By the end of 2002, Dimension Data had implemented SAP in their South African operation. Pebbletree Consulting was appointed to stabilise and optimise that implementation for a period of three months, and assist with the definition of a Global Template for Rollout into the Group`s international businesses.
A small team of experienced Pebbletree SAP consultants was assembled for this stabilisation and rollout project, starting in Belgium. This implementation was successfully delivered within 3 months, the business going live in July 2003. This successful milestone was followed by a period of stabilisation and optimisation; and an update of the Global Template.
Following the Belgian implementation, the team successfully rolled out two further regional offices in Luxembourg and France in May 2004 and July 2004 respectively. Spain and Netherlands will follow on 1 November 2004 and 1 December 2004. The SAP System is located centrally at the Dimension Data Campus in Bryanston, South Africa and currently hosts 500 users.
By implementing SAP within the Group, Dimension Data standardised on common best business practices on a global basis. However, during each implementation country-specific legal, governance and financial requirements were taken into account and implemented; and certain unique business activities were catered for. All these specific requirements were continually added to the Global Template.
SAP and the Group`s Global Template has brought significant discipline and transparent, real-time reporting previously unavailable to Group Executive Management. The centrally located system is also effectively supported by Pebbletree, providing Dimension Data with technical and application support cost benefits.
"The lessons learned from the first [Belgian] implementation have been successfully used to significantly improve the contents of the global template as well as the efficiency of the next roll outs - Luxembourg and France. Pebbletree has been instrumental in the successful delivery of SAP within all of our European businesses that have implemented the Dimension Data Global Template" - Anne Thonon (Global SAP Business Owner, Europe)
"Dimension Data has, with the assistance of Pebbletree, greatly benefited from the implementation of SAP on a Global basis by introducing process standardisation, governance procedures, transparency and financial reporting previously unavailable to the Dimension Data Executive Management Team" - Alan Burgess, Dimension Data Group Chief Information Officer.
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