According to the July/Aug 2018 ENaTIS statistics, there are more than 2.8 million trucks on South African roads, ranging from panel vans to heavy load vehicles, accounting for as much as 25% of all registered vehicles. There are more than 15 000 truck fleets operated in our country, and more often than not, our newspapers feature news of accidents, un-roadworthy vehicles and infrastructure damage due to ill-maintained vehicles. October is Transport month, with the Department of Transport emphasising the local industry, road safety and all things “truck”. As a substantial, and responsible, player within the Transport industry, we at Barloworld Logistics not only support this initiative during the month of October but strive to build a better industry for all through everything we do, in every aspect of our business, every day.

Recession proofing your business with smart supply chain decisions

Recently, South Africa entered a technical recession for the first time since 2009, with Statistics SA revising the growth forecast downwards to 2.6%. There is no doubt our economy is taking strain thanks to burgeoning fuel prices, exchange rate volatility and weakened business confidence, and while the public is still grappling to understand the impact of the news, arguably the first area to be impacted will be consumer spending. The tightening of belts will have a direct knock-on to industry thanks to a decreased demand for goods and services in most sectors. For companies, an economic downturn is by no means easy, however, re-evaluating supply chain strategy to improve efficiency and flexibility, and more so to capitalise on hidden opportunity, can go a long way in helping to weather the recessionary storm.

Supply chains have evolved from moving limited goods in close proximity to moving complicated products across complex global networks. From moving finished products along the Silk Route in pre-historic times to fully automated warehouses making use of robotics, driverless trucks and drone deliveries, supply chains have always played a large role in the progression of society and will continue to connect the world in unimaginable ways.

The South African healthcare industry is a large and complex system, still reflecting, within places of its design, the nation’s fragmented history. The public sector comprises 52 health districts across 9 provinces managing approximately 1000 hospitals and a further 3500 health care clinics offering almost 87 000 beds. In parallel to the public system, private healthcare provides about 31 000 beds via a network of just over 200 hospitals – although this sector services only about 17% of the population through insurance offered by the 90 private medical schemes within the country.

It is increasingly clear that the modern consumer is immensely digital, global and indeed influential, with access to products, services and companies at their fingertips, 24/7.  This digital revolution has infinitely increased competition, consequently pushing companies to not only innovate products but also how they deliver those products to their consumers. Thanks to digitisation (and the ability to “go viral) modern consumerism is subject to a heightened sense of trending – with products suddenly, and aggressively peaking in demand – often most unexpectedly.