There is an increasing realisation among senior executives that the finance function and the supply chain function in the enterprise have to work together. Traditionally, CFOs monitor supply-chain matters but tend to work more closely with COOs than with supply-chain executives. But rising internal and external costs, emerging new markets, shorter product life cycles and ongoing economic uncertainties are elevating the role of the supply chain and the supply-chain leaders within a company. Now collaboration between the functions to ensure alignment between the business strategy and the supply chain strategy is becoming a necessity – with the organisation seeing bottom line benefits.

At the SAPICS Conference 2014, , Jay Reddy, a principal procurement specialist at Sasol Polymers and a lecturer in the UNISA MBA programme, will speak on how finance can work with supply chain functions for the overall cost and profit benefit of the business. In a talk entitled ‘Supply chain resilience and supply chain finance – an oxymoron?, Reddy tackles the thorny question of organisational alignment and functional collaboration within the enterprise.

“The financial impact of supply chain activities on the business is often not well understood, and the cost and profit benefits of closer collaboration and planning between the departments not clearly appreciated,” he says. “In traditional supply chains, the role can be considered operational, whereas aspects of supply chain strategy, such as how much inventory to hold, where and for how long, can materially affect both the top and bottom lines of the company’s financial performance.”

Reddy’s dynamic presentation focuses on recent technological and process advances which are available to the supply chain professional who engages with vendors. These focus on mitigating risk of supply, optimising inventory, evaluating the total cost to the business of early settlement discounts, and generally reducing the supply side risk.

For more information on the 36th Annual SAPICS Conference & Exhibition, being held at Sun City from 1 to 3 June 2014, please visit www.sapics.org.za.

SAPICS 2014 will feature this and other presentations on the field of supply chain finance.

SAPICS Conference and Exhibition 2014 – Resilient Supply Chains – 1-3 June 2014, Sun City. For more info and to book, visit www.sapics.org.

Africa’s leading event for Supply Chain and Operations Management Professionals, the Annual SAPICS Conference and Exhibition is the premier educational and networking event in Africa for Supply Chain and Operations Management Professionals. It offers practical and relevant information through excellent educational presentations, case studies and interactive workshops.