The current outbreak of Ebola is the largest and most complex since its discovery in 1976, exceeding the sum of all previously identified cases. In October 2014, The World Health Organisation announced that there could be 10 000 new cases of Ebola per week and the current outbreak’s mortality rate had increased to 70%. […]
3 supply chain lessons from the mismanagement of the EBOLA disaster Read More »
The details of procurement scandals are frequently published. Numerous investigations, reports and articles have described purchasing agreements that suffer under corruption and fraud. But, very seldom does one read about corruption and bribes in sales and marketing (the main counterparts of the procurement profession). Without defending the procurement or supply chain profession, does it
Are procurement professionals really at the root of corrupt practices? Read More »
The start of a new year ushers in the need to align career aspirations with New Year’s resolutions. For many people this means looking at their current roles and responsibilities and making decisions on the type of growth they seek in the future, which, in turn, may lead to changes in jobs, promotions and
Making your procurement jump in 2015 Read More »
Do you practice supplier quality management? Supplier quality is a relative thing: all suppliers aspire to a level of quality, but some are more committed to higher quality than others. How can you assess the degree of your suppliers’ commitment to quality? A thorough assessment requires extensive supply chain quality skills, but the following
12-point supplier quality checklist Read More »
Handled poorly, rationalising the design of goods or services to extract greater value or lower costs has the potential to sour internal and external relationships. To prevent relationships from deteriorating ensure that you include everyone who can make a meaningful contribution to a value analysis (VA) and value engineering (VE) project, Grant Wall of Grayle
The importance of networking goes beyond continuous professional development and must also be seen as a business imperative: developing professionals to be competent networkers and collaborators may take time and money, but the cost of not developing professionals to be competent networkers and collaborators is potentially far more costly to the business, the individual
Develop supply chain skills at upcoming networking events in the Western Cape Read More »
As sourcing becomes increasingly responsible for supplier relationship and contract management, personnel are often stretched too thin across multiple categories and suppliers to effectively manage expenditure. Furthermore, headcount within procurement groups typically grows at a rate insufficient to meet those increasing demands. Utilising the internal procurement organisation in collaboration with third-party support can lead
On-demand strategic sourcing and category management services Read More »
The South African Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) closed 2014 at a level marginally above the all-important 50-point mark despite declining by 3.3 index points to 50.2. During Q2 and Q3 2014 the PMI languished below 50 with an average of 48.2, but the average reading for Q4 2014 came in at 51.2 index points. “This
Slower December activity inches PMI down Read More »
