Gert Sylvest

The top supply chain trends in Africa right now include ecommerce, sustainability, technology and skills development. The e-commerce boom that was fuelled by Covid-19 is showing no signs of slowing. It is predicted that in 2025, e-commerce transactions in South Africa will grow 150% to R225 billion. While African consumers are clearly sold on the speed and convenience of online shopping, they are also increasingly recognising that there is an environmental price to be paid, and they are demanding greener e-commerce supply chains. African businesses also recognise that to compete on the global stage, and for Africa to rise as the supply chain powerhouse that many predict it can be, they must align with global environmental standards. Integrating sustainability into supply chain and logistics is therefore a growing imperative in Africa. African companies are investing in technologies like electric vehicles, renewable energy sources and advanced data analytics to measure, manage and minimise their environmental impact. They are optimising transportation routes to have fewer vehicles on the road and to cut CO2 emissions. They are adopting circular supply chain models, to get more use out of products and move beyond the traditional “take-make-waste” approach. Takealot, which is South Africa’s largest online…

Stay up to date on all the latest conversations, interviews, and episodes we released this week here at Supply Chain Now! We kicked this week off with a new episode in our Supply Chain Real Estate Series produced in partnership with Prologis. Scott Luton and special host Ward Richmond welcomed Managing Partner Will O’Donnell and Vice President Todd Lewis from Prologis Ventures. For Monday’s This Week In Business History episode, Scott tells an interesting story of one of the most captivating and influential movie rental businesses in American history. On Tuesday, we released a new episode of TEKTOK, with host Karin Bursa. In this episode, Karin talks with Ben Cubitt, SVP of Consulting and Network Services for Transplace. They discuss the future of supply chain logistics into next year, from continued network disruptions to taking smart steps today to regain a proactive footing. On Wednesday’s Supply Chain Now episode, Scott and special guest host Crystal Davis welcomed the Vice President of Transportation for Home Depot, Sarah Galica, to the show. She gives insight on some of the improvements that resulted in $34 billion dollars in growth for The Home Depot. For Thursday’s Supply Chain Now episode, Scott and guest host…