The second day at SAPICS 2016 started for me with a coffee or two at the SYSPRO Café networking with gurus, customers, and partners and debating the new spin on ERP. Like mobility, visibility, keeping it simple, appropriate and usable rather than treating it like a “big brother” system to be worked round. The chat was heavy and we all needed the coffee. (more…)
Aligning food safety strategy and ERP implementation is critical for manufacturers who wish to gain a competitive edge in a very volatile and competitive market. World class manufacturers understand that traditional manual processes can no longer provide the real time and accurate information required to drive their businesses. Effective use of an ERP system can help push food safety compliance deep into the 21stcentury [...]
There is no doubt that, globally, these are uncertain times. From the UK’s surprise Brexit decision to the election in Australia and of course the Clinton vs. Trump campaign in the US. Whatever side of politics you find yourself on, there is no doubt that politic uncertainty and economic uncertainty go hand in hand. Macro-economic uncertainty then feeds down to company level and we [...]
Back in the 1980s SAPICS delegates gathered at the trendy Elangeni Hotel on the Durban seafront while exhibitors faced kitchen-lift logistics to get stand equipment and mini-computers to the second floor. (more…)
Britain’s recent withdrawal from the European Union reminds me of the US Military acronym: V.U.C.A. Referring to the volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity that characterize conditions and situations, particularly when influenced by significant change, V.U.C.A. has rapidly become a trendy managerial contraction. (more…)
“The main facts in human life are five: birth, food, sleep, love and death.” ― E.M. Forster. The great thing about a necessity is that, as a supplier, you are always guaranteed an eager market. Food production and distribution falls neatly into this category. We all have to eat, don’t we? However, as margins become tighter, food businesses have been forced to keep a beady [...]
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that the global volume of edible food wastage is as much as 1.6 billion tons. It’s a mind-boggling statistic if you consider that this equates to roughly one-third of all food produced for human consumption. This means that hunger across the globe could effectively be eradicated simply by recovering only half of what is [...]
In my previous blog, I discussed the most compelling reasons to automate your supply chain. Now that you are sold on the concept, I’m going to give some detail around how to go about this automation. Basically, there are four key points to ensure the efficacy of an automation project: (more…)
For the past year or so I’ve been a loyal customer of a booming barbershop near the SYSPRO head office. I only realized recently that none of the barbers are able to speak English. It made me wonder how they had been able to build a successful business relying on clear communication with this direct impediment. (more…)
In recent years, manufacturers across the globe have felt the painful pinch of contracting economies. This trend looks set to continue in 2016 and on into 2017 with expectations of further downward pressure casting a pallor on the future of the sector. (more…)
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