Global supply chains were starting to recover from two years of upheaval caused by the pandemic when the military crisis hit. The further disruption caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could cause major disruptions to the global supply chain and impact South Africa. Just about every supply chain will be affected by this crisis, for … Read more
What anniversary of your production plant might you celebrate this year? The 5th, 10th or is it older? Most plant floors are dominated by older equipment. Manufacturers are aware they need to modernize to take advantage of what technology can offer. They saw how technology gave many businesses competitive advantage during the pandemic, and they … Read more
In today’s global economy, Australian manufacturers must transition to a more sustainable and ethical business environment if they want to stay profitable. The pandemic has exposed critical supply chain weaknesses, particularly among suppliers with poor workplace health and safety practices. Global calls for greater inclusion and transparency have resulted in organizations with alleged human rights … Read more
The supply chain management uncertainty in the post-COVID world shows no signs of letting up. With current conditions, it looks like there may never be a return to the pre-pandemic era of supply chain stability. Unless manufacturers change, they will find that their ability to forecast demand, and determine what to do to meet it, … Read more
As a manufacturing or distribution management team you must make tough decisions on managing operations within the organization. One such decision might be to implement a new ERP system or even upgrade your existing one and investigate what value it will offer. The concept of digital transformation is not as simple as it may sound. … Read more
Food and beverage manufacturing and distribution companies usually operate on smaller margins than most organizations in other industries. It’s therefore important for these companies to understand all the costs associated with developing, producing, marketing, selling, and delivering products so they can be priced appropriately. Unfortunately, a significant chunk of food and beverage companies’ raw materials are … Read more
When it comes to selecting software for the enterprise, decision-makers must choose between multiple solutions. This may include choosing software for managing the enterprise (an ERP system), for supply chain management (SCM) or for customer relationship management (CRM). What do these different systems do to help a company, how are they different, and should they … Read more
To deal with the new challenges in managing and planning the supply chain, the procurement department is one of the functions that should look at changing. It is no longer sufficient for procurement to focus just on supplier costs, placing orders and ensuring goods are received. Procurement in a post-pandemic world will need to take … Read more
Years ago, when I was working as a production planner at a manufacturing company, I would often receive calls or emails from our customer service representatives asking when a particular job would be completed. The customer wanted to know. To answer their simple question, was not so simple. I had to leave my desk, walk … Read more
