Although e-tolling will affect the logistics industry in a number of ways, the spotlight is almost inevitably on the increased operational costs that will result, says Cobus Rossouw, President of SAPICS*. For logistics companies, however, the reality is that e-tolling could prove beneficial.

Less than 10% of urban traffic is for freight movement, and yet the impact of congested roads on logistics and supply chain management is disproportionately high. When roads are congested, freight operators have to assume the worst to mitigate potential customer service failures. Thus, even on a day when the roads are not congested, the minimum number of deliveries would have been scheduled. Deliveries therefore finish earlier and the vehicles return to the depots: idle assets for that period.

Read more: E-Tolling: Logistics industry needs less emotion, more transformation

At this year's AGM held on Friday 12 April, SAPICS members elected two seasoned supply chain professionals onto its Board for a three year term. Martin Bailey and Mike Johnston fill the two vacancies left by the retirement of Ken Titmuss and resignation of Colin Seftel.

Colin remains actively involved with SAPICS and is an International Director of APICS in the USA. Ken, who has been on the SAPICS board for over 18 years in various capacities, including President will continue to serve SAPICS in the Education field with particular focus on education content, delivery and the development and sustainability of the instructor base.

Read more: SAPICS Press Release

Supply chain management is not sexy; not to most young Millennials anyway, who according to recent surveys, are choosing four to five other careers in business before they even consider a career in a supply chain vertical. That's according to a Millennial himself, Lungelo Khumalo**, Principal Practitioner (analyst) in supply chain enablement at petrochemical giant Sasol Polymers.

Read more: Attracting Millennials - The Future of the Supply Chain

SAPICS President Liezl Smith reviews the state of the sector ahead of its annual conference in June 2013

South African supply chains generally compare very well with their developed market peers, and in some cases I believe we are ahead of the game. One of the reasons for this is that we have had to become very innovative in the way we do things in the face of challenges that do not exist in developed markets. Doing business in Africa is not for 'sissies', and so we have developed much strength in terms of our creativity and tenacity when confronted with adversity i.e. poor road conditions, under-utilisation of rail transport, unreliable postal service and slow Internet connectivity.

Read more: The State of Supply Chains in South Africa

June 2013 SAPICS conference to examine how companies are changing the way they do business to fit the mobile lifestyle

Research shows that there are more cell phones than there are people in South Africa. But only around two thirds of adult South Africans have bank accounts (FinScope Survey). How likely is it then that payments for future FMCG purchases will happen more via mobile phones than any other method? "Very," says Francis Murabula, Executive Head of Supply Chain at Safaricom Limited, commenting on one of the fastest growing trends in supply chain today.

Read more: M-PESA and Supply Chain - How mobile is changing FMCG

SAPICS conference to examine shortcomings in current methods of accounting for improvement and supply chain productivity

Thirty years ago, MRP and standard cost accounting were a good way for an organisation to try and figure out how much it was saving thanks to improvement activities, says John Darlington, Managing Director at Value Flow Consulting Limited and part time staff member at the University of Buckingham where he teaches MSc in Lean Enterprise.

Read more: Cost Accounting: Public Enemy No. 1 to Productivity