Supply chains have never been as volatile as they are today, impacted by health crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, geopolitical conflict, climate change and economic instability. Amid the uncertainty, however, one thing that is certain is the growing demand for skilled, knowledgeable, suitably qualified supply chain professionals who can navigate the ongoing challenges and changes, says supply chain industry body SAPICS.

Education is key to ensuring that supply chain professionals are equipped to deal with the increasing complexities of supply chain management and with rapid advances in technology, the organisation stresses. SAPICS has been working to elevate, educate and empower supply chain professionals in South Africa and across the continent since 1966. It provides Southern African supply chain practitioners with access to a range of internationally recognised certifications as well as high quality, impactful short courses.

SAPICS is the Premier Elite Channel Partner in Sub-Saharan Africa for APICS, which is part of the United States-based international supply chain management body ASCM (The Association for Supply Chain Management). SAPICS is also a global affiliate of the DDI (Demand Driven Institute), the IBF (Institute of Business Forecasting) and ISCEA (the International Supply Chain Education Alliance). These global organisations all promote best practice methodology for the supply chain profession, and through these partnerships, SAPICS provides the best education content that is available globally for the supply chain profession. It is delivered through a network of carefully selected SAPICS Authorised Education Partners.

Rapidly changing logistics, transportation and distribution industries

SAPICS’s education offerings includes the APICS CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management), CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional), CLTD (Certified in Logistics, Transportation and Distribution) and CTSC (Certified in Transformation for Supply Chain). The CPIM is considered the premier certification for internal supply chain business operations. The CLTD programme addresses the burgeoning need for standard benchmarks in the rapidly changing logistics, transportation and distribution industries. The APICS CSCP programme is the first and only supply chain certification that encompasses the end-to-end global supply chain. CSCP designees gain the skills to effectively manage the global supply chain activities that involve suppliers, plants, distributors and customers located around the world. The CTSC programme provides the essential knowledge to help employees effectively manage an end-to-end supply chain transformation project.

SAPICS offers training in the Supply Chain Operations Reference Digital Standard (SCOR DS) model, which organisations around the world and across industries are increasingly adopting to make dramatic and rapid improvements in their supply chain processes.

Recognising the imperative to drive sustainability in supply chains, to benefit organisations, the environment and society, SAPICS education includes a masterclass in the best practices and solutions to build a sustainable supply chain – provided in partnership with ASCM – as well as ISCEA’s Certified Sustainable Supply Chain Professional programme.

Designations that SAPICS offers through the DDI are the DDMRP (Demand Driven Materials Requirements Planning) qualification, which is a formal planning and execution method designed to correct the inadequacies of conventional material requirements planning (MRP), given today's more volatile, complex and service orientated supply and manufacturing scenarios. The Demand Driven Leader Programme, which equips senior and mid-level operations and supply chain managers with the ability to design, implement and sustain a Demand Driven Operating Model (DDOM), is also provided, along with the Adaptive Enterprise Foundations (AEF) programme, which introduces individuals working in all areas of the supply chain to the components needed to make an organisation truly adaptive.

Forecasters and demand planners are in demand

As we move rapidly into the age of big data and analytics, forecasters and demand planners are in high demand. To equip them with the specific skills and knowledge needed, SAPICS’s education line-up includes the IBF’s Certified Professional Forecaster (CPF), the Advanced Certified Professional Forecaster (ACPF) and the Certified Supply Chain Analyst (CSCA) qualification from ISCEA. The latter is aimed at young professionals, those aspiring to move into a career in supply chain management or wanting to gain a solid foundational knowledge of the end-to-end supply chain.

Healthcare supply chain management encompasses a specific set of principles and procedures to deliver products and services to the right place at the right time at the right price in order to save lives and optimise patient care. ISCEA’s Certified Healthcare Supply Chain Analyst programme, which SAPICS offers, covers many of the traditional supply chain topics like purchasing, transportation and sourcing, but it also covers healthcare-specific topics such as GS1, healthcare innovation and supply chain risk management

SAPICS short courses are designed to help individuals and organisations to get the supply chain basics right, and also offer new entrants to the field an understanding of the diverse career opportunities and varied paths available in the supply chain sphere. These courses have been assisting companies and their employees since 1982, when the SAPICS “Basic Stores & Stock Control” (BSSC) and “Principles Of Production & Inventory Management” (PPIM) short courses were first introduced.

Aimed at warehouse employees, supervisors and managers

The SAPICS BSSC course is aimed at warehouse employees, supervisors and managers. It promotes stores efficiency and sound management practices. SAPICS’s PPIM course provides learners with a sound understanding and base knowledge from which to advance their studies in the field of operations management. The “Basics Of Manufacturing & Operations Management” (BMOM) is a SAPICS course that offers a basic insight into production and inventory management systems and helps develop learners’ inter-departmental understanding and communication.

The value of the SAPICS short courses lies in the fact that they are structured in such a way that they prepare the learner for the challenges of today’s VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) supply chains. SAPICS short course material is constantly updated to deal with the rapid changes in the dynamic, ever-evolving supply chain field, despite the fact that the core concepts have not changed.

Supply chains are essential for businesses to run, consumers to get the goods they need and society to function, but they can only be as effective and efficient as the people who manage them.