The 10th State of Logistics™ survey for South Africa looks back over a decade of measuring logistics costs while for the first time providing a forecast of the current calendar year’s costs.

Published by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in collaboration with Imperial Logistics and Stellenbosch University the structure of the publication has remained similar over the past ten years.

The survey reports that South African supply chains have moved beyond survival to optimised mode, where costs, inventories and lead times have been minimised within individual supply chain functions. End-to-end integration of supply chain functions is the next major shift required in South Africa to make business more customer-centric and competitive.

According to the survey: “Funding for mega infrastructure projects is a significant constraining factor, thus public private partnerships (PPPs) are becoming essential to realise the country’s ambitious infrastructure expansion plans.”

“The global economic situation and rising cost drivers spell out increased competition and tighter margins. Thus driving down the cost of logistics, making South Africa more competitive and capitalising on growth potential in Africa and global commodity markets will require no less than bold steps forward,”

Greater supply chain integration, modal shift, transport efficiencies and successful PPPs will require proactive effort, courage and innovation from both the private and public sectors.

The 10th State of Logistics™ survey for South Africa is downloadable at:

www.csir.co.za/sol  and at www.imperiallogistics.co.za/stateoflogistics