Page 31 - Logistics News June 2019

SAPICS

delegates with inspiring insights on “How to Thrive the 2019 SAPICS Conference. This year’s Best
at the Edge of Chaos”. Well-known broadcaster, Speaker award was presented to Herbert Pechek,
journalist and writer Whitfi eld shared extracts from who is the Supply Chain Management Principal
exclusive interviews with some of South Africa’s at the United Nations’ support offi ce in Somalia.
most successful and infl uential business leaders. He was the main architect of the transformation
Diverse keynote presentations by world leading of the organisation’s complex, multidimensional
futurist, author and business transformation peacekeeping operations into an effi cient
specialist Sean Culey and risk expert Robert horizontal supply chain.
Besseling gave delegates a glimpse of our high- “We did not use the words ‘supply chain
tech future and the political risk that impacts management’ in UN peacekeeping before 2012,”
supply chain management in Africa. he informed SAPICS Conference delegates.
The 1982 science fi ction movie Blade Runner However, the United Nations operates a large,
was set in 2019, Culey told attendees. The future is complex supply chain network consisting of
here, and innovation and disruptive technologies processes and activities to procure, produce and
are advancing at a faster pace than ever before. deliver materials and services that include fuel,
Whole rafts of new disruptive industries are being rations, water, equipment, modular camps and
created, he said. What Culey dubs “waves of other items to fi eld missions around the world. In
creative destruction” are getting stronger, faster terms of its aircraft and aviation services, the UN’s
and higher; and the impact is getting bigger. peacekeeping operation would be ranked number
“Innovation used to move by sailboat; now it is 20 in the world if it was an international airline, he
digital. We have technologies like smart robotics, revealed. Water and sanitation, power and energy,
warehouse automation, drones and autonomous vehicles, fi eld technology and fuel must reach the
trucks replacing human operators. Artifi cial most remote areas of the world. “Our supply chain
intelligence (AI) is proving that it can do many is life critical,” Pechek stated. “If we don’t succeed,
knowledge-based tasks better than humans, lives are at risk. We have to get it right the fi rst
including analysing more data, which is the time.”
currency that we trade in today. Robots are even Refl ecting the growing global drive for greener
picking strawberries – an activity in which quite supply chains, SAPICS was proud to once again
cerebral decision making is required. Parts for jet partner with conference sponsor CHEP to make
engines are 3D printed, and new CLIP (Continuous the 2019 SAPICS Conference carbon neutral. CHEP
Liquid Interface Production) printing has even achieved this by calculating the carbon footprint
disrupted 3D printing.” of the event, based on the number of delegates
Culey’s outstanding presentation netted him and their travel itineraries, and purchasing carbon
the award for the Most Innovative Speaker at credits to off set this. •

June 2019 | Logistics News 29