In the high risk Information technology (IT) arena, marketplace success is a product of focus, clear thinking, determination and competent execution.
It is also a product of empowerment initiatives and effective human resource management, equally matched - for players in the reseller channel - by the need to build even stronger relationships with suppliers and customers.
These are the views of chairman Gary Morolo who highlights Datacentrix`s drive for success in this competitive arena.
"When Datacentrix listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in late 1998, the market was at its lowest ebb. Nevertheless we proceeded with the listing, confident that it was the right thing to do - and that the market would bounce back. It has.
Headline earnings increased by 91%, beating the pre-listing forecast by more than a half. Turnover surged by 82%.
The market has increasingly become aware of significant new business that Datacentrix has been winning as well as strong continuing demand for the company`s services from existing long-term clients.
Datacentrix`s strong organic growth prospects, strong cashflows, and free cash reserves put Datacentrix in an a position to be selective and deliberate about its acquisition strategy.
Morolo has identified an important task that the board, and the executive team must execute. This is to reinforce the Datacentrix marketplace position as an industry-leading systems integrator.
"Our real strength lies in our systems integration abilities - using our strong technical skills and knowledge base to build turnkey systems using best of breed software solutions for our growing number of blue chip accounts."
"We are placing a very strong emphasis on growth, having achieved organic growth in excess of 40% in the last 4-5 years" he stresses.
Morolo is the CEO of CNI a black empowerment company, with a 40 % shareholding in Datacentrix. Together with two other CNI board members, he shares the responsibility for overseeing the work of the Datacentrix executive team in their endeavours to plan and execute their strategies, especially for acquisitions, marketing, human resource management and corporate governance.
Datacentrix has achieved significant corporate objectives in terms of SMME partnering, small supplier empowerment and affirmative action, especially in the technical areas. The company is now also focusing on affirmative action at the senior management levels.
"CNI `s background in management consulting and its skills in many key areas of corporate development will be of help to Datacentrix in these endeavours," notes Morolo. "CNI will also be able to play a role in deal sourcing and deal structuring and marketplace positioning."
He says Datacentrix has all the internal systems and controls in place to be able to launch a major expansion drive: "Management systems and controls are strong and comprehensive and clearly highlight the executive team`s capacity to implement and sustain management`s exciting vision for the future.
"I am pleased to say that the Datacentrix team has at no stage been seduced by the `hype` surrounding this industry. Their decisions have been based on real opportunities and solid performance records and their market offering is proven and widely used.
"CNI and Datacentrix are committed to delivering real returns to stakeholders, in the form of capital growth, real value added services, and exciting and fulfilling employment opportunities - along with a steady and relentless growth to the bottom line," he adds.
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