The prevailing business environment is more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) than ever before, and today’s consumers are more demanding and unpredictable. To keep customers satisfied and to ensure that the right goods are available where and when they are needed, regardless of the latest local or global disruption, supply chain management has become more important than ever for retailers.
Recognising this, the organisers of the upcoming SAPICS Conference, Africa’s leading event for the supply chain profession, have lined up numerous retail and consumer goods-focused presentations. Hosted annually by SAPICS (the professional body for supply chain management) since 1975, this year’s SAPICS Conference features an exciting collaboration between SAPICS and the South African Association of Freight Forwarders (SAAFF), which will co-host the event.
The Conference will see hundreds of supply chain practitioners from around the world – and from the host of diverse sectors that supply chain touches – converge in Cape Town from June 11 to 14, 2023 to learn, network and share knowledge. Inventory optimisation, demand-driven material requirements planning (DDMRP), collaboration, sustainability, supply chain agility, digitisation, the Africa Free Trade Agreement, public health supply chains and warehousing are just a handful of the important topics on this year’s programme, with experts and industry leaders sharing their knowledge, expertise and experiences.
“Collaboration is vital in a world where disruption to supply chains is a daily occurrence. By forging closer working relationships, it is possible to ensure on-shelf availability in the FMCG market while achieving cost savings.” This is the contention of supply chain director at PepsiCo and a presenter at this year’s 45th annual SAPICS Conference, Dave Hallett. He is a senior supply chain specialist with extensive experience in the FMCG industry. “When suppliers and customers fail to collaborate and work in isolation to optimise their networks, costs are increased,” he says and notes that navigating this space fairly means understanding each customer’s needs, strengths and weaknesses and working together to unlock mutual benefit.
Hallett will share the stage at the 2023 SAPICS Conference with co-presenters senior customer collaboration manager at PepsiCo, Silindile Manyoni, and the supply chain customer collaboration manager, Nomkhosi Ncube. In their presentation on supply chain customer collaboration, they will share the journey of building new capability in PepsiCo to collaborate with customers by providing differentiated offerings that deliver mutual benefits. They will explain why collaboration with customers enables service level improvement and joint value creation, and how communication is a key to building a foundation of trust for customer collaboration.
An inspiring tale about evolution, supply chain adaptability and agility, featuring global mayonnaise giants, demanding consumers and a little newcomer condiment, will be shared at the conference by Paul Raphaely, marketing director at NOMU South Africa. It is the story of NOMU’s new “MAYU”. Raphaely has an entertaining explanation of the events that inspired his not to be missed presentation: “In the beginning, the mayonnaise giants roamed the earth.
The lessons that Raphaely will offer SAPICS Conference delegates include how tactical advertising works; why “MAYU” happened; how to manage scarcity as a marketing device; and how to leverage public opinion into a finished product.
“Managing in a Supply Constrained Environment” is the title of the presentation by the CEO and co-founder of US-based Demand Driven Technologies, Erik Bush. “Driven by the Covid-19 pandemic, severe supply constraints have created significant challenges for supply chain executives and managers across the globe. Bush will lead a discussion on the core issues that companies face when encountering supply constraints from their vendors. He will help delegates to understand why inventory levels can grow despite supply constraints, and offer tactics to increase control of inventory levels and the supply chain while improving operational performance.
Head of planning and digital transformation at Takealot, Dikaledi Sathekge, is on the 2023 SAPICS line-up with a presentation outlining Takealot’s journey in the adoption of DDMRP. Sathekge says that it has delivered numerous positive benefits including improved service to customers, inventory optimisation and growth. She will share the wins and learnings with delegates at the SAPICS Conference.
The special half-day warehousing workshop on the programme at the Conference will take an in-depth look at the anatomy of warehouse excellence and examine cutting-edge warehouse technologies and the strategies and best practices for future-proofing supply chains.
The latest tools and technology to drive innovation and improve collaboration between retailers’ central planning and store teams will be showcased at the event.
