Commentary Archives - Page 15 of 21

Current procurement methods do not support mini budget’s austere measures

Leave a Comment / Commentary, e-Procurement, Procurement Strategy, Smart Sourcing, Technology, Tools, Travel / Editor

Many of the key items subject to austere measures under Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s mini budget fall under the Travel and Expense (T&E) portfolio. While these cost-cutting measures are a step in the right direction to curb excessive spending, Tracey Shaw, of travel technology company TraveluXion, wonders how they will be implemented in practice […]

Current procurement methods do not support mini budget’s austere measures Read More »

Beyond labour unrest at BMW: Using technology to increase SCM competitiveness

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Procurement Strategy, Supply Chain Management SCM, Technology, Tools / Editor

Many South African businesses believe that the availability of cheap labour is the most important factor when it comes to being competitive globally, which may partly explain why the business community reacted with such alarm to the news that BMW cancelled it plans to expand production owing to labour unrest. “Whilst labour is a

Beyond labour unrest at BMW: Using technology to increase SCM competitiveness Read More »

Successful procurement professionals’ 9 traits

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Procurement Strategy, Professional Development, Supply Chain Management SCM, Tools / Editor

Working extremely hard; being curious and eager to learn; and living in the present are just some of the traits of a successful procurement professional. That’s according to Tom Lovell, group managing director at recruitment website Reed, who was speaking at the CIPS Annual Conference in London during October. He said successful people were:

Successful procurement professionals’ 9 traits Read More »

PMI inches up as output and demand regain some losses

Leave a Comment / Change, Commentary, PMI / Editor

The seasonally adjusted Kagiso Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) recovered some lost ground in October, increasing to 50.7 index points from a revised 50 points in September. Despite the improvement, the index remained below the average reading of 52.7 noted during the third quarter of 2013. The modest increase was expected, says Abdul Davids, Head

PMI inches up as output and demand regain some losses Read More »

SA’s supply chain skills constraint mirrors global concerns

Leave a Comment / Change, Commentary, Professional Development, Sourcing Strategy, Strategic Sourcing, Supply Chain Management SCM / Editor

Research indicates that high performance supply chains underpin the global economy. However, a key constraint to successful supply chain management is the shortage of suitably qualified SCM staff, which poses a threat to both competitiveness and economic growth prospects, TechPro Personnel tells SmartProcurement. In 2012, highlighting the importance of supply chain management, the

SA’s supply chain skills constraint mirrors global concerns Read More »

This Month’s Cartoon: What does supply chain really do?

IMPERIAL Logistics’ Resolves to expand SCM business process and technology service

Leave a Comment / Commentary, Technology / Editor

Supply chain and logistics group IMPERIAL Logistics is aiming to take a bigger chunk of the business process and technology outsourcing market, with the launch of a new business that amalgamates its experience and expertise in this arena. Dubbed “Resolve”, the new operation merges group companies Volition and e-Logics and their associated businesses with

IMPERIAL Logistics’ Resolves to expand SCM business process and technology service Read More »

E-tolling: logistics industry needs less emotion, more transformation

1 Comment / Commentary, MRO, Service Outsourcing, Tools & Tips / Editor

Although e-tolling will affect the logistics industry in a number of ways, the spotlight is almost inevitably on the increased operational costs this will produce. For logistics companies, however, the reality is that e-tolling could prove beneficial, says Cobus Rossouw, President of SAPICS. Less than 10% of urban traffic is for freight movement, and

E-tolling: logistics industry needs less emotion, more transformation Read More »

PMI improves, but manufacturing conditions remain tough

Leave a Comment / Commentary, PMI / Editor

The seasonally adjusted Kagiso Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased by 1.2 points to 51.6 in June. The index has now been above the key 50-point mark for three consecutive months. There was a modest improvement across all the major sub-indices, except the employment sub-index, which continued to decline, said Abdul Davids, Head of Research at

PMI improves, but manufacturing conditions remain tough Read More »

PMI unchanged as manufacturing struggles to gain traction

Leave a Comment / Change, Commentary, PMI / Editor

The seasonally adjusted Kagiso Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) remained unchanged at 50.4 in May, indicating that the sector is struggling to gain any real momentum. However, although the headline number was flat, the index’s two largest-weighted subcomponents (the new sales orders index and the business activity index) lost ground over the period as conditions

PMI unchanged as manufacturing struggles to gain traction Read More »

Commentary