Supply chains are vulnerable to everything from the vagaries of the weather to longer-term economic pressures. But, by learning from and applying the latest best practice in the industry – which will be showcased at the upcoming SAPICS conference – it’s possible to help your supply chain to become as resilient as possible, no matter what comes your way.

“Proactively building resilience into supply chains makes it a lot easier for programmes to get back on track when problems arise,” says SAPICS President Cobus Rossouw.

The 36th annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition www.sapics.org, which expects to gather over 1000 supply chain professionals, will provide delegates with the opportunity to discuss topics around supply chain resilience.

“By sharing your professional experiences with your peers, both from South Africa and abroad, you will contribute to an exceptionally valuable programme packed with presentations by both local and international supply chain management experts.”

The conference will also feature an exhibition of over 50 companies sharing insights and demonstrations of progressive technology and supply chain best practices and solutions.

Supply Chain Resilience

With the theme of supply chain resilience, the industry’s new buzz phrase –  Demand-Driven MRP – will receive much attention as Carol Ptak (Author-Orlicky’s Material Requirements Planning; Partner – Demand Driven Institute) demonstrates why she’s an internationally recognised authority in the use of ERP and Supply Chain tools to drive improved bottom line performance. “When material requirements planning (MRP) was introduced many years ago, it was a real breakthrough, but today companies need more than simple materials management,” says Ptak. “True technological advancement is about providing users with a breadth of understanding and a road map to the future.” Ptak’s session will explore why most demand and supply planning systems deliver poor results, evaluate the core problems causing these inadequacies, and present an alternative – a true pragmatic and innovative approach to MRP in a hypercompetitive world.

In an exciting case study on a water utility presented by John Brigg (Yorkshire Water, UK), delegates will learn how to create resilience in their industry through Analytics & Supply Chain. “This presentation, however, is not aimed at Water or Utility people,” says Brigg. “Delegates will learn about logistics optimisation, risk management, creating visibility, intra and inter enterprise collaboration and end-to-end supply chain optimisation.”

In the presentation by Rajesh Yabaji (ITC Ltd, India), he will outline the journey experienced by ITC Ltd towards achieving an efficient supply chain, on that has yielded a 20% Cost Reduction for the Supply Chain Costs resulting in (1.3%) CAGR over the 3 Year Period, compared to (+7%) CAGR in the period 2007 – 2012.

Sonia Daviaud (Decision Value, France) will provide a welcome common sense approach in her talk: Resilient Supply Chains: Rocket science or common sense?. “The presentation aims to demonstrate, through illustrations from various industries, that applying pure and simple logic and focusing on the problems that the supply chain has to address is more efficient than implementing sophisticated ‘off the shelf’ solutions,” says Daviaud.

Best practice across SCM

In addition to the conference’s focus on building resilient supply chains, several speakers will introduce to delegates supply chain best practice that will be useful in any context. Talks will include a closer look at how best to build healthy working relationships with suppliers based on a structured and sustainable programme that manages supplier performance and provides a strong base for future negotiations.

Black economic empowerment poses a significant challenge for many companies’ supply chains, and for this reason SAPICS has also invited a presentation on adhering to B-BBEE while building a more resilient supply chains.

Africa Focus

Another focus of the conference will be to investigate the unique challenges that face supply chains in the rest of Africa. Senior executive Danie Schoeman will take a look at how to develop supply chains that work in the unique African consumer market. His presentation will demystify the African consumer; identify challenges and risks in reaching this consumer and share practical experience in how to get products to African consumers.

Meanwhile Gert Kruger (Omnia Group) will expand on the topic, explaining how to gear your supply chain for growth even in tough parts of Africa. Supported by a case study, he will demonstrate why many top companies are embracing supply chain design as a core competence rather than a once-off strategic event.

Health Care Focus

The drive to see medicines distributed efficiently despite the many challenges facing African countries has resulted in a strong health care focus during SAPICS 2014.

Sarantis Kosmas (Strategnos) will talk on the subject of funding improved quality through supply chain optimisation in the pharmaceutical supply chain. In addition to taking a close look at the unique challenges the supply chain faces, and how to meet them, delegates will also benefit from deeper insights into the application of total cost and the benefits of optimisation.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in supply chain management will be the focus of the presentation by Navaid Amir (Jamjoom Pharmaceuticals). “Using a case study, I will aim to demonstrate that KPIs are beyond numbers if clearly linked to the strategy of an organisation,” says Amir. During the presentation, delegates will learn the importance of KPIs in the competitive business world, how to calculate some fundamental KPIs and how to use simple Excel based KPI dashboard. “It’s a pulse check for professionals!” he says.

In a presentation that is a collaboration between client and consultant, Fanie Bosman (AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals), Claudio Mendes and Ian Barton (both from Imperial Health Sciences) will explain how Astra Zeneca managed to establish best-practice process controlled distribution globally. Delegates will learn the methods used for international and local demand management and supply fulfilment and gain an understanding of the learning and outcomes as they pertain to South African distribution channels.

Trevor Lambiotte (Resolve Solution Partners) will explore the importance of changing the paradigm of decision making with reference to a public health supply chain for a central African Ministry of Health. “We’ll be taking a look at how implementing Electronic Logistics Management Information System (eLMIS) in a public health supply chain enabled key stakeholders to initiate the transformation of access to pharmaceuticals for patients,” says Lambiotte. “We’ll also emphasise the learnings and results – both good and bad.”

Automotive Focus

Donovan de Klerk (UTi) will share how the SCOR® framework was successfully used to implement anadvanced inventory planning service for the P&A division of a large automotive OE in South Africa. “My aim is to give attendees an overview of how advanced inventory planning can drive performance improvements,” says de Klerk. “They will also gain insight into how to implement an inventory planning process using SCOR®.”

Anton Nieuwoudt (General Motors) will introduce delegates to the concept of supplier parks, their potential benefits and application in South African. “I’ll also be sharing a critical evaluation of the Rosslyn Supplier Park within the SA automotive industry in this very practical presentation,” says Nieuwoudt.

Green Focus

Lastly, Liesl de Wet (Barloworld Logistics) will bring the focus squarely onto issues around environment and sustainability with her address entitled: “The evolution of green supply chain thinking and its contribution towards resilient supply chains”. During her presentation, Liesl will engage delegates on the benefits of a green supply chain, as well as digging deeper into the general topic of ‘going green’ and sustainability.