The inaugural Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards culminated in a gala event on Tuesday night (19 July 2022) at which the outstanding achievements of organisations and individuals working in the supply chain profession in Africa were recognised and celebrated.

The organisers report that the successful competition attracted 67 entries, including 22 from outside South Africa. These were narrowed down to 21 finalists by a panel of judges who commended the high standard of entries.

Judge David Crewe-Brown, who is a director of SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management) said: “These awards have given me hope. The companies and individuals have shown that it is not only possible to survive during difficult times but also to thrive. We as judges have seen some amazing stories of innovation, determination and perseverance. The results have blown me away.”

Dr Juanita Maree, chief executive officer (CEO) of the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), concurred, and said that her experience as a judge had filled her with hope, pride and an unwavering belief that now is our time in South Africa and Africa. “With excellence like what we saw in the final rounds, we can create a different narrative and unlock value where we operate,” she said.

Africa is poised for greatness

Judge Adebayo Adeleke stated that the awards project and outstanding entries had restored his hope that Africa is poised for greatness. “This experience showcases strength, uniqueness and beauty in African supply chains. This is a beginning of greater things within the continent and excellence is just the beginning.”

“Regardless of the multitude of problems facing our industry, we continue to show that our supply chains are innovative and resilient and can create great solutions to better service our communities,” commented judge Martin Bailey of Industrial Logistic Systems and CILTSA.

Gavin Kelly, chief executive officer of The Road Freight Association, who was also one of the judges who evaluated the outstanding entries received, said: “The entries showcased the resilience, innovation and world class ambitions of companies in the African supply chain. Being in the supply chain business has been exceptionally difficult in recent years, but the green shoots and dedicated pursuit of perfection are definitely alive and well in Africa and will deliver the greatest value to all the beneficiaries in supply chains.”.

Judge Clayton Thomas, director of Industrial Logistic Systems, rated the inaugural Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards as “an inspiring and insightful experience”. He asserted that the event highlighted the ingenuity and capability of the African supply chain industry and its people and their commitment to developing and delivering best in class solutions to benefit everyday lives.

World class vision and execution of supply chain professionals

“The inaugural Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards provided objectively verifiable proof not only of the world class vision and execution of supply chain professionals on this continent, but also of the globally comparable skills and knowledge being built in this area,” commented judge Charles Dey.

The leading organisations that joined forces to launch and promote the first ever Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards are the African Centre for Supply Chain (Nigeria), the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport, the Kenya Institute of Supplies Management (KISM), The Road Freight Association, the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), Southern African Institute for Industrial Engineering (SAIIE), South African Express Parcel Association (SAEPA) and SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management).

Almost 200 African supply chain professionals attended the awards dinner in Sandton where top honours in the eight categories in the 2022 Africa Supply Chain Excellence Awards went to:

EXCELLENCE IN SUPPLY CHAIN EDUCATION & YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Winner: Commercial Transport Academy

Outstanding Performance: UniDrive – Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions

Highly Commended: Kent Outsourcing Services

INNOVATIVE SUPPLY CHAIN PROJECTS AND OPERATIONS

Winners: Parcel Ninja - an Imperial Company and COPIA 

Outstanding Performance: Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions and County Fair and Imperial - Diageo Project

Highly Commended: Transnova and Vodacom

SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN AWARD

Winner: Western Cape Hospital, George

Outstanding Performance: Imperial Water Conservation Initiative

RESPONSIBLE SOURCING AND PROCUREMENT AWARD

Winner: Traxtion

Outstanding Performance: Addendum

Highly Commended: Futuretend

SUPPLY CHAIN DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

Winner: Imperial - Business Performance Insights Platform (BPI-P)

Outstanding Performance: Banqu

Highly Commended: Coronet Blockchain

EXCELLENCE IN TRANSPORT AWARD

Winner: Interwaste

Outstanding Performance: Unitrans Supply Chain Solutions’ Chick Trailer Project

SPECIAL PROJECTS 

Winner: DHL Global Forwarding

Outstanding Performance: RTMS and JC Auditors

JUDGES AWARD OF EXCELLENCE

Winner: RTT On-Demand