At the Saudi Supply Chain conference, which was held in Riyadh, Rani Wahbe, Senior Advisor for the Middle East and North Africa at the International Road Transport Union (IRU), covered the most significant updates to the TIR Convention, which aims to ease customs transactions among member states to create a globally interconnected world economy, according to Saudi Press Agency.
Several officials gave detailed presentations about the Saudi government’s efforts in administrating supply chains in accordance with the objectives of the Kingdom Vision 2030.
They showcased the support of the Transport Ministry and Saudi Customs for these efforts, as well as steps taken to cut red tape and unify procedures across the Kingdom’s ports. Adil Al-Mulla, representative of the UK-based Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply in the Middle East and North Africa, underlined the importance of developing and unifying purchasing procedures.
He stressed that adoption of the latest systems and codes on a global scale would streamline the flow of any given supply chain.
Mullah called for widespread official adoption of terms, phrases, and titles used in supply chain and procurement codes the world over.
In a discussion about the future of, and the latest technologies employed in, the warehousing and forwarding sector, Abdulaziz Al-Subai, Chief Executive of the Public Warehousing Company, said that the proliferation of e-commerce necessitated new and different ways to store goods and products that facilitate rapid transit and delivery to customers, while cutting the need to physically market and display products. This became especially pertinent, he said, with the explosive permeation of smartphones and online shopping apps.
Corporations that used to be major household names, he added, had to exit the market because they failed to cope with these new trends, which others fundamentally transformed themselves to keep up with the runaway success of online shopping platforms.
Subai praised government agencies that made the necessary efforts to keep up with the trend, such as Saudi Post, which moved their operations bases to airports to boost their e-commerce preparedness.
In a session titled “The Involvement of Young Saudis in Supply Chains and Procurement,” human resources experts recommended that a framework of technical and professional standards for supply chains and procurement be put in place to keep up with the rapidly changing requirements of the job market. They also reiterated Mullah’s call for the official adoption of terms, phrases, and titles employed in global supply chain and procurement codes.
At the convention, a number of young Saudis who joined the supply chain and procurement sector showcased their experiences, while the second day’s sessions covered Saudi women’s desire to work in the sector.
