Cape Town, 29 Apr 2005
Tactile Technologies managing director Mauro Mercuri recently announced an agreement reached between himself and black economic empowerment (BEE) outfit Ulingano Alliance (Pty) Ltd.
Ulingano Alliance - whose name is derived from the Xhosa word for "equity" - is an IT distribution company based in Pinelands, Cape Town. It will be the exclusive BEE partner with which Tactile Technologies will operate for BEE-requirement deals in the future, Mercuri stated. "Together we will seek out deals and tenders requiring BEE credentials. We anticipate moving forward into a highly profitable relationship," Mercuri said.
Ulingano Alliance was established in 1999 as an empowerment initiative of Equity Technologies (Pty) Ltd. Umanyano Trust - meaning "sharing equally" in Xhosa - was established to benefit all the previously disadvantaged staff at Equity Technologies and was given 55% share in Ulingano Alliance. Since then, the outfit has expanded to employ 52 people, including 17 black men and 24 black women in positions from management through to skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled levels. The company enjoys an excellent Empowerdex rating thanks to its 100% black management and 55% black ownership.
The company has an extensive client base of 15 000, including the likes of Eskom, St Helena Bay Fishing and SA Sea Products, all of whom have rigorous BEE stipulations for their business partners. Ulingano Alliance lists over 500 000 line stock items, processes over 50 000 individual invoices annually and usually delivers stock within 24 hours of receiving an order.
Mercuri said this agreement with Ulingano Alliance is the first in several initiatives planned for furthering Tactile Technologies` own BEE scorecard in the interest of meeting the government`s development goals for SA.
More information on Ulingano Alliance and Equity Technologies can be found on www.equitech.co.za and www.ulingano.co.za. More information on Tactile Technologies and Elo TouchSystems can be found on www.tactiletechnologies.co.za and www.elotouch.com.
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