Lumus, a cross-industry development initiative, which launched earlier this year, has used a unique assessment standard and IT system to add sustainability to black economic empowerment, supply chain management and company development. The Lumus IT tool allows matching of suppliers and buyers to find the best fit in terms of supply risk and cost-effectiveness.
The Department of Trade and Industry`s (DTI`s) BEE unit views Lumus as one of the most comprehensive BEE solutions currently available on a national level. "Projects like this further our aim to develop BEE as part of industry development and not at the expense of industry development," says the DTI`s Madile Mofammere.
Furthermore, supply chain integration can change the way a company competes. According to Lumus`s project leader, Herman Potgieter, they tend to work as part of a chain rather than as individual entities.
"The ability of the total supply chain to compete globally is dependent on its quality and operational performance," adds the director of the DTI`s automotive unit, Gustav Meyer.
In order for the Lumus community to successfully utilise the IT system, training is crucial. Although the system is user-friendly, Lumus does change the way the community interacts with one another. As such, Lumus evaluated many different training companies and chose ONYX IT to be its preferred training partner.
"We felt ONYX IT to be the most suitable to deliver the systems training to all of our clients, countrywide. The training provided by ONYX IT is therefore a mixture between business process, business methodology and system functionality," says Ilana Chilewitz of Lumus.
"ONYX IT is perfectly positioned to deliver customised training on new or existing systems, such as Lumus. ONYX IT has worked on numerous projects where we`ve had to develop an entire curriculum (based on the requirements of the target audience) and provide the subsequent training for the organisation.
"Our successful track record is due primarily to our dedicated team of professionals, from instructional designers and project managers through to our highly skilled, world-class instructors," says Dale Liebenberg, CEO of ONYX IT.
Ford, Harmony Gold, Ernst & Young and Pfizer are the first in their respective industries to use the technology. Lumus hopes to have 10 000 suppliers online this year and 30 000 next year.
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