{"id":68530,"date":"2019-10-08T15:45:18","date_gmt":"2019-10-08T13:45:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/?p=68530"},"modified":"2026-01-29T15:56:49","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T13:56:49","slug":"traceability-supply-chains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/traceability-supply-chains\/","title":{"rendered":"How traceability can help process manufacturers build stronger supply chains"},"content":{"rendered":"<header class=\"entry-header has-dark-background-color entry-header--has-illustration entry-header--has-illustration--generic\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__row row align-center\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-lg-7 col-xlg-6 entry-header__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"component component-single-header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-header__misc text--subtitle text--uppercase text--small\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/category\/strategy-legal-operations\/\" class=\"entry-header__link\">Strategy, Legal &amp; Operations<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-title-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"entry-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHow traceability can help process manufacturers build stronger supply chains\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"entry-header__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"single-post-details container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2019-10-08T15:45:18+02:00\">October 8, 2019<\/time><\/span><span class=\"reading-time\"> min read<\/span>\n\t\t<button\n\t\t\ttype=\"button\"\n\t\t\tclass=\"social-share-button button button--icon button--secondary js-social-share-button\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-title=\"How traceability can help process manufacturers build stronger supply chains\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-url=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/traceability-supply-chains\/\"\n\t\t\tdata-share-text=\"Please read this interesting article\"\n\t\t>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__share-label\">Share<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-label\" hidden>Copy Link<\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"social-share-button__copy-tooltip\" aria-hidden=\"true\" hidden>Copied<\/span>\n\t\t<\/button>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\t<\/header>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author has-dark-background-color alignfull\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"co-authors\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-author-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<a class=\"entry-author\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/author\/asavinwattanajantra\/\">\n\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg\" class=\"entry-author__image\" alt=\"Asavin\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-350x350.jpg 350w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin-810x810.jpg 810w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2026\/03\/Asavin.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 40px) 100vw, 40px\" \/>\t\t\t\t<span class=\"entry-author__name\">Asavin Wattanajantra<\/span>\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Industry 4.0 and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-digital-transformation\/\">digital transformation<\/a> empower process manufacturers to overhaul their operations. Two areas we\u2019re seeing the biggest change are in product innovation and supply chain traceability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>New business ecosystems are emerging that tap into the digital economy and bypass traditional sales channels, as industry players shift their focus from products to services. This change is particularly evident among <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/industry\/process-manufacturing\/\">processes manufacturers<\/a>, who are placing more emphasis on collaborative innovation to navigate digital transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What\u2019s driving this shift? Globalisation and developments in international trade, like those fuelled by Brexit and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Closer to home, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aims to promote free trade by breaking down trade barriers and facilitating the free movement of people, money, and goods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Process manufacturers say international trade disruption makes their supply chains more complex because trading with other countries is now more complicated than it was a few years ago (unless you&#8217;re trading within Africa).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There\u2019s a lot more to think about, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>New tariffs and trade costs,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Compliance considerations and potentially new customs procedures,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Possibly increased lead times, depending on where manufacturers source their components from,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Developing stronger relationships with suppliers, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The knock-on effect of supply chain delays on customer relationships, contract terms, pricing, and demand volume.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s one thing we can learn from process manufacturers in the UK and US, it\u2019s that <mark class=\"highlight-and-share\">shifting market developments require us to regularly re-evaluate our supply chains, to understand how potential delays and suppliers\u2019 own plans to navigate disruption could impact our businesses<\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But before you default to cost-cutting, have you considered how supply chain solutions can help you through uncertain times?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-importance-of-traceability-in-supply-chain-management\"><strong>Importance of traceability in supply chain management<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>With any global business expansion comes new commercial pressures and expectations, which could put strain on your supply chain. This means it\u2019s crucial that you use your data to manage product quality and improve efficiency through better traceability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>International standards govern quality and traceability of raw materials. As a process manufacturer, you need to know what\u2019s inside your products and where they came from, especially if you want to avoid problems down the line. This can be difficult to monitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Not to be confused with \u2018tracking\u2019, which focuses on the progression of parts through the manufacturing process using location data, \u2018tracing\u2019 has to do with authentication. Through supply chain visibility, tracing lets you identify the origin of a part and better manage accountability, supported by certificates of origin and purchase order numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tracing is important because counterfeit products can cause massive problems, especially in industries like pharmaceuticals. In the food and beverage industry, accurate tracing helps consumers to make informed decisions, like trusting that the product they\u2019re buying is, in fact, vegan or vegetarian, or that it doesn\u2019t contain nuts or shellfish, which they might be allergic to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Efficient and accurate tracing depends on all businesses in your supply chain complying with international standards. It\u2019s worth evaluating your supply chain for compliance because traceability provides:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The security of a healthy brand and loyal customers,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Real-time visibility into all processes,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The ability to respond to non-compliance events or demand triggers in real time,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The flexibility to share product information with suppliers and customers, so they know where their products come from.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Traceability also give you the right information at the right time, so you can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Make better-informed decisions,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Avoid compliance issues through monitoring,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Support product recalls,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better manage materials and know when you need to order more,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improve demand planning,<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Arrange better terms with suppliers, and<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Better manage logistics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside from avoiding the repercussions of non-compliance \u2013 like reputational and financial damage \u2013 traceability can help to improve your operations and makes it easier to recall products, if you need to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Research conducted by Sage found that 90% of process manufacturers without supply chain traceability reported risks associated with reputation and compliance. Pharmaceutical process manufacturers even reported risk to human life that resulted in legal proceedings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-technology-should-process-manufacturers-focus-on\"><strong>What technology should process manufacturers focus on?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><mark class=\"highlight-and-share\">Traceability is key to compliance, protecting customers, and avoiding reputational damage and hefty fines<\/mark>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Emerging technology can help process manufacturers to advance their traceability efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><br><h3><strong>The Internet of Things<\/strong><\/h3><br><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/glossary\/what-is-the-internet-of-things-iot\/\">Internet of Things (IoT)<\/a> allows process manufacturers to track a product\u2019s movement through the supply chain, using sensors, radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, and quick response (QR) codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With the IoT, manufacturers can track everything from a product\u2019s source, to transportation, to storage conditions, and final destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><br><h3><strong>Big data analytics<\/strong><\/h3><br><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>By <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/glossary\/what-are-real-time-analytics\/\">analysing data in real time<\/a>, process manufacturers can either predict a problem before it happens, or stop it from spreading throughout the supply chain once identified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With everything tracked, traced, and recorded, you can respond immediately to unexpected events and problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"3\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><br><h3><strong>The cloud<\/strong><\/h3><br><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Cloud computing is the engine that powers the IoT and big data analytics. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/industry\/process-manufacturing\/\">Cloud-based software<\/a> can automate entire processes associated with infrastructure, operating systems, databases, and applications. With the software handling repetitive, admin-heavy tasks, you\u2019ll have more time to focus on important tasks that keep your business moving forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-final-word\"><strong>Final word<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ask yourself this question: if something unexpected happened in your supply chain, would you be able to react quickly to prevent damage?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By investing in traceability technology, you can mitigate risk associated with non-compliance. You can also improve your chances of success because you gain a competitive advantage by building agility and flexibility into your supply chain, reduce costs, and keep customers happy and informed.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"single-cta\">\n\t<div class=\"single-cta__positioner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__wrapper has-dark-background-color\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"single-cta__title h3\">Subscribe to the Sage Advice enewsletter<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"single-cta__description\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Get a roundup of our best business advice in your inbox every month.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"#gate-84fe79b5-668d-41f8-a0cc-6229018c4ac9\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"single-cta__button button button--primary\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Subscribe<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1440\" height=\"810\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg\" class=\"single-cta__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-1181404518-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 33vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<section class=\"more-topics alignfull has-grey-light-background-color wp-block-sage-post-topics\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-4\">\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"more-topics__title h2\">Browse more topics from this article<\/h3>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-12 col-lg-8\">\n\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"post-tags__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/compliance\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCompliance\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/data-analysis\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tdata analysis\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"post-tags__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tag\/supply-chain-management\/\" class=\"post-tags__link button button--secondary\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsupply chain management\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<div class=\"alignfull wp-block-sage-related-posts\">\n\t<section class=\"related-posts card-grid has-dark-background-color\">\n\t<div class=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"row\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"related-posts__heading 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class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-22T11:35:30+02:00\">May 22, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccrued expenses vs accounts payable: Key differences\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-2 post-76128 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-audit tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-compliance tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss tag-staying-competitive tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-journal-entry\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-768x585.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-508067071_super-1064x810.jpg 1064w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-05-01T13:42:18+02:00\">May 1, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">1 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable journal entry explained: Definition, types and examples\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-3 post-76100 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-money-matters category-strategy-legal-operations tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-cloud-financial-management tag-financial-insights tag-profit-loss tag-supply-chain-management business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/accounts-payable-management-best-practices\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/09\/SAGE-14-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/09\/SAGE-14-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/09\/SAGE-14-768x513.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2020\/09\/SAGE-14-1213x810.jpg 1213w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-04-30T15:34:41+02:00\">April 30, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">9 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tAccounts payable best practices for AP management\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"col col-6 col-lg-3 card-grid__item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<article\n\t\tclass=\"card-post related-post related-post-4 post-75887 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-strategy-legal-operations category-trends-insights tag-accountants tag-bookkeeping tag-business-intelligence tag-compliance tag-financial-insights tag-hr-payroll tag-making-financial-decisions tag-news-insights tag-staying-competitive tag-tax tag-trending-topics business_type-small-business business_type-medium-business business_type-accountants\"\n>\n\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\tclass=\"card-post__link\"\n\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/tax-year-end-checklist\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t<figure class=\"card-post__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"684\" height=\"384\" src=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/fringe-benefits-blog-header-684x384.jpg\" class=\"card-post__image\" alt=\"Two women in an office discussing fringe benefits types and rules\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/fringe-benefits-blog-header-684x384.jpg 684w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/fringe-benefits-blog-header-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2025\/07\/fringe-benefits-blog-header-1440x810.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 48em) 250px, (min-width: 30em) 100vw, 100vw\" \/>\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"card-post__meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"posted-on \"><time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-02-27T14:40:07+02:00\">February 27, 2026<\/time><\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"card-post__meta-text\"><span class=\"reading-time\">8 min read<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<p class=\"card-post__title h5\">\n\t\t\tTax year-end 2026: calendar and checklist for South African SMEs\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\n\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Industry 4.0 and digital transformation empower process manufacturers to overhaul their operations. Two areas we\u2019re seeing the biggest change are in product innovation and supply chain traceability. New business ecosystems are emerging that tap into the digital economy and bypass traditional sales channels, as industry players shift their focus from products to services. This change [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":356,"featured_media":517,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sage_video":false,"post_featured_image_hide":false,"sage_hide_published_date":false,"sage_hide_read_time":false,"sage_hide_share_buttons":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,36,27,28],"tags":[321,327,212],"business_type":[3],"lilypad":[],"context":[],"industry":[346],"persona":[9,12],"imagine_tag":[65,78,81],"coauthors":[402],"class_list":["post-68530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-compliance","category-planning-globally","category-strategy-legal-operations","category-technology-innovation","tag-compliance","tag-data-analysis","tag-supply-chain-management","business_type-medium-business","industry-manufacturing"],"sage_meta":{"region":"en-za","author_name":"Asavin Wattanajantra","featured_image":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2019\/04\/GettyImages-1014154044.jpg","imagine_tags":{"65":"Data","78":"Supply Chain Management","81":"Technology and Innovation"}},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Sage Advice South Africa","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/users\/356"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68530"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68530\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media\/517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"business_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/business_type?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"lilypad","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/lilypad?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"context","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/context?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"persona","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/persona?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"imagine_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/imagine_tag?post=68530"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.sage.com\/en-za\/blog\/api\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=68530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}