The power of innovation
Anthony Shumba – newly appointed as Kemtek’s Head of Auto ID – has seen firsthand how innovation can transform African economies and empower people by acting as a catalyst for growth. He thrives in the fast-paced, ever-evolving world of Auto ID, and is excited about the opportunities that this role will give him to strengthen relationships with Kemtek’s technology partners, resellers and customers.
He will also be focusing on identifying products to fill gaps in Kemtek’s existing line-up, and ensuring that the company’s offering is precisely aligned with the needs of the market. He sees significant room for growth in South Africa’s large informal economy, where mobile devices are already enabling the sale of digital assets in a society that is increasingly replacing cash purchases with digital transactions.
Mentorship and motivation
Anthony is a fan of self-help books, but two of the most important lessons he has learned in his business career come from people he has worked with. A previous manager was fond of reminding him that the only constant life is change – an adage that is particularly applicable to the world of Auto ID, where there have been remarkable technological advancements in recent years, including the emergence of RFID.
Equally, one of his mentors once cautioned him that ‘if you pray for rain, you must be prepared to play in the mud’. This last piece of advice is also highly relevant in the context of Auto ID in Africa – a continent where there are unique opportunities and challenges relating to the adoption of this technology.
The challenge of Africa
In Anthony’s extensive experience, Africa can be said to be slightly behind the curve when it comes to Auto ID. However, this is not the case everywhere and must be set against the fact that Africa has also proved to be a hotbed of innovative uses of existing technology.
Skills development and skills transfer is an issue that needs to be addressed, as is the fact that African manufacturers still largely rely on components made overseas.
Massive potential
Anthony’s energy and optimism are infectious, and he sees massive opportunities for Auto ID to transform sectors from retail to track and trace. Auto ID is already making inroads into areas including POS (where affordable payment systems like Yoco are empowering small and informal traders) to law enforcement, where unique identifiers have proved able to significantly streamline immigration and customs administrative processes at international borders.
Made in Africa
Anthony is careful to keep his finger on the pulse of all the latest Auto ID developments, and is excited about homegrown innovations that combine smartphones with 2D bar code readers (and in some cases, 3D-printed elements to improve ergonomics and enhance productivity) to create solutions that are improving the in-store experience for shoppers by shortening checkout queuing times.
Auto ID is also making its presence felt in the healthcare sector (helping to keep track of patients, samples, donated blood and medical records), in Africa’s nascent ecommerce industry, and in government departments where eligibility for access to services and benefits can be instantly verified by using unique identifiers incorporated in ID cards and passports.
In all these ways, Auto ID is improving many aspects of the lived experience of ordinary African consumers, whether they work with the technology, or enjoy better in-store experiences as a result of its deployment.
A bright future
Anthony is positive that Auto ID will continue to remove friction from people’s lives by contributing to societies that are empowered by access to information, and enhanced interaction capabilities. As Head of Auto ID at Kemtek, he is determined to play his part in bringing about this transformation, and we have every confidence that he will succeed in his mission.
To connect with Anthony Shumba, please email him on anthonys@kemtek.co.za or call +27 (0)11 624 8000. To explore Kemtek’s Auto ID solutions, visit https://kemtek.co.za/product-category/bar-coding/
