Tag: inventory management

In recent years, South Africa has embraced the global phenomenon of Black Friday. While, for businesses in this country, it's tempting to focus solely on the immediate potential that this flurry of buying activity presents, small and medium enterprise (SME) should take a much longer-term view of Black Friday, understanding its real potential to underpin long-term growth.

Data integrity, security, and availability are vital aspects to consider whether it pertains to personal information, business records, or research data. However, many individuals and organisations often neglect the importance of data maintenance, which can lead to data ‘load shedding’, a term used to describe the loss, corruption, or unavailability of data due to poor data management practices.

In the fast-paced world of manufacturing, staying ahead of the competition requires constant adaptation and optimisation. Tempting as it is to stick to the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ credo, one crucial aspect of maintaining a competitive edge lies in regularly updating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems.

Simply put, consumers must be able to trust the food they buy. Quality control issues can easily and quickly lead to consumer dissatisfaction and negative sentiment towards a brand or product line. They may also lead to a costly product recall, or in the worst-case scenario, a consumer death and the massive destruction of brand value and reputation. 

To succeed in today’s economic environment, manufacturers must find new ways to create and capture value. But how do they do this when South Africa is currently facing a massive energy crisis, with load shedding impacting production and grinding their operations to a halt?

During its formative years, blockchain technology became synonymous with the advent of cryptocurrency. Today, its use cases have transcended the world of finance, expanding into sectors such as retail. In Africa, its application in payment technology has demonstrated blockchain’s ability to revolutionise several touchpoints from supply chain to final sale.

Technology is moving so quickly that many business owners might feel overwhelmed with all the sudden hype around artificial intelligence (AI), ChatGPT and other trends. We’re still coming to terms with what this technology means and how we can use AI in any meaningful way.

Technological advancement is fundamental for economic development. The more accessible the tech is for citizens, the more rapidly the local economy can progress. In South Africa, a commitment to embrace the '4th Industrial Revolution (4IR)' has been a fixture of national government rhetoric for several years.

We have announced new research findings from our latest global research survey, ‘Realigning the links of the disconnected supply chain’, which explores the challenges and solutions to ongoing supply chain disruptions that manufacturers and distributors face today.

We have announced new research into the CFO 4.0, which reveals that the manufacturing CFO will play a critical strategic, innovative and financial role in the business moving forward.  The study, which was conducted in July to September 2021 and assessed the sentiment amongst senior level Chief Financial Officers within manufacturing sectors across the Americas, APAC and EMEA.