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SOUTH AFRICAN QUALIFICATIONS AUTHORITY 
REGISTERED UNIT STANDARD: 

Establish a competitive supply chain infrastructure 
SAQA US ID UNIT STANDARD TITLE
336706  Establish a competitive supply chain infrastructure 
ORIGINATOR
SGB Procurement, Logistics and Supply Chain Mngt 
PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QUALITY ASSURANCE FUNCTIONARY
-  
FIELD SUBFIELD
Field 03 - Business, Commerce and Management Studies Procurement 
ABET BAND UNIT STANDARD TYPE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL CREDITS
Undefined  Regular  Level 6  Level TBA: Pre-2009 was L6  10 
REGISTRATION STATUS REGISTRATION START DATE REGISTRATION END DATE SAQA DECISION NUMBER
Reregistered  2018-07-01  2023-06-30  SAQA 06120/18 
LAST DATE FOR ENROLMENT LAST DATE FOR ACHIEVEMENT
2024-06-30   2027-06-30  

In all of the tables in this document, both the pre-2009 NQF Level and the NQF Level is shown. In the text (purpose statements, qualification rules, etc), any references to NQF Levels are to the pre-2009 levels unless specifically stated otherwise.  

This unit standard does not replace any other unit standard and is not replaced by any other unit standard. 

PURPOSE OF THE UNIT STANDARD 
This unit standard will enable learners to establish a competitive supply chain infrastructure. The person accredited with this unit standard will be able to facilitate the creation of a competitive Supply Chain Infrastructure that covers:
  • Site location..
  • Supply and distribution networks.
  • Effective organisational structures.
  • Effective transport system.
  • Effective communication system.

    In most of the above areas the qualified learner will have to work with a multi disciplinary team and will have to involve experts in each of the fields to ensure that optimum infrastructure is created.

    A learner credited with this unit standard will be able to:
  • Use a variety of tools and methods to facilitate the site location decision.
  • Use a variety of tools and methods to facilitate the design of the facility layout.
  • Design an effective and competitive logistics system.
  • Initiate and participate in the establishment of supply chain organisational structures. 
    		•

    LEARNING ASSUMED TO BE IN PLACE AND RECOGNITION OF PRIOR LEARNING 
    It is assumed that learners are competent in:
  • Communication at NQF Level 4.
  • The execution of supervisory tasks.
  • Mathematical Lliteracy at NQF Level 4.
  • Fundamentals of supply chain management. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD RANGE 
    This unit standard covers the following:
  • Site location decision analysis.
  • Facility layout design methodology.
  • Transportation network design and selection.
  • Organisational structuring and job design.
  • Information management. 
    		•

    Specific Outcomes and Assessment Criteria: 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 1 
    Use a variety of tools and methods to facilitate the site location decision. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    A site decision is made by examining and evaluating possible factors impacting on site location. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    The site location decision is made by utilising specific tools and methods in accordance with general procedures. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Critical factors are identified and evaluated to determine their influence a site location decision. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    A structured rational process is used to facilitate the decision regarding site location using a simulated or real scenario. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 2 
    Use a variety of tools and methods to facilitate the design of the facility layout. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    The objectives of facility layouts are analysed to inform decisions on the tools and methods to use for the design process. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Processes and products that will impact on facility layouts are identified and evaluated. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Facility layouts are designed in accordance with materials handling requirements. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    The facility layouts are designed by illustrating traditional or modern layouts to suit specific product and process requirements. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 3 
    Design an effective and competitive logistics system. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Concepts of logistics systems are evaluated to determine their influence on design processes. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Concepts include but are not limited to logistics and a logistics system, role of transportation in logistics, relationship with marketing, alternative transportation modes, intermodal combinations and other transportation options, impact of regulation and deregulation on carriers and shippers, cost of transportation, measuring the performance and effectiveness of transportation, international dimensions of transportation, major transportation management activities of carriers and shippers, computer technology in facilitating the effectiveness of transportation, modes of transport and designing transportation networks and system, resource requirements planning, control of the movement of material and products, distribution networks.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    An effective and competitive logistics system is designed in line with the organisational strategy. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    The logistics system is designed in accordance with parameters of the site location. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    The logistics system is designed in accordance with resource requirements planning. 

    SPECIFIC OUTCOME 4 
    Initiate and participate in the establishment of supply chain organisational structures. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERIA     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 1 
    Information requirements for effective supply chain management are identified and sourced. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Information requirements include but are not limited to the evaluation of the relationship between data and information.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 2 
    Key elements that define organisational structures are determined to evaluate their impact on supply chain infrastructure. 

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3 
    Concepts of supply chain infrastructure are evaluated to determine their influence on the establishment of supply chain organisational structures. 
    ASSESSMENT CRITERION RANGE 
    Concepts include but are not limited to characteristics of a bureaucracy, matrix organisational structure, characteristics of a virtual organisation, benefits of a boundary-less organisation, mechanistic and organic organisational structures, behavioural implications of different organisational designs.
     

    ASSESSMENT CRITERION 4 
    An organisational structure is developed in a given scenario that will facilitate effective supply chain management. 


    UNIT STANDARD ACCREDITATION AND MODERATION OPTIONS 
  • Any institution offering learning that will enable achievement of this unit standard must be accredited by the relevant ETQA.
  • Moderation of assessment will be overseen by the relevant ETQA at its discretion.
  • Moderation should encompass achievement of competence described in both individual unit standards as well as the integrated competence described in the qualification. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD ESSENTIAL EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE 
  • The potential pitfalls of making an incorrect site decision.
  • The benefits of making an effective site location decision.
  • Examples of good and bad decisions and the consequences of each.
  • The strategic importance of the location decision.
  • The basic objectives of the location decision.
  • The basic location options (expansion, additional location, shut down and start new, retain the status quo).
  • The history of site location theory.
  • The current trends in location decisions (market proximity, labour costs, market access, legal constraints).
  • How to generate relevant criteria to use for the making of an effective site location decision.
  • How to develop appropriate location alternatives.
  • How to evaluate the alternatives against the criteria.
  • How to determine the risks associated with the most probable site alternative and how to plan to manage these risks.
  • The impact of regional factors (location of raw materials, the location of markets, availability of skilled and affordable labour, climate and taxes).
  • The impact of community considerations (Availability of housing and schooling, proximity of towns and shops, medical facilities etc).
  • The impact of site related issues (type of land, ground conditions, availability of power and water, environmental concerns, transport infrastructure etc).
  • The impact of business strategy (future growth, production strategy, market strategy, process strategy).
  • The trade offs and traps of locating.
  • What is meant by facility layout.
  • What must be achieved in effective facility layout.
  • What the objectives are for manufacturing operations layout.
  • What the objectives are for warehouse operations layout.
  • What the objectives are for service operations layout.
  • What the objectives are for office operations layout.
  • What cellular, fixed position and hybrid layouts are.
  • The latest trends in facility layouts.
  • What software is available to assist in facility layout design.
  • The implications and considerations of removing materials from incoming vehicles and placing them on the receiving docks.
  • The implications and considerations when moving material from receiving docks for inspection.
  • The implications and considerations of moving material to and from warehouses.
  • The implications and considerations when moving material among production operations.
  • The considerations and implications of moving finished products from the assembly and storing them in finished goods warehouses.
  • The considerations and implications of moving packaged goods to shipping docks.
  • The role of traffic departments in organisations.
  • The transportation/logistics/marketing/distribution/purchasing interfaces.
  • The factors influencing the transportation costs and pricing (Density, stabability, ease of handling, liability).
  • How transportation impacts on the service delivery to customers (transit time, reliability, flexibility and responsiveness).
  • The constraints under which conveyors have to operate.
  • The market related factors that impact on the cost of transportation (degree of intermodal competition, location of markets, nature of government regulations, balance or imbalance of freight traffic, seasonality, domestic vs. international). >Carrier characteristics and available services (motor, rail, air, water, pipeline, third parties).
  • The role of Intermodal Marketing Companies (IMC's).
  • The role of third party logistics providers.
  • The global issues relating to the selection and design of logistics systems.
  • The regulatory issues relating to transportation and logistics.
  • Issues related to carrier pricing (FOB, cost of service, value of service, line-haul rates, class rates, exception rates, commodity rates, contract rates, freight of all kinds.
  • The fundamentals of carrier and shipper contracts.
  • The fundamentals of routing and scheduling.
  • What an organisational structure is.
  • The key questions that a manager must ask when designing an organisational structure.
  • The economics and diseconomies of work specialisation.
  • The positives and negatives of departmentalisation.
  • The impact of chain of command.
  • The impact of span of control.
  • The centralisation and decentralisation debate.
  • The impact of organisational structures on the delegation of authority.
  • The positives and negatives of traditional organisational design (the simple structure, the bureaucracy, the matrix structure.
  • The new trends in organisational design (team structures, the virtual organisation, boundary-less organisations).
  • The reasons for different structures.
  • The relationship between strategy and structure.
  • The impact of organisational size.
  • The impact of technology.
  • The impact of organisational design on employee behaviour.
  • The various business processes.
  • The difference between data, information and communication.
  • The need for a proper communication strategy.
  • The sources of information needed within the supply chain.
  • How various information systems can be utilised to effectively disseminate the required information.
  • The parameters for an effective supply chain management information system. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD DEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOME 
    N/A 

    UNIT STANDARD LINKAGES 
    N/A 


    Critical Cross-field Outcomes (CCFO): 

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO IDENTIFYING 
    Identifying and solving problems in which responses display that responsible decisions using critical and creative thinking have been made when:
  • Identify and solve problems associated with the selection and establishment of integrated supply chain facilities. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO WORKING 
    Working effectively with others as a member of a team, group, organisation, and community during:
  • Collecting, analysing and disseminating information on supply chain facilities. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO ORGANISING 
    Organising and managing oneself and one's activities responsibly and effectively through:
  • Optimising competence and resource availability 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COLLECTING 
    Collecting, analysing, organising and critically evaluating information when:
  • Determining the risks associated with the most probable site alternative and how to plan to manage these risks. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO COMMUNICATING 
    Communicating effectively using visual, mathematical and/or language skills in the modes of oral and/or written persuasion when:
  • Communicating the market related factors that impact on the cost of transportation. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO SCIENCE 
    Using science, technology and indigenous knowledge effectively and critically, showing responsibility towards the environment and health of others through:
  • Developing effective marketing material to support supply of products/services. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD CCFO DEMONSTRATING 
    Demonstrating an understanding of the world as a set of related systems by recognising that problem-solving contexts do not exist in isolation when:
  • Indicating how the cause and effect relationships between the various components of the supply chain and the external environment influence the selection and establishment of supply chain infrastructure.
  • Determining the impact of skills development and other labour legislation on the design of organisational structures. 
    		•

    UNIT STANDARD ASSESSOR CRITERIA 
    N/A 

    REREGISTRATION HISTORY 
    As per the SAQA Board decision/s at that time, this unit standard was Reregistered in 2012; 2015. 

    QUALIFICATIONS UTILISING THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
      ID QUALIFICATION TITLE PRE-2009 NQF LEVEL NQF LEVEL STATUS END DATE PRIMARY OR DELEGATED QA FUNCTIONARY
    Core  74149   National Certificate: Supply Chain Management  Level 5  NQF Level 05  Reregistered  2023-06-30  TETA 


    PROVIDERS CURRENTLY ACCREDITED TO OFFER THIS UNIT STANDARD: 
    This information shows the current accreditations (i.e. those not past their accreditation end dates), and is the most complete record available to SAQA as of today. Some Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionaries have a lag in their recording systems for provider accreditation, in turn leading to a lag in notifying SAQA of all the providers that they have accredited to offer qualifications and unit standards, as well as any extensions to accreditation end dates. The relevant Primary or Delegated Quality Assurance Functionary should be notified if a record appears to be missing from here.
     
    1. Academics Dynamics (Pty) Ltd 
    2. Aldabri 106 Institute for Quality Pty Ltd 
    3. Andebe Training and Skills Development 
    4. BPL Academy 
    5. Brilliant Skills Development & Training Solutions 
    6. Centre for Logistics Excellence (Pty) Ltd 
    7. College for Business and Maritime Studies 
    8. College of Production Technology 
    9. COMMERCE EDGE SOUTH AFRICA PTY LTD 
    10. D AND D LWAZI RENAISSANCE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE 
    11. Global Maritime Legal Solutions Pty Ltd 
    12. Innovative Shared Services 
    13. KVR TRAINING AND BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PTY LTD 
    14. Makwedeng Training 
    15. Metro Minds 
    16. Phephani Learnerships cc 
    17. Pro-Active Assessment and RPL College (Pty) Ltd 
    18. School of Shipping 
    19. Skills Development Specialists 
    20. UKWAKHILE TRAINING 
    21. Y2K College 


    All qualifications and part qualifications registered on the National Qualifications Framework are public property. Thus the only payment that can be made for them is for service and reproduction. It is illegal to sell this material for profit. If the material is reproduced or quoted, the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) should be acknowledged as the source.