Van der Wath, who is the founder and group MD 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."
He states, "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.” 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 presentation, he will examine China's potential risks and benefits, 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.
The 2010 SAPICS Conference and Exhibition takes place at Sun City from 25-27 July 2010. Up-to-the-minute information is posted on the website www.sapics.org.za.
