For years, supply chains were judged largely by how efficiently they could move goods, reduce cost and maximise output. But in an operating environment shaped by persistent disruption, changing customer expectations and increasingly interconnected value chains, efficiency alone is no longer enough.
That was one of the clearest reflections I took from SAPICS 2026. Its theme, “Legacy to Leadership: 60 Years of Connection, Collaboration & Transformation”, invited the industry to consider not only how far supply chains have come, but what leadership now requires of us. I believe it requires a shift away from static models and isolated decisions to adaptability and collective problem-solving.
Disruption is now the norm for supply chains, which face infrastructure, regulatory, climate, and technological challenges. The task is not to design a system that never experiences disruption, but to build the capability to respond when conditions change.
This shifts competitive advantage, as it now depends on whether an organisation can see change early, bring the right capabilities together and adjust its operating model without compromising safety, service or control.
Stronger supply chains require clearer roles
A recurring idea at SAPICS was the need for organisations to become more deliberate about their core competencies. Delivering an end-to-end outcome does not require one organisation to perform every component independently. It requires the lead partner to integrate the right internal expertise and specialist capabilities, establish clear accountability and keep the customer’s operational outcome at the centre.
It’s better to start by understanding where an organisation creates the most value, where specialist capability is required and how the right partners can be brought together around a defined customer need.
This is particularly important in complex African supply chains. A logistics provider, customer, technology business, equipment manufacturer and local operating team may each understand a different part of the challenge and bring a different capability to solving it. None has the complete answer in isolation. The value lies in creating an effective interface between those capabilities, supported by shared accountability and a clear outcome.
Collaboration requires greater visibility across the value chain and a willingness to share relevant information to support decisions, while protecting commercially-sensitive information.
The real test of a partnership is whether it helps solve the customer’s actual problem. A challenge that initially appears to be about transport or technology may have its roots in an inefficient process, a safety constraint, limited connectivity or an operating practice that no longer serves the customer. Listening and defining the problem correctly must come first.
Technology cannot repair a broken process
Technology was understandably prominent in many of the conversations at SAPICS, but its value depends on whether the operation is ready to use it effectively.
Before introducing another platform/application, businesses must understand and simplify the underlying process. Who performs each task? What information do they require? Where are delays/errors introduced? How will the user’s role change? What governance is needed when the system identifies an exception? Without those foundations, digitisation adds complexity instead of reducing it.
The same applies to mobile devices, which must be integrated into operations to deliver value. Human judgement remains essential. Technology can improve visibility, identify patterns and automate routine decisions, but people must interpret, manage exceptions, and ensure technology is useful.
Practical improvement starts at the frontline
A Unitrans agricultural operation provides a practical example. In remote sugarcane environments, manual field inspections and connectivity constraints made it difficult to capture and share information consistently.
Unitrans worked with a specialist technology partner to digitise the existing inspection process through a custom mobile application. This meant that operational teams could record field conditions, identify hazards and make more informed decisions before vehicles entered an area.
The real value was in operational knowledge, not just the app. This approach improved decision speed and safety, reducing in-field rollovers.
The example shows why adoption matters. Technology creates value when it strengthens frontline expertise rather than replacing it. When employees see that a tool helps them work more safely and effectively, compliance becomes curiosity – and operational teams begin driving improvement themselves.
Continuous improvement is rarely one dramatic intervention. More often, it comes from questioning existing practices and using data to make targeted changes.
African solutions must reflect African conditions
Common principles can be applied across a supply chain network, but implementation cannot be one-size-fits-all. African countries and operating environments differ in infrastructure, regulation, language, culture, connectivity, road conditions, skills and customer requirements. A solution that works in one market may not in another.
This requires closer collaboration with all stakeholders and a realistic view of what operations can support now and in the future. The next era of supply chain leadership will be defined by how well leaders connect people, processes, information and expertise around real operational needs.
While efficiency will remain fundamental, the supply chains best equipped to grow will be those that can adapt without losing control, share information without losing accountability, and collaborate without losing sight of their own strengths.
In practical terms, leaders must clarify the outcome, map the process, identify where specialist expertise is needed and assign someone to be accountable for each decision. Technology should then be introduced against that operating model, with frontline users involved early enough to shape how it works in practice.
The greatest opportunity lies in building collective capability to solve problems, together.
