A need for application integration has seen freight logistics company Manica commission Sage Enterprise Solution's business management system (BMS).
Implemented and supported through Sage's local integration partner PQ Tetra, the BMS is a vital component in Manica's supply chain process and will also provide the company's management with critical executive information for managing daily operations.
Established in Mozambique in 1892, Johannesburg-based Manica is today a wholly owned subsidiary within the Bidvest group of companies, and is one of Southern Africa's market leaders in cargo handling and transportation.
With operations in over 50 diverse locations such as Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia and the DRC, the company's traditional activities include door-to-door sea freight to destinations in East and West Africa, road freight groupages and bulk cargo movements within the southern African region, and export customs formalities.
"One of the key factors in maintaining this vast operation is having an integrated IT operation and up-to-date information available at the push of a button," explains Derek Smith, chief information officer at Manica. "And this, however, can only be achieved through a comprehensive BMS for seamless application integration."
Prior to the decision to implement Sage, the company had the tedious task of collating information derived from proprietary and disparate applications - many of which had been developed in relative isolation over the years. Invariably DOS-based and in a flat file format, it became increasingly difficult to gather information timeously and accurately using software extraction tools such as report writers.
Smith says supply chain management underpins the very core of the company's business and an irregularity or failure at any point could have serious ramifications.
"A typical supply chain process involves placing of an order for the collection of goods by a supplier; the collection of the said goods; handling of all paperwork and insurance documentation; loading of goods (lift-on and lift-off); cartage and cross-haulage; customs clearance and duties payments; movement of goods to final destination; and final invoicing. It can be seen that it is a complex chain of events so all steps of the entire operation have to be carefully calculated and accurately and efficiently executed," says Smith.
"Stringent evaluation resulted in us going the Sage BMS route which not only adheres to our current IT strategy, but bodes well for our future growth plans and integration with our other operations - this could possibly include taking advantage of Sage's Web Enterprise advanced e-commerce software once robust telecommunications infrastructures are in place throughout the region.
"Sage is also one of the main BMS vendors on the African continent and has an excellent service and support skills base. The combination of all these factors motivated our decision to choose Sage," notes Smith.
PQ Tetra divisional manager Stephen Howe adds: "Return on investment is key to any business decision, especially when it comes to a BMS. Manica has a good understanding of where it's going and a solid foundation for its growth plans going forward - both contributing factors to a positive return. Working together with the Sage and Manica teams we were able to deliver the solution on time, to spec and on budget. "
Ashley Ellington, divisional manager at Sage Enterprise Solutions South Africa, believes Manica's decision to implement Sage Enterprise allows the company and its divisions throughout Africa to standardise on the latest technology, putting them in a position where they can take advantage of the Web-based applications available from within the Sage Enterprise Products, maximising their investment.
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