SERVICES NEWS

Demand by SA’s traditional trading partners in the north was likely to remain constrained in the near future and the country’s prospects for economic growth would increasingly depend on diversifying and strengthening ties with economies in the south and in Africa, Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies said last week. read more

Brands management group Barloworld (BAW) issued a cautionary on Friday saying it was in negotiations with Caterpillar Global Mining LLC and some of its subsidiaries for the acquisition of the Bucyrus distribution businesses in certain of Barloworld's southern African Cat dealership territories. read more

TWO listed sugar producers issued upbeat trading statements yesterday, saying their March year-end results would be boosted by good rain after two years of drought.  read more

Regional logistics and supply chain services provider Value Group ’s diluted headline earnings per share rose 3,8%, from 58c to 60,2c in the year to February, which the company said was strong given market factors. read more

For the first time, the National Energy Regulator of SA (Nersa) is setting maximum prices for gas, after it determined that there was insufficient competition in the piped gas market. read more

The number of South Africans using the internet has risen significantly because of the use of cellphones, a new study has shown. read more

Johannesburg - The South African economy is recovering, although at a very slow pace, according to the BankservAfrica Economic Transaction Index (Beti) released on Monday. read more

Creative Housewares (Pty) Ltd, a leading importer and distributor of branded household appliances and houseware products, today announced the acquisition of Lucky Distributors CC, a distributor of salon and personal care products and equipment specializing in the emerging market. read more

While an outright ban on labour broking is not on the cards in SA, and while some in the industry are embracing the proposed amendments to two labour laws, the amendments could signal an "indirect ban" for many in the industry, according to Anastasia Vatalidis, head of employment law at Werksmans Attorneys.  read more

Singapore - Oil prices fell to near $94 a barrel on Tuesday in Asia, extending a two-week sell-off that has brought crude to a five-month low amid concern about Europe's debt crisis. read more

The number of internet users ballooned in SA last year, due to increased adoption of mobile technology, a new study released on Thursday revealed.  read more

Johannesburg - South Africa lost R3.9bn worth of output last year to sick leave and absenteeism, recruitment company Adcorp said on Thursday. read more

Tractor sales rose 43.5% to 528 units last month, compared with 368 units sold in the comparative period of 2011, South African Agricultural Machinery Association data showed on Tuesday. read more

The arrival of regular rains across most of Ivory Coast's cocoa growing regions last week will strengthen the development of flowers and small pods, brightening the prospects of a delayed mid-crop, farmers and analysts said on Monday. read more

Tiger Brands yesterday confirmed it was in talks with Nigeria’s flour milling company Dangote Flour, a deal that one analyst said could be valued at at least $150m if 80% of the shares were acquired at the market capitalisation of the Nigerian company. read more

Many South African households are in a financially precarious position after taking on an unsustainable debt burden, says Marc Sternberg, MD of Spark ATM Systems, one of the main automated teller machine deployers in South Africa. read more

A ground-breaking one-stop border post (OSBP) at Chirundu between Zambia and Zimbabwe has demonstrated how the cost of trading in Southern Africa can be substantially reduced by streamlining border procedures. read more

The future of global manufacturing is turning into a competition for global talent according to a new report. This a trend that is mirrored in SA, where a lack of skills is adding to the woes of a manufacturing sector that has grown by just over 2% in five years, according to Deloitte. read more

The retail petrol price should fall by about 53 cents per litre (c/l) on June 6 if the international petrol price and rand exchange remain at their May 3 level for the rest of this month, data from the Central Energy Fund showed. read more

Human Resources departments at companies including PepsiCo, Pfizer, Red Hat, First Citizens Bank and Netflix have been trialling a social media tool designed to improve staff recruitment efficiency. read more

CIOs ranked customer relationship management (CRM) as their number eight technology priority for 2012, according to a global survey of CIOs by Gartner.  read more

Astral Foods advised on Friday that a reasonable degree of certainty exists that its earnings and headline earnings per share for the six months ended March 2012 would both reflect a decrease of between 16% and 19% compared to the previous comparable period. read more

Americans are growing more frustrated with customer service, and their social media savvy is making it hard for businesses to get away with ignoring the problem, according to the 2012 American Express Global Customer Service Barometer. It found that consumers who have used social media for service wield the greatest amount of influence. They tell significantly more people about their service experiences, and say they'd spend 21 percent more with companies who deliver great service — compared to 13 percent on average.  read more

The Manufacturing Circle, the group representing SA's major manufacturers, says the Purchasing Managers' Index decline for a second consecutive month in April reflects "still quite challenging" conditions for local manufacturing. read more

Motorola Solutions has released a report that shows an increasing interest from retail, hospitality and field service industries for mobile Point of Sale (mPOS) solutions as a core strategy for improving customer service read more

The latest credit figures are a positive sign that domestic demand is improving and that the economy should manage better growth levels in 2012, Gina Schoeman, Absa Capital economist says. read more

The South African manufacturing industry faces significant headwinds, probably more severe than a number of other manufacturing countries, Stewart Jennings, chairman of the Manufacturing Circle says. read more

One of Engen Petroleum Limited’s most popular urban 1-Plus service stations, Engen Oranjezicht in Cape Town, is again open to the public following a four-month makeover.  read more

Johannesburg - South Africa’s producer inflation, which represents domestic output, slowed to 7.2% year-on-year (y/y) in March from 8.3% in February, Statistics South Africa said on Thursday. read more

Pretoria - The High Court in Pretoria granted an urgent interdict to halt the contentious R20bn e-toll project in Gauteng on Saturday. read more

South African maize futures ended marginally lower on Wednesday, weighed down mainly by the firm rand to the US dollar, and lower international corn spot prices. read more

Johannesburg - The price of all grades of petrol will rise by 28c a litre next week, keeping the cost of fuel at a record high. read more

Airports and airport retailers looking to better serve and generate more revenue from today's time-starved and mobile-enabled travellers are missing opportunities to do so, according to a survey of travellers in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany conducted by Opinion Research Corporation for NCR Corp., a manufacturer of self-service, retail, wayfinding and mobile solutions. read more

JDA® Software Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: JDAS), The Supply Chain Company®, today announced the release of JDA® 3D, an integrated category optimisation and three dimensional (3D) virtualisation solution that provides true consumer-driven collaboration and visibility that is faster, less expensive, more interactive and incorporates the consumer’s point of view. Powered by Red Dot Square, JDA 3D transforms space and floor planning solutions into a smart, interactive photo-realistic world. read more

Battling against challenging conditions, packaging group Astrapak (APK) witnessed a 66% decline in fully diluted headline earnings per share from 72 cents to 24.6 cents for the year ended February. read more

More than a third of US-based manufacturing companies with sales greater than $1bn are planning to bring back production to the United States from China  read more

SA's producer price index is expected to clock in at 7.9% year on year in March from 8.3% in February read more

MasterCard on Thursday announced a new structure for its Middle East and Africa business, spurred by continuous economic development, steady population growth, a stable outlook and a large pool of young consumers entering the workplace each year. read more

West African cotton growers forecast a 29 percent increase in output to 1,738,500 tonnes for the 2012/13 season from 1,346,941 tonnes in 2011/12, data collected from cotton producers and compiled by Reuters showed on Wednesday. read more

Durban - Durban International Airport is set to be dug out and converted into the city's second sea port following approval from the Competition Tribunal, the Mercury newspaper reported on Monday read more

JSE-listed PBT Group has agreed to buy out SAP specialisation company BI-Blue for an undisclosed amount. read more

SA’s biggest drug manufacturer, Aspen Pharmacare, on Friday welcomed the announcement by Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies that the pharmaceuticals sector had been designated as one in which the government would purchase selected products exclusively from domestic manufacturers. read more

SA’s oldest packaging company, EH Walton, is fighting to reopen its doors this week after a liquidation application by its creditors forced it to close this month, leaving 450 workers without jobs.  read more

Senwes, one of the most powerful and profitable agri-businesses in the country, faces the possibility of having to divest its grain storage facilities following yesterday’s ruling by the Constitutional Court. The ruling also opens the way for parties who believe they suffered from the company’s anti-competitive conduct to take civil action against Senwes. read more

The third quarter will see the arrival of Apple’s iPhone 5, bug on new Nokia smartphone with Windows operating system has dashed hopes for a comeback read more

The Constitutional Court will hand down judgment in a case between a grain storage company, accused of squeezing margins, and the Competition Commission on Thursday. read more

South African maize futures ended lower on Wednesday, tracking lower corn prices on the Chicago Board of Trade following the disappointing US government crop report. read more

Johannesburg - Trade conditions continued to improve in March after moving into positive territory in February, as reflected in the Trade Activity Index (TAI) released by the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) on Wednesday. read more

Johannesburg - Growth in South Africa’s manufacturing output outpaced expectations in February, adding to signs that domestic demand is recovering and backing the case for higher interest rates.  read more

Output of South Africa’s manufacturing sector 4,1% higher than in February last year, while economists had expected an increase of only 2% read more

Government has so far spent about R4.1 million in challenging the Walmart-Massmart merger, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Tuesday. read more

UK manufacturing is under immense pressure according to research out this week which shows 25 per cent of the major manufacturers for the retail sector are struggling to survive. read more

National Association of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers complains of being sidelined by the government in search for domestic drug makers read more

Comments by Department of Energy Officials that the mechanism for calculating the basic fuel price should be reviewed have been welcomed by the Democratic Alliance and the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry.  read more

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) has committed capital expenditure of R33 billion over the next seven years for expansion projects to meet growing demand. read more

Milk production was up 5.4% in February compared with the same period a year ago, the Milk Producers' Organisation (MPO) said on Wednesday.  read more

Global hard drive supply chains will be restored to full operation in the second half of this year after last year’s flood catastrophe read more

SA’s biggest challenge is the food price volatility and anticompetitive behaviour in the agriculture sector that affects food security and planning for hunger reduction programmes, according to Langa Zita, director-general in the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. read more

Newcastle Mall regional shopping centre, located in KwaZulu-Natal,was a hive of activity ahead of ahead of its opening on 29 March 2012.  read more

South African fruit growers are at risk unless export supply chain services and costs improve, warns a key industry body in the run-up to the Cool Logistics Africa conference. read more

Durban - Additional port facilities are to be built in Durban at a cost of R400m, Transnet said on Tuesday. read more

Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele says a range of initiatives are being undertaken at various levels to improve regional freight logistics infrastructure to facilitate intra-regional trade in Africa. read more

The petrol price could rise by as much as 60 cents a litre in April, leading to a negative impact on month-on-month changes in CPI inflation, Absa Capital economist Jeff Schultz says. read more

Owners of big-box to mom-and-pop stores understand the value of having a location or display that stands out in the crowd of saturated advertising messages. Marketing Ad Group said it has found a way to cut through that tidal wave of advertising with its Holographic Greeter, an information, branding and promotional messaging medium that displays a holographic image projected onto a life-sized cut-out, according to a company press release. read more

South African state-owned port operator, Transnet Port Terminals, is continuing with an aggressive and focused recovery plan aimed at reducing port bottlenecks and boosting the operational performance of Pier 2 at the Durban Container Terminal (DCT).  read more

Woolworths Australia has been in discussions with local retailer Pick n Pay with a view to buying a stake in the group, according to local sources. read more

Trade union Solidarity and employers in the Grain Bargaining Council will hold another wage dispute meeting on Wednesday in an attempt to avert a strike. read more

Earlier this week it was announced by Justice Portfolio Committee Chairperson, Luwellyn Landers that the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill will be passed in parliament next month. The news has been met with jubilation from Child Welfare South Africa (CWSA), ECPAT and The Body Shop. The organisations have been actively involved in pressuring the Committee to push this essential piece of legislation which will put a stop to the exploitation of children through forced labour and prostitution brought about by their trafficking.  read more

Pioneer Foods had partially implemented phase two of its share issue to strategic black economic empowerment (BEE) partners worth more than R1 billion, the food producer said this week. It had issued more than 18 million shares at R58.72 each, which were listed on Monday. read more

Clicks will now offer free funeral cover for its loyalty programme members and will seek to extend its financial services offering to keep customers coming back to its stores, the company said yesterday. read more

Service rather than price will be the battle ground of choice for smart retailers looking to take on global retail giant Wal-Mart, a customer service guru said recently.  read more

South African companies have been slow to take the first mover advantage to invest in sub-Saharan Africa, but they can still play catch up and compete with global investors already in the region, UK-based Insparo Asset Management said on Friday. read more

Only a minority of chief executives are very confident that their current risk-management strategies will prove effective against supply chain events such as the Japanese tsunami, a new report has warned.  read more

Bothaville - South Africa’s grain farmers can certainly produce sufficient food for the country. On the other hand, political rhetoric and generalisations about the agricultural sector must end. read more

Gauteng e-tolling will go ahead on April 30 even though Cabinet has not yet approved changes to the law to give the SA National Roads Agency Ltd enforcement powers on the freeway, Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane said. read more

The South African agricultural sector is recovering, as shown by the agricultural indices of the Sake24 and BoE Private Clients' provincial barometers.  read more

Bloemfontein. – It’s consumers who are putting the zing in the South African economy at a time when low growth in foreign markets is putting a damper on the production side of the economy. read more

Bytes Managed Solutions has been awarded a contract, worth over R100 million in total, to refresh the existing point-of-sale (POS) hardware infrastructure at all Pick n Pay stores over a two-year period. read more

Bowler Metcalf , a plastics, plastics mouldings, and carbonated soft drinks maker, says fierce competition in sub-Saharan African markets strained profitability in the interim period to December, but it nonetheless said its results were "reasonable". read more

Kenya, the world's largest exporter of black tea, will resume its weekly tea auction this week after resolving a tax dispute, a senior government official and traders have said.  read more

Johannesburg - Agricultural group Crookes Brothers [JSE:CKS] said on Monday it expected headline earnings per share for the year ended March 2012 to jump by 120%, from 203.9 cents in the previous comparable period. read more

South Africans will pay about 73c more for a litre of petrol within two months, according to Azar Jammine, the chief economist of Econometrix. read more

Improvements in agriculture remained slow in Sub Saharan Africa, said Microsoft founder Bill Gates in a speech at the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s 35th governing council in Rome, Italy on Thursday.  read more

Despite the prevailing highly competitive economic and trading environment, JSE listed transport logistics and mobility group Super Group (SPG) posted a 63% increase in headline earnings to R244 million for the six months ended December 2011. read more

Johannesburg - Logistics group Transnet will borrow R100bn over the next seven years to pay for a R300bn infrastructure programme, its chief executive said on Monday. read more

Cape Town - South Africa plans to invest R2bn to build an ethanol plant and help a nascent biofuels sector that could reduce the country’s reliance on imported fuel, an industry player said on Monday. read more

Agribusiness firm Senwes, along with an international partner, Bunge, on Friday announced plans to investigate the viability of an oilseed crushing plant — a move that would create an alternative higher value market for farmers. read more

Johannesburg - The Ports Regulator of SA on Tuesday rejected the National Ports Authority's (NPA's) application for an average 18.06% increase in tariffs for the 2012/2013 tariff year. read more

Ocean carriers are floating plans to increase import trans-Pacific freight rates by $800 per 40-foot container. read more

Johannesburg - Around 80 000 new jobs were created in January, according to the Adcorp Employment Index released on Monday. read more

The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) scrambled this week to repair its damaged relationship with a Dutch-based shipping company – Universal Africa Lines (UAL) – which was poised to invest hundreds of millions of rand into transforming a section of the Saldanha Bay harbour and emerging industrial development zone (IDZ) into an oil and gas servicing hub. read more

Cape Town – Transnet’s new expanded capex programme will be funded entirely from the company's balance sheet. read more

SA’s unemployment rate fell to its lowest level in more than two years in the final quarter of last year, with manufacturing playing a key role in job creation, official data showed yesterday. read more

Johannesburg - The terms and conditions signed by motorists when registering for e-tags to use on toll roads are not in line with the Consumer Protection Act, the Star newspaper reported on Monday. read more

Cape Town – The Safmarine shipping line is in an industry that often sees the first signs of a struggling economy in the form of less freight being transported. read more

The outlook for manufacturing has unexpectedly leapt into positive territory. Data out yesterday showed the seasonally adjusted Kagiso purchasing managers index (PMI) rebounded strongly to 53.2 last month from 49.4 in December. This is the highest level since June last year and above the 2011 average of 52.1. read more

The Safmarine shipping line – whose ships are a familiar sight entering and leaving Cape Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth harbours – no longer has a separate corporate structure from the Danish Maersk line, whose owners, the AP Moller-Maersk group, bought it from Safren and Old Mutual in 1999. read more

Washington - Global food prices are set to decline further in 2012 as a weaker world economy dampens consumer demand while food supplies rise, the World Bank said on Tuesday, warning that a possible rise in oil prices could reverse the trend. read more

A multimillion-rand deal to build a supply base at Saldanha in the Western Cape hangs in the balance after Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) changed the conditions for the shipping firm wishing to build it. read more

Analytics and business intelligence systems designed to optimise business functions such as supply chain will be the "top-ranked" technology for 2012, market experts predict. read more