The management and reporting structure standards of South Africa’s supply chain services in the automotive sector are equal to, if not better than, those globally, says logistics and express services provider DHL automotive and technology director Rob Williams.

He stresses that, to improve the efficiency of an automotive manufacturing plant, it is critical for materials to make the journey from the supplier to the production line without delays or misplacement.

Therefore, a customised supply chain solution ensures that each component is timeously available, says Williams. By offering an inbound transportation solution and in-plant logistics, DHL is able to ensure effective resource planning, quicker truck turnaround times and integrated production processes, resulting in reduced costs and increased efficiency.

Williams highlights that a company’s supply chain should enable it to spot innovative opportunities, which allows for business development and growth. “We do this by putting our best people on the job to ensure that when our clients talk opportunity, we have the right calibre of person on site to offer them the right solutions.”

He adds that, because DHL manages the full supply-chain process – from transport to production lines – the company has a full end-to-end view of the supply process. “This means we can put the right people in the right place at the right time. It also means that we are committed to training our people to be versatile professionals,” says Williams.

DHL is currently rolling out a supply chain specialist education programme, where each DHL employee is trained to be a supply chain specialist. “This is the kind of industry commitment we need to build our skills set across the board,” asserts Williams.

He advises automotive companies to look at using a high-quality logistics provider that finds solutions across the entire supply chain.