The annual conference once again promises valuable content incorporating both global and South African specific issues.

Any company, whether in the private or public sector, is only as good as the weakest link in its supply chain. From large retail chains to government departments, meeting profit and service delivery targets is hugely influenced by the supply chain’s performance and how effectively and rapidly it can respond to unexpected change. As a result, supply chain professionals are becoming increasingly sought after resources. This poses the challenge of keeping the skills of these professionals current in an industry that subject to continuous change.

“Supply chain departments and their staff are vital to the day-to-day operations of any organisation – and yet they also need to spend time on staying abreast of new technologies, standards and best practices from around the world,” says Liezl Smith, president of SAPICS. However, companies don’t always have the resources to pay for and allow time away from the office for supply chain professionals to attend numerous events in order to fulfil this requirement.

“The SAPICS annual conference offers a way for these valuable professionals to hear leading international experts in the field, benefit from case studies and network with fellow professionals, all within a two-and-a-half-day time frame. It’s everything a supply chain professional needs to stay on top of his or her game each year,” says Smith.

SAPICS is a professional association dedicated to helping organisations and individuals improve operational performance through supply chain education, certification and knowledge-sharing. SAPICS is closely allied with key global supply chain organisations such as the Institute of Business Forecasting, APICS (The Association for Operations Management), the Supply Chain Council, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport South Africa and the South African Shippers Council.

“We tap into the enormous body of knowledge and expertise of our sister organisations to create an event that truly delivers value and gets delegates up to speed on global best practices,” Smith says.

Terry O’Donoghue, SAPICS director, explains that this year’s conference is structured around the theme ‘Design for change: Supply chain solutions for a dynamic world’. “The business environment itself is changing rapidly, as is the technology that it uses – with big implications for supply chains,” he says. “How does one build supply chains that embrace that change and create new sources of competitive advantage for our organisations?”

O’Donoghue says that this year’s conference will cover broad trends affecting the profession, such as enterprise mobility and other industry-specific issues. There will also be a focus on South African issues, the impact of the Aids pandemic on the logistics industry, for example. “Aids has decimated the most skilled cadre of drivers on whom the industry should be relying. In this case, the ability to get drivers trained and operational quickly is a competitive advantage.”

The SAPICS annual conference, ‘Design for change’, will take place from 2 to 4 June 2013 at Sun City. Visit www.sapics.org to see the line-up of speakers and events, and to register.