Time and again Steven Freemantle encounters procurement managers who feel that their SAP systems hinder, rather than aid, the satisfaction of their organisations’ purchasing needs. This definitely need not be the case. There is an urgent requisite for this crucial supply chain function to go back-to-basics. Instead of employing more people or adding new […]
5 procurement practices inside SAP to get ahead and stay ahead Read More »
Government is introducing an electronic tender portal for public sector contracts to improve the supply chain. President Jacob Zuma said the portal system would be phased in from April, however, it this has been pushed to May. Government is taking action to improve the performance of its supply chain management system to “prevent fruitless
Public sector e-tender portal and central supplier database set to go live Read More »
In a recent survey, 36% of respondents confirmed that there is a controlled process to manage change in their supply chains. The remaining 64% said their companies react to change either when required to respond to market needs or when they see little or no development potential in their supply chains. The results of
How do supply chains perform against change management elements? Read More »
A total of 89% of respondents ranked ‘identifying and managing change’ as their top business objective in this year’s Barloworld Logistics Supplychainforesight 2015 survey on key strategic business objectives over the next 5 to10 years. ‘Growth and expansion into new markets’ was ranked the second highest business objective, and is a continuing theme from last
Survey – managing change top business objective in supply chains Read More »
Recent labour data indicates that job tenure rates have increased since 2008, but are still relatively low. While this makes the retention of developed skills a problem, it does assists Procurement to be more proactive in filling vacancies as it is merely a question of time before a post is vacated, says André Basson,
Supply chain vacancies are almost guaranteed. Why don’t we plan for them? Read More »
Buying local may have unintended consequences to Pan African trade, said Prof Douglas Boateng at a round table sponsored by consultants KPMG and professional body CIPS. “Buying local is a good policy. But if South Africa has ‘Buy SA’ and Kenya has ‘Buy Kenya’ and Ghana has ‘Buy Ghana’, then who is going to
Pod Cast – Too much focus on buying local may hinder Africa’s growth Read More »
A prudent supply chain professional knows that each transaction is worth its value or the negative impact of it going wrong and has to be treated as such. High-value transactions need scrutiny commensurate with the risk that the organisation may be exposed to if something goes wrong. In other instances the transaction value may
4 risk management strategies to ensure supply chain continuity Read More »
‘Failure of a supplier to deliver goods on time and of high quality’ ranked third in an AMR Research study of the top supply chain risks for businesses in a global environment. Ranked fourth was ‘product quality failure’. With all the concerns facing global supply chains, one of the largest is product quality. Ensuring
You’re only as good as the quality of your suppliers – but do you measure their quality? Read More »
Supply risk comes in many forms. You can mitigate one type of supply risk but be victimized by another. The following supply risk checklist, from Next Level Purchasing, can help you identify and prevent common risks of taking on board a critical new supplier. 1. Research the supplier’s reputation. 2. Evaluate the probability of
19 checks to evaluate supply risk Read More »
Emerging markets are no longer type-cast as low-cost sourcing SCM World’s chief content officer, Kevin O’Marah, recently released his ‘Top 10 Supply Chain Facts of 2014’. Noteworthy was O’Marah’s fact number five: low cost countries are no longer mere sourcing prospects – they are increasingly sought-after trading partners. O’Marah’s Top 10 is based on
A change is afoot in low-cost sourcing dynamics Read More »
