African and Chinese politicians are opening up the way for business to kick up a notch in Africa. And, as their talks rapidly move beyond so-called resources for infrastructure deals into areas such as agriculture, manufacturing, FMCG and consumer electronics, the time has come for African companies to position themselves to benefit from this trend.

But, are supply chains ready to handle the demand that’s growing with each passing year?

‘The Pulse of Africa’s Supply Chains’ is the theme for this year’s SAPICS 2015* conference, which will be taking place from 31 May - 2 June at Sun City. Several Africa experts have been lined up to share their insights into optimising supply chains operating on the continent.

When in Africa…
As most people with experience of doing business in Africa will agree, the challenges are unique and therefore require an approach that’s different from doing business elsewhere.

Wayne Whiffler, EY’s Executive Director in the Advisory Practice responsible for the Supply Chain Transformation, says an entire rethink of the integrated supply chain operating model is needed when doing business in Africa – the subject of his presentation at SAPICS 2015.

“Upon entering African markets, the complexities in the supply chain increase exponentially,” he says. “The surge in cross-border flows, local regulations, tax implications, and the lack of infrastructure all add to the challenge of growth in developing markets.”

The risk, he explains, is a ‘collection’ of independent markets and operating units with duplicated functions and limited alignment.  “In these cases, point improvements do not deliver overall supply chain benefit. Transformational changes to supply chain operating models are required to improve customer service levels, reduce costs and working capital.”

A problem shared…
Taking an in-depth look at how to overcome infrastructure challenges in supply chains in Africa, University of South Africa Supply Chain Management lecturer, Beverley Kujawa-Waugh’s and Professor Hannie Badenhorst-Weiss’s interactive workshop is billed as a knowledge exchange session for both cargo owners and logistics service providers, as well as other stakeholders in African supply chains.

“We aim to create a forum where we can discuss the infrastructure/operational challenges/issues affecting Southern African supply chains (and thus the pulse of African supply chains) and identify the impacts of the challenges on these supply chains,” Kujawa-Waugh says.

“We will then brainstorm how these challenges can be addressed and overcome!”

With an understanding of the challenges that may be faced and how to handle them, it’s time to talk about how to get your business ready, particularly considering the impact of bilateral China-Africa trade growth on African supply chains. Jacques Marais, COO of The Beijing Axis‘s talk will provide an update on the latest developments, and discuss how businesses may set up their supply chains to benefit from bi-directional trade growth.

Gateways to Africa
Although infrastructure in Africa is improving and the number of airports is growing, ports remain the gateways to African trade. However, ports face two competitive challenges – the large volume of increase and the need for greater efficiency.

“This means loading and unloading vessels faster, reducing turnaround time and increasing the performance of the operators of both vessels and port operations,” says African Centre for Supply Chain Director-General and Multimix Academy CEO, Obiora Madu.

“Ports must transform into logistics hubs, in addition to being more determined to have better connectivity with other modes and better accessibility to their hinterlands. Inter-modalism will be a critical factor in the success of supply chains, while the development of inland container depots and private container terminals form part of the chain.”

During his presentation entitled: Modern Ports & Global Supply Chain Optimisation, Madu will identify all possible economic catalysts for optimum future development of port infrastructure and real estate, port commerce, inter-port co-operation and competition.

The paper he will present will also provide a framework and navigation tool for using the full capabilities of the modern Port Authority in a post-privatisation environment and give priority to environmental and safety issues.

Want to find out more? Catch these speakers and more at SAPICS 2015*.
For more information on the 37th Annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition, being held at Sun City from 31 May – 2 June 2015, please visit http://conference.sapics.org/

ENDS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

MEDIA CONTACT: Cathlen Fourie, 012 644 2833, [email protected], www.atthatpoint.co.za

For more information on SAPICS please visit:
Website: www.sapics.org.za
Twitter: @SAPICS01
LinkedIn: SAPICS group
Facebook: OperationsManagement

ABOUT SAPICS – your supply chain network
SAPICS is a professional knowledge-based association that enables individuals and organisations to improve business performance. SAPICS builds operations management excellence in individuals and enterprises through superior education and training, internationally recognised certifications, comprehensive resources and a countrywide network of accomplished industry professionals. This network is ever expanding and now includes associates in other African countries.

ABOUT APICS
APICS is the leading professional association for supply chain and operations management and the premier provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate end-to-end supply chain excellence, innovation and resilience. APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designations set the industry standard. With over 37,000 members and more than 250 international partners, APICS is transforming the way people do business, drive growth and reach global customers.  APICS is based in the USA and has a broad global footprint.
www.apics.org  

About Dr Beverley Kujawa-Waugh
Beverley Kujawa-Waugh is a part-time lecturer at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and consultant. Until last year she was also Executive Director of the South African Shippers Council (SASC) and masters-theses supervisor at Jonkoping International Business School (JIBS) in Sweden. Before that she was with the University of Johannesburg’s Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management, as senior lecturer, managing editor of the accredited Journal for Transport and Supply Chain Management; and member of various industry and other interest groups. Prior to this she project managed an extensive logistics outsourcing project for South African Airways; developed and project managed educational models and programmes for the World Bank and the Department of Transport; held research and management positions for Transport Consultants and the Maritime Industry Training Board; .and worked as assistant accountant for a large construction company. She completed Honours, Diploma, Masters, and Doctoral studies while working. Her doctoral thesis on logistics outsourcing was recognised for its practical value to the supply chain management industry and profession, and led to the best speaker award at a SAPICS conference.

About Prof. Hannie Badenhorst-Weiss
Hannie Badenhorst-Weiss is a professor in the Department of Business Management at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and specialises in Purchasing and Supply Chain Management where she does research, supervises post-graduate students and manages undergraduate and short learning programmes in the area. She was instrumental in the development and accreditation of two new degrees BCom in Supply Chain and Operations Management and BCom Public Procurement Management. She has published widely and is co-author and editor of various books, serves on editorial boards of various international and national subject journals and on the scientific committee of two international associations. Over the last 2 years she also chaired the organising team of the 2014 IPSERA Conference (International Purchasing & Supply Educators’ and Researchers’ Association) offered for the first time in Africa.

About Jacques Marais
Jacques Marais obtained a civil engineering degree and continued to earn honours and master’s degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Pretoria. He later acquired an Executive MBA degree from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Cape Town.

Jacques started his career in civil engineering at Transnet. He became interested in supply chain management and after gaining his industrial engineering qualifications worked in the mining information systems industry. He then joined a major South African supply chain management company where he held various general management positions. He joined IMPERIAL Logistics in 2011 and is currently COO at The Beijing Axis, an Imperial partner. He lives in Beijing with his family.

About Wayne Whiffler
Wayne is an Executive Director at EY in the Advisory Practice responsible for the Supply Chain Transformation service line for both Africa and South Africa.

With has over fifteen years of experience in the business advisory arena, consulting to blue-chip clients, Wayne specialises in performance improvement and business transformation initiatives, specifically in the supply chain field. He has consulted both locally and internationally, with extensive experience across Africa.

Having experience across multiple industries including, Financial Services, FMCG / Retail, Automotive, Hotel and Leisure, Media, PetroChem, Utilities, Manufacturing, Mining, and Logistics, his knowledge of optimizing asset, consumer and service centric value chains ranges from the operational through to strategic.

In addition Wayne has been a guest lecturer at some of the foremost SA universities, as well as a speaker presenting numerous papers, both case studies and thought leadership articles at various conferences and seminars.

About Obiora Madu
Recipient of the 2014 National Productivity Order of Merit Award, Obiora Madu who is the Chief Facilitator and CEO of Multimix Academy, CEO of BPO Academy Nigeria and Director General of African Centre for Supply Chain has over 30 years of related working experience with international corporate exposure in international trade, customs and maritime as well as transport logistics & supply chain management. He consults for International Trade Centre in Geneva, The US Commercial Service, USAID, African Development Bank amongst others. An adjunct lecturer at the Centre for Logistics and Transport University of Port Harcourt, Madu is a Fellow of the Institute of Export of Nigeria, Chartered Institute of Supply Chain Ghana.  Obiora the author of: Exporting - Frequently Asked Questions and Export Financing, Agro Commodity Export Guide, Getting Paid in International Trade, Managing Import Logistics, is concluding a doctorate programme (DBA) with SMC University in Switzerland

Supply chain disruptions can have an enormous impact on company performance. One source estimates that firms experiencing these problems on average see an 11% reduction in shareholder value. Another estimates they incur around a 40% reduction in stock price.

With supply chain complexity rising fast over the past 30 years, the best organisations can do right now is to prepare themselves for such unforeseen problems. But how?

Be Prepared
As the old scout motto says: “A scout must prepare himself by previously thinking out and practicing how to act on any accident or emergency so that he is never taken by surprise.”
“This sums it up pretty well,” says Paul Pittman (Ph.D., CFPIM, CSCP, Jonah), Professor of Operations Management at Indiana University Southeast. “The companies that seem to handle unexpected events relatively well aren’t merely lucky.  In truth, these organisations’ leaders are just more mindful of their environments and decisions.” 

Pittman and his colleague, Brian Atwater, will share their insights on mindful leadership during their workshop entitled Mindfulness to Becoming an Effective Supply Chain Manager at the SAPICS 2015 conference, taking place from 31 May - 2 June at Sun City.

The concept of being mindful deals with simply being more aware of your surroundings, or using what you do know to be more prepared to deal with what you don’t know.

While the definition of mindfulness is quite simple, practicing mindfulness is not. 

During the presentation at SAPICS 2015, Pittman and Atwater will share several tools designed to help managers see far deeper than normal. “Mindless thinking says ‘problems just happen’ and ‘things are never as they appear’,” he says. “By contrast, mindful managers believe that most problems can be predicted and that is why they look deeper for signs of underlying issues.”

During the session, participants will discuss why people spend so much time engaged in mindless activities, share examples of routine scenarios to contrast mindful versus mindless decisions. They will also discuss specific techniques to increase managers’ mindfulness while working in the field of operations and supply chain management.

“We’ll teach you how to see patterns in events and identify underlying systemic structures within an organisation that can be the key to preventing potential disaster,” he says.

According to Pittman, this kind of thinking empowers managers to shift from a ‘victim’ complex that seeks to apportion blame, to a solution orientation that sees potential problems as challenges that can be addressed.

Seek answers where there seem to be no questions
(1) What can go wrong? (2) What is the likelihood of it happening? (3) What is the impact if it does happen?
“By seeking the answers to these three basic questions concerning everything from a regular oil spill that you notice on the factory floor to the likelihood of a supplier’s failure to perform, it’s possible to mitigate most risks facing supply chains today,” he says.

To help managers do this, during their presentation they will introduce and expand on tools that track cause and effect, as well as analyse the likelihood of failure and map supply chain vulnerabilities, amongst other tools for improving mindfulness.
“By applying these techniques, it may just be that few things will catch you by surprise ever again,” concludes Pittman. Now that’s something to think about.

Want to find out more? Catch Pittman and Atwater at SAPICS 2015
The presentation by Paul Pittman and Brian Atwater at SAPICS 2015 is entitled: Mindfulness to Becoming an Effective Supply Chain Manager.

For more information on the 37th Annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition, being held at Sun City from 31 May – 2 June 2015, please visit http://conference.sapics.org/

ENDS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathlen Fourie, 012 644 2833, [email protected], www.atthatpoint.co.za

ABOUT SAPICS – your supply chain network
SAPICS is a professional knowledge-based association that enables individuals and organisations to improve business performance. SAPICS builds operations management excellence in individuals and enterprises through superior education and training, internationally recognised certifications, comprehensive resources and a countrywide network of accomplished industry professionals. This network is ever expanding and now includes associates in other African countries.

For more information on SAPICS please visit:
Website: www.sapics.org.za
Twitter: @SAPICS01
LinkedIn: SAPICS group
Facebook: OperationsManagement

ABOUT APICS
APICS is the leading professional association for supply chain and operations management and the premier provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate end-to-end supply chain excellence, innovation and resilience. APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designations set the industry standard. With over 37,000 members and more than 250 international partners, APICS is transforming the way people do business, drive growth and reach global customers.  APICS is based in the USA and has a broad global footprint.
www.apics.org

About Paul Pittman
Paul is a Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Indiana University Southeast, where his teaching has earned him numerous teaching honors, including Indiana University’s system-wide distinguished teaching award.  As a partner of The LAMP Group (www.thelampgroup.com ), Pittman has more than 20 years of international consulting experience assisting organizations in learning and applying systemic thinking, executive leadership and decision-making, lean and continuous improvement, and project management.  He most recently served  on the APICS Supply Chain Council  Board of Directors and past experience includes serving as CPIM Program Chair, member of the C&C Committee, SMR Committee Chair. Paul is a frequent speaker at professional chapter meetings and international conferences and has published numerous articles including several in the APICS Magazine.

About Brian Atwater
Brian is an assistant Professor of Operations Management at Indiana University Southeast (IUS). He also currently serves on the committee that oversees the Basics of Supply Chain certification exam.  He teaches courses in Systems Thinking, Operations Management, and Project Management.  Professor Atwater has published over 50 articles in a variety of journals including APICS Magazine, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and International Journal of Production Research.  He has worked as an examiner for the Shingo Prize, and has provided consulting services for several businesses including Apple, Carrier Transicold, Schuller/Manville and 3M.  

Why putting people first makes for winning partnerships

When it comes to improving supply chain efficiency, a South African success story proves that focusing on relationships with people in developing healthy partnerships works better than simply spending more on processes and upgrading technology.

An internationally recognised partnership between Nike Africa and Barloworld Logistics has succeeded in reducing logistic costs to net revenue by almost 40%, off-setting labour increases by a 9% annual productivity increase while sustaining double digit growth for Nike. At the same time, Nike has experienced a two thirds reduction in reverse logistics flow.

The secret to their success will be shared by Mark Whitehead (Nike Africa, Senior Manager: Distribution & Logistics) and Andre Hough (Barloworld Logistics, General Manager Nike CSC) when they present their workshop entitled What it takes to keep on winning  at the SAPICS 2015 conference, taking place from 31 May - 2 June at Sun City.

“If you want to improve your logistics, don’t pay more; just work with your partners on getting the right commercial model in place,” says Whitehead, reflecting on the six-year partnership with Barloworld Logistics. “Like any relationship, it takes work – but it’s worth it!”

Maturity in a long-term relationship
One of the greatest keys to their success, according to Hough, is their vested approach in terms of how they partner.

“A lot of the decisions we have made to date are made with no end in mind, despite the fact that we have a contract that comes up for review at fixed times. Truly well entrenched with each other, we make decisions jointly as though our partnership will never end,” he says.

This kind of understanding requires a great level maturity in the relationship, according to Whitehead. “Not unlike a marriage, such a successful partnership requires compromise, transparency and that both parties give of their all without holding back,” he says. “And when things go wrong, don’t blame each other. Rather work together to fix things.”

An outcomes-based approach
Having the same goal in mind is another key fundamental. “We don’t focus on the ‘what’ or the ‘how’ but rather on what we want to achieve. We are then able to figure out more clearly what it’s going to take from each side to achieve our objective,” says Whitehead.

Reward performance
Understanding client needs remains critical to success, says Hough. But equally so, according to Whitehead, “If you want your logistics partner to innovate and perform, you must incentivise such performance. There needs to be something in it for both parties.”

Importance of stakeholder buy-in
Another crucial factor in the equation is obtaining the necessary buy-in from all stakeholders, not just top management. “In our case, even the staff in our warehouse operations now view themselves as working for Nike in a blended environment.”

“For a partnership to work, everyone needs to take responsibility for their part in improving overall performance – after all, supply chain is a team-sport,” concludes Whitehead.

Want to find out more? Catch Whitehead and Hough at SAPICS 2015.
The presentation by Mark Whitehead and Andre Hough at SAPICS 2015 is entitled: What it takes to keep on winning / Working together to win the next race.

For more information on the 37th Annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition, being held at Sun City from 31 May – 2 June 2015, please visit http://conference.sapics.org/

ENDS
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathlen Fourie, 012 644 2833, [email protected], www.atthatpoint.co.za




For more information on SAPICS please visit:
Website: www.sapics.org.za
Twitter: @SAPICS01
LinkedIn: SAPICS group
Facebook: OperationsManagement

How to double your warehouse productivity in a dash

Productivity of workers in South African warehouses is in some cases believed to be as little as a third of that of their overseas counterparts. This, together with a big increase in labour costs, high fixed costs, labour instability and supplier unreliability makes warehousing – which is one of the most important links in the supply chain – also its most vulnerable.

“There are however much that warehouse operators can do to improve their productivity,” says Martin Bailey, SAPICS board member and chairman at Industrial Logistic Systems.

Bailey will present a workshop entitled 20 Steps to Productivity Improvement in Warehouses at the SAPICS 2015* conference, taking place from 31 May - 2 June at Sun City.

Increasing productivity
“Worldwide, labour is often the biggest risk when it comes to running an efficient operation,” says Bailey. “But, by implementing some very practical systems and processes, it’s possible to double – and even triple – one’s productivity in a very short space of time.”

- Education and training
According to Bailey, warehousing still suffers from a poor image, causing companies to neglect its people when it comes to education and training. “This is changing as companies start realising that every supply chain component needs equal attention,” he says. For this reason, he emphasises the importance of education and training in improving productivity.

- Measurement & incentive schemes
“With the correct management tools in place, it’s possible for SA warehouses to become globally competitive,” says Bailey, referring to practical tools such as measurement.

Once one knows how much workers are doing (or not), one can then incentivize them to reach targets. “A major SA supermarket chain does this so well that most warehouse staff skip lunch and push to work overtime in order to earn more money!”

- Automation
A major trend abroad is warehouse automation. “The cost of automation has decreased dramatically in recent years. And, with the promise of improved productivity and reduced labour costs (by as much as 90%), it has become a viable option for many.”

Becoming more customer-focused
Maintaining a ‘people over pallets’ philosophy, Bailey says becoming more customer-focused is another way of increasing the overall effectiveness of the supply chain.

“Since the warehouse is often the final interface between the vendor and the customer, it just makes sense to use this opportunity to deliver better service along with goods,” he says. 

In a case study that will be examined during Bailey’s workshop, he refers to an SA retailer that has greatly improved its efficiency by ensuring that products leave the warehouse in a sale-ready format, so they simply need to be wheeled down the aisles at their destination. 

“Such innovations come from simply making the effort to understand customer needs, right down to what kinds of trucks their warehouses can receive.”

Another major global trend that Bailey will discuss is e-commerce. He says that what happens in warehouses today is increasingly being dictated by end consumers. “We used to deliver truck-loads, but now we deliver single items in a shorter space of time than before. For this one must have excellent IT systems and well-trained people,” he says.

“In the end, it becomes clear that the success of today’s warehouse operations depends more on the calibre of its people and their commitment to great customer service than simply the number of packages they’re able to store and dispatch,” Bailey concludes. 
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Want to find out more? Catch Martin Bailey at SAPICS 2015*. 
The presentation by Martin Bailey at SAPICS 2015 is entitled: 20 Steps to Productivity Improvement in Warehouses. This three hour workshop focuses on providing warehouse operators with a set of practical guidelines on how to optimise warehouse operations, removing operational constraints and optimising costs.   Much of the workshop focus is on customer service and operational benchmarking.  Delegate takeaways:  • Practical tools to improve warehouse operations. • Methods to improve customer service
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
For more information on the 37th Annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition, being held at Sun City from 31 May – 2 June 2015, please visit www.sapics.org.za.

*SAPICS Conference and Exhibition 2015 – The Pulse of Africa’s Supply Chains  – 31 May- 2 June 2015, Sun City. For more info and to book, visit www.sapics.org.
Africa’s leading event for Supply Chain and Operations Management Professionals, the Annual SAPICS Conference and Exhibition is the premier educational and networking event in Africa for Supply Chain and Operations Management Professionals. It offers practical and relevant information through excellent educational presentations, case studies and interactive workshops. 

About Martin Bailey
Martin has developed Supply Chains for the Who's Who of SA Industry.  He has designed and implemented over 400 warehouse facilities in South Africa, Middle East, Europe and Australia.  Martin is actively involved in education for the past 30 years and is ex Chairman of SAIMH, LISA, Vice Chairman of CILTSA and ex Member on Council of ECSA and SAIIE

ENDS
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA CONTACT: Cathlen Fourie, 012 644 2833, [email protected], www.atthatpoint.co.za

For more information on SAPICS please visit:
Website: www.sapics.org.za
Twitter: @SAPICS01
LinkedIn: SAPICS group
Facebook: OperationsManagement

ABOUT SAPICS – your supply chain network
SAPICS is a professional knowledge-based association that enables individuals and organisations to improve business performance. SAPICS builds operations management excellence in individuals and enterprises through superior education and training, internationally recognised certifications, comprehensive resources and a countrywide network of accomplished industry professionals. This network is ever expanding and now includes associates in other African countries.

The annual SAPICS Conference is the leading supply chain event in Africa. The 37th SAPICS conference will be held 31 May – 2 June 2015 at Sun City and promises to bring together a wide variety of local and global speakers to discuss solutions and best practices in the supply chain management field.

ABOUT APICS
APICS is the leading professional association for supply chain and operations management and the premier provider of research, education and certification programs that elevate end-to-end supply chain excellence, innovation and resilience. APICS Certified in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) and APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP) designations set the industry standard. With over 37,000 members and more than 250 international partners, APICS is transforming the way people do business, drive growth and reach global customers.  APICS is based in the USA and has a broad global footprint.
www.apics.org