Supply chain practitioners from around the world will meet in Cape Town from 11 to 14 June 2023 for the annual SAPICS Conference, Africa’s foremost knowledge sharing and networking event for the supply chain profession. This year’s 45th SAPICS Conference features an exciting collaboration between SAPICS (The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management) and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), which will co-host the 2023 event.

This powerful partnership will benefit SAPICS and SAAFF members, as well as the supply chain community as a whole, comments SAPICS president MJ Schoemaker. “We are delighted to be hosting the 2023 SAPICS Conference in association with SAAFF. Collaborative relationships between professional supply chain organisations are vital - to drive knowledge sharing and problem solving, to enable communication and cooperation between different industries and different stakeholders, and to enhance continuous innovation in the supply chain, which we need now more than ever,” she states.

The South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF) was established in 1921.  For more than a century, SAAFF has played an essential role in freight forwarding and international trade, with members facilitating these activities through their dedicated involvement in the management of transportation, customs clearing, documentation, third-party payments, and many other elements of the international supply chain. “Consequently, we call the freight forwarder the ‘architect of the supply chain’,” comments Juanita Maree, chief executive officer of SAAFF. “Globalisation has shrunk the market and accelerated the need to speed up processing and reduce costs across the entire supply chain. As such, this drive has re-focused the freight forwarder on innovative and functional ways. In addition, SAAFF is actively working towards a safe, secure, and compliant logistics network, ensuring greater benefits for security and transparency. We are honoured to partner with SAPICS in the 45thannual SAPICS Conference,” she says.

The theme of the 2023 conference is “Forward Thinking Supply Chains”. “The past two and a half years of disruption have shown that traditional and historic supply chain processes are insufficient. Business continuity has been difficult and cracks in the armour of resilience are showing. It is clear that companies must do things differently to mitigate the risks and succeed in today’s challenging and constantly changing environment. What we need are forward thinking supply chains that can anticipate disruptions and have processes to manage them in an environment where constant change is standard,” Schoemaker explains.

The 2023 SAPICS Conference will explore the leading topics that should be topping the agendas of organisations aiming to future proof their supply chains. These include supply chain resilience, flexibility, agility and transparency; human resources, training and education; digital transformation; sustainability and the circular supply chain; entrepreneurship and innovation. Local and international experts will share their insights on these and other supply chain issues and opportunities at the 2023 SAPICS Conference.

Because supply chain management is a constantly changing and evolving profession, it is vital for all supply chain professionals to keep updating their skills sets and knowledge and honing their expertise. The SAPICS Conference is the ideal place to do this, Schoemaker notes.