Lean: The emerging market challenge
August 24, 2009 by Tielman Nieuwoudt
Filed under Africa, Asia, Featured Articles, Lean
Emerging economies with robust economic growth remain a significant opportunity for companies eager to grow and expand their business. With growth opportunities limited in the U.S. and Europe, these countries will be the battleground for companies in the years to come. Asian companies have improved their skills and practices and are gaining in their ability [...]
Cold chain challenges: Poor electricity supply
August 10, 2009 by Tielman Nieuwoudt
Filed under Africa, Asia, Cold Chain, Featured Articles
How do you create a cold chain in a city with constant power cuts and outages? This is one of the key questions that faced us on a recent project in Guinea, West Africa. Periodic power and water cuts are a daily burden for Conakry’s residents, not to mention the upcountry areas. For consumer goods [...]
Vietnam’s changing retail environment
July 5, 2009 by Tielman Nieuwoudt
Filed under Asia, Featured Articles, Retail
The Vietnamese retail market has seen significant changes the last couple of years. Neighbourhoods in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been transformed as Vietnamese shoppers demand more from their retailers and retail experience. However, even when compared to other major Asia economies, the retail market remains in its infancy with a great potential [...]
The affects of the economic crisis on the global supply chain
March 8, 2009 by Tielman Nieuwoudt
Filed under Asia
Reuters has an interesting article about the affects of the economic crisis on the supply chain. Recent bankruptcies in China among suppliers pose a serious risk to the global supply chain. PricewaterhouseCoopers estimates that 670,000 small companies have closed across China because of the global crisis. When suppliers goes out of business, companies need to [...]
Bangkok Suvarnabhumi airport closure: 3 billion baht and counting
December 1, 2008 by Tielman Nieuwoudt
Filed under Asia
“Reports has shown that the closure of Suvarnabhumi airport is causing 3 billion baht of damages to cargo transportation per day; 1.8 billion baht to importers and 1.2 billion to exporters. While the biggest impact so far has been on shipments of food and other agriculture products, if the closure continues for as much as [...]



