Change

Africa is deeply dichotomous. This reality confronts any procurement leader when addressing the question of African distinctiveness in the process of long-term strategic decision-making, says Dr Morne Mostert, Director of the Institute for Futures Research, in this month's SmartProcurement.

How can the procurement function adapt to the new reality of Industry 4.0? What can procurement leaders do to lead the change?

To explore possible answers to these questions, Dan Bartel, Group SVP, Head of Procurement & Logistics/Chief Procurement Officer, ABB, unpacks Industry 4.0 in the context of Klaus Schwab's 2016 book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, in which Schwab (World Economic Forum Founder and Executive Chairman) identifies four significant effects of Industry 4.0 on businesses across industries.

The seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dipped back to just below the neutral 50-point mark in May. The index declined to 49.8 index points, down from 50.9 in April. Despite the fall, the average level of 50.4 points recorded during the first two months of Q2, 2018, is not only above the neutral 50-point mark, but also higher than the 49.2 index points registered in Q1, 2018. This bodes well for a recovery in the manufacturing sector, after manufacturing output contracted on a quarter-on-quarter basis in Q1, 2018.

By Bertrand Maltaverne, a Solutions Consultant who helps organisations digitally transform their procurement practices.

To be honest, I haven't totally figured out all of the details of the inner workings of the blockchain technology. And I do not think I will ever try to as some of it is very technical. I also do not believe that Procurement professionals should do it either. However, it is important to understand the implications of the blockchain technology. Because of the way the blockchain works, it has unique characteristics that represent a breakthrough with tremendous value for Procurement.

The seasonally-adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) erased the losses sustained in March and edged back above the neutral 50-point mark in April. The index rose by 4 points to reach 50.9 index points in April. This is relatively in line with the level recorded in February and above the average recorded during the first three months of the year.

The improvement in the headline PMI was driven by increases in four of the five key sub-components, with only the Supplier Deliveries Index dipping lower compared to March. However, with the exception of the New Sales Orders Index, which is firmly in positive terrain, the other four sub-components remained below the neutral 50-point mark, said the Bureau for Economic Research.

'Procurement irregularities' has taken 3rd place on Corruption Watch SA's Corruption Report 2017 (CRW2017). Coming in at 12% of the reported types of corruption, procurement irregularities trails bribery as the most common form of reported corruption (27% of cases).

However, CRW2017 does not define 'procurement irregularities', which caused Xavier Greyling (MCIPS) to question if procurement irregularities do in fact account for only 12% of the reported cases, and, faced with the possibility of a far higher figure - what role does procurement play in what is lost to corruption every day?

The Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) edged above the neutral 50-point mark for the first time since May 2017. The index rose to 50.8 index points in February, up from 49.9 in January. This means that the average for the first two months of 2018 is slightly above 50, which bodes well for the manufacturing sector.

How can you embrace the notion of procurement with purpose authentically and in ways that are consistent with your core beliefs and ideals? Patrick McCarthy, SVP and GM, SAP Ariba North America, guides the way...

The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 49.9 index points in January. This is the best reading since May 2017 and the 5-point rise counters the 3.7-point slump experienced in December 2017.

The seasonally adjusted Absa Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 48.6 index points in November 2017. This was the fourth consecutive increase and brought the index to its best level since May 2017. However, the PMI remained stuck below the neutral 50-point mark for a sixth straight month, suggesting that the sector still faces headwinds.

Corporates, suppliers and travel management companies (TMCs) need to work together to help improve transparency and reduce the impact of fragmentation on costs and efficiencies.

What is fragmentation? It's when staff try to book travel within their travel policy but are forced to access different sites to source that travel other than the company's preferred procurement channels and processes.

Greg Tennyson is the CPO of VSP Global, where he leads transformative change. He is the former VP and CPO (source-to-settle and expense-to-settle) at Salesforce and Oracle.

Greg sat down with ScoutRFP. In part 2 of the conversation, Greg unpacks three ways companies can work to change sourcing behaviours – and gain street cred in the process.

Smart Procurement World topic highlight: How cross-functional collaboration in the strategic sourcing process can deliver savings beyond expectation, even in a very mature category. Presented by Mike Machell-Cox, Director Indirect Procurement, Sappi Europe.