It is forecast that there will be 25 billion sensor devices connected to the ‘internet of things’ (IoT) by the year 2020; this bodes well for the supply chain profession as almost 80% of organisations experience inadequate visibility of their supply chains.

Sensor technology is allowing organisations to collect data from strategic points throughout their supply chains, and transforming that data into usable intelligence with the aim of achieving true end-to-end visibility for the first time.

The power of this intelligence, according to experts, is pushing the supply chain function increasingly to prominence as the strategic hub of businesses, according to Abe Eshkenazi, chief executive officer for SAPICS, the premier professional association for supply chain management.

“Increasingly, supply chains are at the centre of key business initiatives and as a result, supply chain leaders are tasked with designing supply chains that give their organisations a competitive edge”, said Eshkenazi who will be representing APICS in Cape Town from 4 – 7 June, at the annual SAPICS 2017 conference for supply chain professionals. APICS works globally to develop supply chain talent and elevate end-to-end supply chain performance and sets the industry standard for education, certification, benchmarking and best practices. As APICS’ Premier international channel partners in Africa, SAPICS provides that role locally.

Chair of the 2017 SAPICS Board of Directors, Steve Georgevitch, will also be at SAPICS 2017, and will address delegates on supply chain’s dynamic future; he will share insights on how his organisation, Boeing, is adapting to supply chain’s rapid evolution.

The event will host a range of international and local experts who will raise the game for practitioners looking to broaden their vision, enhance their expertise and add further value to their organisations.

The knowledge-sharing opportunities will include presentations, workshops, panel discussions and networking, as well as site visits to world-class centres of supply chain excellence.

Speakers include Steven Melnyk, Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Michigan State University, on the emergence of the strategic supply chain leader, as well as experienced supply chain professional and educator Tracy Cheetham – who was the first woman president of SAPICS and also served recently as APICS Director for International

Development. She will talk about how the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model improves organisational performance.

Among the workshop facilitators is Laurent Vigouroux from French supply chain management association Fapics, who will engage delegates in a hands-on Lego brick assembly lean workshop on demand-driven material requirements planning (DDMRP).  Cheetham will also be also be hosting a workshop on “Understanding the impact of Supply Chain Alignment” on day three. These in-depth workshops provide valuable capacity-building opportunities to delegates at no extra charge.

Visit www.conference.sapics.org to view packages available.