerment, writes Jenni Lawrence of Grant Thornton Verification Services in this month’s SmartProcurement. Since the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act
BEE Procurement – the new landscape Read More »
The Kagiso purchasing managers index (PMI), which gauges activity in manufacturing, fell to 45.4 in April from 47.9 in March. A below-50 reading suggests activity is contracting. The index has been below 50 for three consecutive months. Weak manufacturing output does not bode well for economic growth. The fall in the PMI was mainly
SA’s manufacturing activity deteriorates to four-year lows Read More »
