American newspaper editor Horace Greeley is famously credited with advising young Americans seeking their fortunes in the 1800s to "Go West, young man, go West". Today, successful businesses and forward-thinking entrepreneurs are increasingly looking to the East to make their fortunes and give their enterprises the edge over competitors. China is currently where it's all at, but it is a complex market that needs to be carefully navigated with the requisite tools and knowledge.
Recognising the growing role and influence that China has in the global export market, and its increasing importance in supply chains around the world, SAPICS has lined up China expert Kobus van der Wath as a presenter for the upcoming 2010 SAPICS Conference.
Van der Wath, who is the founder and group managing director of THE BEIJING AXIS and chief executive of Bateman Beijing Axis, will present a case study-based paper entitled: "China in the Supply Chain: Strategy, Planning and Implementation of Procurement Programmes in the World's Leading Low Cost Manufacturing Economy".
"As Low Cost Country (LCC) sourcing becomes the focus of supply chain managers seeking to minimise costs, made-in-China products are aggressively replacing manufactured goods from developed countries and even from other LCCs," he states, adding that China in fact surpassed Germany as the world's largest exporter in 2009, after trailing behind it, the US and Japan in the recent past.
"In 2010 and beyond, China is only expected to improve its position in the global market as it upgrades its manufacturing export structure in favour of more technology-intensive products and aligns itself with internationally-accepted quality standards," van der Wath attests. He cautions, however, that while there are clear advantages to adding China into the supply chain, its inherent complexity needs to be carefully considered and addressed in order to mitigate risk and maximise gain.
In his SAPICS Conference presentation, it is China's potential risks and benefits that he will examine, to provide delegates with lessons in the strategy and planning of procurement in China, as well as implementation and operations issues. Practical issues will also be examined, and case studies presented.
Following a successful banking and management consulting career in Africa, Europe and Asia, South African Van Der Wath founded THE BEIJING AXIS in 2002, as a business bridge to/from China.
The 2010 SAPICS Conference and Exhibition takes place at Sun City from 25 to 27 July 2010. It will once again be held in collaboration with the Supply Chain Council. For further information, or to register for the event, please contact Cynthia at the Conference Secretariat on 011 805 6616 or upavon@icon.co.za. Up-to-the-minute information is continuously posted on the SAPICS Web site at http://www.sapics.org.za.
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