Author: Editor
By Ina Oosthuizen, Decision Inc, Data Scientist The retail industry is becoming more competitive by the day. Promotions can be an effective way to increase demand. But to do so optimally remains a challenge for businesses. Even if increased volume is positive, what really matters is the total profits compared to the discount – the return on investment (ROI). The ROI is what separates a good promotion from a bad one. Driving promotions without looking into the inherent factors that influence the ROI can lead to promotions that damage the bottom-line. Adapting a centralised solution to give stakeholders a comprehensive…
By Kim Furman, Synthesis Marketing Manager Imagine a world of less admin, less adulting. A world designed to make your life easier, happier, and simpler. A world where you are less confined to the box of banalities. This is the world imagined by Synthesis Chief Disruption Officer, Tom Wells, on a recent podcast with Howard Feldman, Synthesis Head of Marketing & People, called Brave Banking. He describes what life could be like if banks changed how they operate. How could banking make your life better? Wells has the answer. First, it is important to understand Wells. He is an energised, enthusiastic visionary…
UFS Auto, a specialised importer/exporter of low-use Japanese vehicles, has entered the online vehicle space by engaging Syncrony to fully establish a winning online presence. Africa-focused UFS Auto has been in business, based out of the Port of Durban for the past ten years. It has expanded its African footprint with the addition of a car sales website, built by Syncrony, the leading Johannesburg-based e-commerce and software development specialist. The website will now become the main thrust of UFS Auto’s business model, which is to import quality, end-of-lease vehicles from Japan into Africa. Selling cars from an online-store platform is…
Fred Senekal, Head of R&D at Learning Machines Machine learning operations (MLOps), the standardisation and streamlining of machine learning lifecycle management, has become one of the most important development areas within business. Machine learning (ML) and data science are being widely adopted within organisations and can deliver practical solutions that provide demonstratable business returns. But to do so requires an effective team structure consisting of several specialists working together. It all starts with the data engineer who is responsible for preparing and building the data infrastructure to store and manage the data for the data scientist to analyse. Moreover, the…
It needs to be said. The South African Government has blood on its hands. It is not the first time, it will unlikely be the last, but there is little doubting that the deadly Covid 3rd wave that is devastating the country could have been blunted by a reasonable vaccine roll-out. And no amount of pretend family meetings can wash away the stain and the stench of death that starts with corruption and incompetence and ends with the burials of grandparents, of mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters and husbands and wives. South Africans are dying from Covid, and whereas…
By Frikkie Malan, Sustainability Lead at Remote Metering Solutions Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are expected to provide transparency regarding building energy consumption, and function as a useful instrument to compare the energy performance of buildings. With energy costs accounting for an ever-increasing percentage of the total operating cost of a building, having a better understanding of a building’s energy performance can be a valuable tool for property owners and tenants during rental or purchasing decision making processes and negotiations. EPCs could also contribute to driving (or at least informing) decisions during energy renovations and building upgrades. However, no-one can say…
Payroll solutions in South Africa must be modernised to benefit from the likes of cloud computing, robotic process automation (RPA), and artificial intelligence. If companies are to effectively contend with evolving payroll legislation in the country, they need to embrace these technologies and transform into digitally driven organisations, says Ian McAlister, General Manager at CRS Technologies. The digitalisation of payroll means companies can now become more agile with their upgrades and complete them in record time, as opposed to traditional approaches which could easily take seven months to implement. This delivers more efficient ways of realising the value from payroll…
By Deborah Miller, Synthesis Talent Acquisition Specialist The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is undeniably changing the way careers are initiated, fostered and sculpted, specifically the way we as workforce specialists should be viewing applicants hoping to join our technological teams and the thought disruption required in hiring in technology. Wikipedia defines the Fourth Industrial Revolution as “the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing and industrial practices, using modern smart technology, in addition to large-scale machine-to-machine communication and the internet of things, which are integrated for increased automation, improved communication and self-monitoring, and the production of smart machines that can analyse and…
Ralph Berndt, Sales and Marketing Director at Syrex To say that 2020 was a shock to the system is an understatement. And while the current market is still an uncomfortable space to be in, companies are slowly adjusting to the new normal. A significant concern for decision-makers now is ensuring the productivity of their workforce in this fragmented landscape. Most businesses are looking at finding more effective ways of integrating a remote employee base while still maintaining the company culture and driving a new kind of work ethic. While technology certainly does play a part in this regard, preparing for…
By Frikkie Malan, Sustainability Lead at Remote Metering Solutions On December 8, 2020, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) gazetted ‘Regulations for the Mandatory Display and Submission of Energy Performance Certificates for Buildings’. This legislation signifies that by December 2022, certain buildings in South Africa must have and display an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC). To which buildings does the law apply? The current regulations do not apply to all types of buildings. For now, only office buildings, places of entertainment (e.g., restaurants), places of instruction (e.g., schools, colleges, and universities) and places where theatrical or indoor sports activities…