Altech ISIS, a division of JSE-listed Altech, aims to boost its revenue from outside of SA to half of all turnover by expanding into Africa.
The group currently earns 30% of its revenue from Africa, with the balance generated in SA, where it is based. Business development manager Mark Gillon says the company wants to earn half of its turnover from the continent.
Altron, which owns 61% of Altech, aims to boost revenue from Africa from the current 10% to 20% within the next three to five years.
ISIS, which falls into Altech's IT grouping, saw operating profit drop slightly in the half-year to August, because of commencement delays, a situation that is currently being addressed. In Altech's results presentation, it notes that innovative solutions are allowing the company to expand into non-traditional markets.
New territories
Altech ISIS acquired its first customer in Africa in 2004, when Vodacom expanded beyond SA and needed the specific expertise that was being deployed in SA by the company, so that the successes that Vodacom achieved in SA could be replicated.
Gillon says the company expanded after it saw that its services and products worked in an African context. He adds that Altech ISIS benefited from pioneer status and used its first mover advantage to grow into Africa.
Since 2011, it has inked long-term contracts with Kenyan, Nigerian, Tanzanian, DRC and - most recently - Mozambican organisations as a result of its tailored offering. Its solutions manage over 60 million customer service portals throughout Africa.
During this calendar year, ISIS acquired two new clients in Africa in two countries in which it had previously not done business, says Gillon. These are TDM, in Mozambique, and Sprint, in Zambia.
The company has also expanded its business in Kenya and is continuing what it is doing in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo, notes Gillon. "These are three markets that the company actively plans to grow. It also wants to grow its opening in Mozambique and to expand off the back of the Altech footprint in Nigeria."
Altech ISIS is also looking at how to benefit from Altech's recent deal with Huawei, says Gillon. The agreement, inked in August, will allow Altech to provide Huawei Enterprise products and services to customers, and offer post-sales professional services and support.
Altech ISIS delivers bespoke software products for the telecommunications and financial services sectors, as well as large-scale customer-focused market organisations.
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