Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane along with other prominent industry leaders will speak at the 2nd Annual Global Logistics in Mining Forum on 12-13 November 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Keeping in mind the constant changing prices for raw materials, logistics plays a very important role in mining. Primarily, logistics is the function responsible for all aspects of the movement and storage of materials on their journey from original suppliers through to final customers. Therefore, it not only comprises of moving the mining products from remote locations but also involves a lot of other functions such as supply chain, warehousing, managing inventory , stocking , lowering risks, using the right medium for transportation etc. An efficient logistical system in place provides a competitve advantage over companies providing the same products. The 2nd Annual Global Logistics in Mining Forum , which is scheduled on the 13-14 November 2013, in Johannesburg, South Africa, will gather prominent speakers from the industry who will share their expertise on the current issues logistical issues faced by the mining sector. One of the most prominent names is that of Nosipho Siwisa-Damasane, Chief Executive Officer, Richards Bay Coal Terminal who will share her insights on mine to port optimization. Nosipho has spent 10 years working for audit firms (Aitken and Peat; now KPMG and Ernst and Young) where she finished her articles in Auditing. She joined Transnet in 1998 as East London Port Manager as the first woman in this role. In July 2012 she took over as Chief Executive Officer for Richards Bay Coal Terminal, the single largest export coal terminal in the world with a design capacity of 91 million tons per annum. She has represented South Africa on international missions on investment promotion and has written and delivered papers on port management and logistics presented in South Africa, the region and internationally at conferences on port related matters, …
Prioritizing Rail in the African Region
Tanzania transport system is expected undergo up-gradation with approximately $330 million to be pumped into of its railway network. TAZARA, ZRL and SNCC, the three railways companies operating in Tanzania, Zambia and Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) respectively, jointly signed a tripartite agreement to harmonize operations in the East African Railway Sector. The contract is expected to provide better connectivity in transportation of goods and passengers in the three states. According to Dr. Damas Daniel Ndumbaro, Deputy Managing Director at TAZARA, the acquisition of new locomotives and other measures by management are expected to increase the tonnage of cargo that it hauls. Dr. Damas will present on what the future entails for the Tanzania Zambia Railways at the 2nd Annual African Railway Summit. He will elaborate on the challenges and advantages into the working of railways between three countries and expanding social and economic opportunities. The summit will be held on 5 & 6 November at Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg. Considering the fact that currently more than 80 % of transport in Africa is on road; this needs strategic investments in rail and to shift to rail also passengers, to reduce CO2 emissions. The summit with help of international case studies will throw light on passenger rail and what could be the conclusions for a similar planning exercise in Africa. Dr. Christian Schlosser from German Federal Ministry of Transport and Urban Development will be presenting the case study. This will help the attendees understand the converging trends and challenges in the urban transport sector in Africa. Guy M. Kalisa who is the Director General at Rwanda Transport Development Agency (Ministry of Infrastructure) has joined the prestigious speaker panel at the African Railway Summit. Guy M. Kalisa will put forth his views on ornamenting Dar es salaam-Isaka-Kigali-Keza-Musongati Railway Project. This project involves three countries …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Anthony Coutinho from the Department of Mineral Resources gives expert insights into mining health and safety
Anthony Coutinho will be addressing health & safety challenges faced by the mining industry at the 3rd Global Health and Safety Forum in Mining on 16-17 September at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Sandton Johannesburg 23 May 2013, Johannesburg: Mining companies recognise the inherent value of its human resource in the mining profession and have been stressing on the need for improved health and safety facilities for its employees. With the emergance of small-scale operations in South Africa, the workplace fatality rate of these mines is up to 90 times higher than that for mines in industrialised countries (report by ILO). In the quest to achieve zero harm, mining companies have been looking to foster a culture that will drive organisations towards safer practices at mines. The key for this lies in anticipating the problems faced by miners and responding to them to make sure that these accidents are prevented. Anthony Coutinho, Director - Mine Safety from the Department of Mineral Resources, South Africa says that the main challenge faced by the mining industry with respect to health and safety of its employees is the “battle that the employers have in balancing cost-effective production with eliminating the health and safety risks that face the industry.” In terms of the South African mining industry, Mr Coutinho believes that the country is on its way to putting in place the legislation in order to reduce health and safety risks to miners. To shed more light on this, Anthony Coutinho will be speaking at the 3rd Global Health and Safety Forum in Mining, taking place on 16-17 September 2013 at the Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel, Sandton Johannesburg, South Africa. He will also share his insights into the application of health and safety policies to the global mining industry. This forum will also feature presentations from Philip Stephenson, Newmont Mining, VP Health Safety Loss Prevention & Security, US; Brian Chicksen, AngloGold Ashanti, VP Safety, …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
African Retail Banking sector to reach the next level of customer expectation
Africa is determined as a destination with opportunities due to the large scale potential the region has particularly in providing financial services to the mass population. Mobile financial services and other means of electronic money have always submerged in this market where banks and external agencies are tapping in the region to invest more into providing financial services to the mass population including the unbanked, under-banked and the poorest of the poor. Africa’s main challenges in retail banking lie within delivering secured banking services, loyalty programs, embedding a customer focused banking to serve clients better across all segments including micro, mass, affluent, SMEs and being more socially responsible and ethical to the region. 5th Annual Retail Banking Africa 2013, will stage a platform for Africa retail bankers to come one step closer into redoing their retail banking strategy to serve customers better and make profitable business. With the advancement of technology, retail banking globally demands out of the box futuristic and innovative solutions to make consumer banking more effective. To keep up with the needs of the customers, retail banks need to continually develop and implement strategies that are updated with the latest banking trends. One of the highlight of this forum is the GURU Panel, which will focus on the need to change the region's banking practices and strategies according to the current banking structure. New opportunities will be explored, untapped avenues for revenue generation will be exploited, by delivering more effective service and quality across retail branches and positioning your brand across a wide customer base through an effective market and customer insights strategy. This dedicated session is entitled as "Growth Proposition – Developing Cutting Edge Retail Banking Services" and will be joined by six panellists such as Zahid Mustafa, Regional Consumer Banking Director of East and West Africa …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
2nd Annual Opex Africa 2013, Opens In Johannesburg
A two day conference on achieving banking operational excellence Johannesburg – South Africa, 10 April 2013: The 2nd Annual OPEX Africa 2013, commenced today at Hyatt Regency. The forum will witness a unique exchange of ideas on process change management, customer engagement to process centralization and business growth. This forum was opened by the event chairman, Pritesh Kotecha, Vice President Middle East, South Asia and Africa at Smart Stream Technologies. Kotecha will later be moderating the two highlighted sessions of the day - the COO Panel entitled.”From Banking & Beyond” and the panel discussion on Change management – How Essential is it? The keynote speech titled “Operational Excellence – The Road Ahead”, was delivered by Raj Singh, Chief Operating Officer at Chase Bank, where he emphasised on the future scope of operational excellence. Raj Singh will be addressing the audience in an afternoon session on customer engagement for an organisation, which will focus on the trends of service quality and levels of personalization and rebuilding customer loyalty by simultaneous growth of revenue and wallet share. According to him, “ The introduction of rapid technological changes and new operating channels in banking and financial sector, operations have become very complex and thus banks require to raise the bar in terms of optimum output." Following the key note, an exclusive COO panel discussion commenced which outlined the future of banking operations. The session, “COO Panel - From Banking & Beyond ”, debated on the old vs new banking methodologies, emphasising on re-inventing new processes to cope with technological advancements, expanding the market reach and enhancing efficiency. This panel was joined by COOs of different banks, namely Melt van der Spuy from Standard Bank, David Shelly from Rand Merchant Bank, Nkosinathi Solomon from ABSA Financial Services; Wonder Nyabereka from Barclays Bank Zimbabwe and Raj Singh from Chase …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Mining Industry to Address Current Challenges with Technology
Taking place in South Africa on 18-19 September 2013, the 4th Annual Global Mining Technology Forum will bring industry specialists and technology providers to derive solutions to optimize productivity, increase efficiency and capacity in mines. Reuters recently reported that platinum mines in South Africa, till date remain unautomated, where drilling and blasting activities are still being undertaken by men. Mechanization is the solution, however weak prices and difficult conditions are impediments to the process. The article entitled Automation at Platinum Mines Fails stated that mining companies have recognised the need for change, and are evaluating new ways to mechanize, increase efficiency, productivity and control costs. AngloGold Ashanti is testing a new method of underground gold mining which can significantly increase South Africa's gold output, and is also safer for workers. The latest innovations and technology for the mining industry will be the focal point of discussion amongst industry experts participating at the 4th Annual Global Mining Technology Forum taking place on 18-19 September 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The two day conference + exhibition will bring to the fore many key concern areas that can be improved by the application of technology. Through 4 streams dedicated to automation and communication, health and safety, environment and sustainability and productivity, the forum will host over 40 sessions inclusive of panel discussions and case studies. Automation v/s employment, mining innovation for environmental benefits, future of automation in surface mining, communication systems within mines, innovative technology for sustainable mining will be some of the key topics addressed. The forum will also feature sessions by solution providers catering to the mining segment.Speakers at the forum include experts from Barrick Gold, BHP Billiton, SASOL Mining, Teck Resources, Tata Steel, Lonmin Platinum, Ambatovy, Arcelor Mittal, De …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Operational Excellence To Optimise African Financial Sector
2nd Annual OPEX Africa 2013 will engage in industry peers and operational experts from Standard Bank , Rand Merchant Bank, Chase Bank, Standard Bank Africa, Kenya Commercial Bank, RMB Corporate Banking, GARP, ABSA, Ecobank, Nedbank Africa, First Bank of Nigeria Plc and many other banking and financial institutions. The African banking sector is set to attain new levels of achievement as it is the fastest growing economic region in the world. With the help of operational excellence, banking professionals can establish stronger customer relations and provide exceptional customer service in the African region. 2nd Annual OPEX Africa 2013 will provide a progressive platform to COOs, CIOs and the heads of financial operations and operational specialists, the event is focused on highlighting the significance of operational excellence for banking processes. Eyitope St. Matthew-Daniel, Group Head of Banking Services at First Bank of Nigeria Plc will elaborate on the key drivers of efficiency & service delivery through market overview emphasising on the challenges and initiatives taken to overcome them. Her presentation topic entitled, " Increasing Efficiency & Driving Service Delivery – An Emerging Market Example" will focus on key leanings and best industry practices. The challenge of managing operations & technology services in a culturally diverse organization, will be explained by Patrick Edwin Fiscian, Group Head of Operations & Technology Services at Ecobank Group. Session entitled as, "Change Management: The X Factor to Achieve Your Strategic Objectives", will be addressed by Archibald Holtzhausen, Head: Change Management & Special Projects – Africa Technology at ABSA. Branch focussed distribution in achieving sustainable growth will be explained in the session entitled, “Enhancing Branch operations for maximum output”. Wonder Nyabereka, Chief Operating Officer of Barclays Bank Zimbabwe will address this session, emphasising on …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Fleming Gulf Conferences Announces 4th Annual Mining Technology Forum in Johannesburg
Conference to offer 30+ speaker presentations and valuable networking opportunities. Industry specialists will focus on cutting edge technology to improve efficiency, sustainability, safety and productivity. Innovation in mining technology has the potential to change the face of the global mining industry at a time when mining companies are seeking new solutions to enhance sustainability, optimize costs, improve quality, capacity and productivity. Technology is the backbone that can make it possible. Now in it's 4th edition, the Global Mining Technology Forum will take place on 18-19 September 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Each year the conference highlights important topics in the industry. This year it will feature 4 streams namely automation and communication, environment and sustainability, health/safety and productivity. Conference sessions will include topics such as road map to greater automation, building robots that are better equipped to navigate, advanced communication systems within mines, mining innovation for environmental benefits, mine technology for dewatering, harnessing technologies to reduce mine operational risks, increasing efficiency and cutting wasteful costs, reaching best productivity at every stage of the mining cycle. “Another excellent event, my second. This is the most relevant conference for the mining industry on the calendar and it was excellent to see the many new countries this year, both presenting and participating. I will be back again.”, said the Managing Director of Citigold who attended the forum in 2012. Project Director from Worley Parsons noted, “Interesting and valuable information was presented and supported by case studies. Good to see there are great innovative ideas being put into practice”. Over 30 speakers are expected to present this year including : David M. Klaas – Chief Engineer Mining Technology Division at Barrick Gold Corporation USA, Dr. Sean Dessureault - Director of the Mine …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Operational Excellence Bridges The Gap Between Banks and Customers
It has always been challenging for banks to adopt new technology and provide the same level of service to their customers. With the growth of ISO and Six Sigma, there is a need for banks to re-evaluate their non value adding entities into more fruitful processes. This is the right time to change the global perspective of banks which will make them more competitive in the current economic scenario. The second edition of OPEX Africa, to be held on 10 - 11 April 2013 in Johannesburg, will feature key strategists within the banking and financial community across Africa who will brainstorm new ideas in order to become world class competitors. Some of the key benefits of launching OPEX in financial institutes are eliminating repetitive work, significantly improving the overall accuracies, innovating processes and most importantly improving levels of customer services. According to our speaker Raj Singh, COO of Chase Bank, “ The introduction of rapid technological changes and new operating channels in banking and financial sector, operations have become very complex and thus banks require to raise the bar in terms of optimum output." Singh will be addressing the audience in a session entitled as, “Customer Engagement for an Organisation” which will focus on the trends of service quality and levels of personalization and rebuilding customer loyalty by simultaneous growth of revenue and wallet share. A dedicated panel, termed as the “COO Panel - From Banking & Beyond ”, will debate on the old banking methodologies vs new methods, emphasising on re-inventing new processes to cope technological advancements, expanding the market reach and enhancing efficiency. This panel will be joined by COOs of different banks, namely Melt van der Spuy from Standard Bank, Dave Shelly from Rand Merchant Bank, Francis Dzanya from BancABC and Raj Singh from Chase Bank. In order for operations to respond to business requirements, developing a client focussed business model is …
Track Your Press Release HERE:
Retail Banking In The New World African Economy
Recognising the pressing need for enhancing the flow of development finance, in the African mainland, The 5th Annual Retail Banking Conference 2013 will be held from 25 – 27 June 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. A society of more confident and financially savvy consumers will be able to take better control of their money: by planning ahead, getting general or more specific expert advice when they need it, buying products that meet their needs, and being equipped to manage and pay back their debts. This is where Retail Banking comes into picture. The base of current retail banking services is customization in financial services. Banking offers many opportunities in developing economies like Africa. According to statistics Africa's economy is stated to grow at an average annual rate of 7% over the next 20 year. According to the statistics 70% of Africa's population is unbanked which means they don't have bank accounts and don't have proper access to finance. In South Africa specifically Retail banking sees immense potential because of economic prosperity and the consequent increase in purchasing power, changing consumer demographics, increasing literacy levels, higher adaptability to technology, and growing consumerism. The retail banking services in Africa have gained pace in the recent years. This is the result of increasing population of the middle class. The banking groups from all over the world are making an attempt to attend to the growing demands of this new found class. Recognising the pressing need for enhancing the flow of development finance, in the African mainland, The 5th Annual Retail Banking Conference 2013 will be held from 25 – 27 June 2013 in Johannesburg, South Africa. This forum will comprise of two day conference and a third day, dedicated to post conference workshops focusing on market trends and evaluating opportunities in Africa's consumer banking business in order to improve your business profits. Industry expotents will …