DiData reorganises South African operations

By Iain Scott for Dimension Data South Africa

Johannesburg, 27 Nov 2001

Dimension Data Holdings has completed its drive to move its South African operations into three focused divisions in line with its global operations.

Gareth Tindall, Dimension Data SA sales and marketing director, says the group, whose share price suffered this year as a result of slipping margins and market conditions, is also on a drive to improve the confidence of all its stakeholders.

It introduced its new executive team and outlined its local strategy at a briefing at its offices this morning.

The operations have been moved into three divisions (Connectivity Services, Integration Services and Business Solutions) offering integrated solutions and services.

The divisions are now unified under Dimension Data SA.

Dimension Data SA CEO Allan Cawood says although the Dimension Data model was exported offshore, the group has also learned a lot from the other geographical areas in which it operates.

It envisages that in the next few months its operations will work in harmony globally.

He says the South African arm has moved towards a more customer-centric model.

"We have had technology and products, and customers took the technology and stuck it together, buying products because their competitors had them," he adds.

However, there is now a need to package the solutions for customers, and that can be done only when the group understands the customers.

Dimension Data SA has cut 10%, or 400, of its staff over the past year. Cawood says about 260 of those have left, and the company is in the process of fulfilling labour law requirements with regard to the remainder.

He says while he believes that once the process has been completed, staff levels will be appropriate, although "it is not something I can call now".

He says the company will continue to watch margins on a continuing basis and make assessments based on that.

The South African executive team comprises CEO Allan Cawood, sales and marketing director Gareth Tindall, CFO Sean Joubert and COO Mark Bowman.

Derek Wilcocks is responsible for strategy and technology, John Ellse for national services, Shaun Liebenberg for connectivity services and Johann Coetzee for integration services.