PMI continues recovery - manufacturing likely to add to Q4 GDP growth
November was the fourth consecutive month of gains for the PMI, but the index remains below the level of 54.2 reached before the widespread factory sector strikes in July.
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Open road tolling - logistics costs to rise by up to 15%
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Competitive advantage - full expenditure, risk and performance visibility
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Procurement priorities - are we hot or cold?
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Changing procurement skill sets key trend till 2020
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Consumer Protection Act - don't underestimate its effect on purchasing and supply
“From the response of the audience, it was clear that the majority of business people were certainly not ready,” Botha told SmartProcurement.
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A new supply management emerges
This is the consensus reached in a report ‘VISION 2020: Ideas for Procurement in 2020 by Industry-Leading Procurement Executives’, the outcome of a dialogue between Ariba and leading procurement practitioners and influencers.
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Procurement in 2020 won't exist in its current state
This is the consensus reached in a report ‘VSION 2020: Ideas for Procurement in 2020 by Industry-Leading Procurement Executives’, the outcome of a dialogue between Ariba and leading procurement practitioners and influencers.
Its main points make for interesting reading…
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Market Intelligence - information to assist the modern procurement professional
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Warehousing in China? Challenges to consider
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Procurement transformation: more than squeezing suppliers' margins
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Red flags that your suppliers may be facing difficult times
In a perfect world, relationships with suppliers would be truly collaborative, with the supplier communicating well in advance of failure or disruption. But in the real world, companies need a process and checklist to include in their supplier qualification and audit programmes.
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Developing Standard Bank's procurement purpose - an investment in people
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The contents of an ethical purchasing policy
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Managing production costs could mean a 15% higher price/earnings ratio
“Organisations therefore need commitment from their suppliers for sustainable and rewarding cost savings,” Douglas MacGregor, MD of supplier service benchmarking company SuppDex, tells SmartProcurement.
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The economies of distance
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Utilising Technology for Effective Collaboration
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Innovate with off-the-shelf technology
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Justifying the resources required to operate a Procurement Function effectively
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Procurement function one of most important drivers of future business success
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Understanding the Purchasing Environment
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Print management: managed delivery just as important
However, while Procurement is an important aspect, another leg on which a great Print Management service stands is ‘managed delivery’, Trevor Bennett, Divisional Managing Director of Outsourced Communications for Integrated Communications Agency, Ince tells SmartProcurement.
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Scoring the human role in 'lean' implementation
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Applying recognised P2P best practice offers improved business performance
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Uncovering huge savings possibilities in operational procurement
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Procurement's image problem
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Improving supply chain processes and activity steps through Process Mapping - Part 2
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What will your supply chains resemble in ten years' time? Part 2
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Managing the transition to Strategic Procurement
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Africa ready to take advantage of e-marketplaces
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Improving supply chain processes and activity steps through Process Mapping
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ABSA scoops IPSA Award - 'Best Process Improvement'
'BEST PROCESS IMPROVEMENT'
Absa Purchasing Hub project owner Peter Alkema (right), and project superviser Junaid Nomani (left) at the awards evening
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Sourcing and procurement operating models offer sustainable cost reductions
As the economy slides into the downturn cycle, organisations are switching focus from growth strategies to cost management and risk management to protect their bottom line. Many companies have exhausted short-term tactical cost reductions and are now looking for more radical and sustainable sourcing and procurement (S&P) operating models, Ged Mackell of Deloitte Consulting tells SmartProcurement.
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'Supplier enablement' is a key component for successful procurement processes in South Africa
The outsourced management of suppliers is of special significance in South Africa as a component of a successful procurement / tender process in the market place, Catherine Hills, Quadrem’s Client Services Director, told SmartProcurement in a recent interview.
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A case study for centralised purchasing - World Class Operational Procurement
Part 10 of a ten-part series that examines key operational aspects of the so-called “Purchase to Pay” value chain
by Independent Contributor, Peter Alkema – Head: Purchase to Pay at Absa
During 2008 at a large South African bank, a purchasing hub was set up to centrally process and support all ordering from the bank’s branches with a skilled SAP SRM team that is accessible through a single, easy to remember number.
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World Class Operational Procurement: Where's my stuff?
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Part 8 of a ten-part series that examines key operational aspects of the so-called “Purchase to Pay” value chain
by Independent Contributor, Peter Alkema – Head: Purchase to Pay at ABSA
"The request was authorised, the Purchasing Order (PO) was created and communicated to the supplier, and now the goods or services are expected to be delivered...."
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World Class Operational Procurement: Three-way matching vs. two-way matching

Part 7 of a ten-part series that examines key operational aspects of the so-called “Purchase to Pay” value chain
by Independent Contributor, Peter Alkema – Head: Purchase to Pay at ABSA
Paper, paper, paper - still remains one of the most pervasive raw materials of the modern day office, which has still not been eradicated by the advent of modern technologies and supposedly integrated systems.
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World Class Operational Procurement: Committing the Funds - Anatomy of a Purchase Order
Part 5 of a ten-part series that examines key operational aspects of the so-called “Purchase to Pay” value chain
by Independent Contributor, Peter Alkema – Head: Purchase to Pay at ABSA
“Until such time as a Purchase Order (PO) is created by the customer and received by the supplier, no legally binding purchase process has been initiated,” Peter Alkema, Head: Purchase to Pay, ABSA, told SmartProcurement. Although there are generally agreed principles for POs (it could be written by hand or generated by a purchasing system), it must at least display certain header and line item information. In most cases it will have been created at the end of an approval workflow that began with the creation of a shopping cart (see Part 2).
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World Class Operational Procurement: Effective Requests & Approvals processes
of the so-called "Purchase to Pay" value chain
by Independent Contributor, Peter Alkema - Head: Purchase to Pay at ABSA
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