Sabi-Africa standardises on impact invests R2 million in African ERP network

With an investment to date worth almost R2 million, South African Breweries International (SABI) Africa has standardised on the IMPACT ERP system from local developer Syspro.

Derek Kemp, IT Manager of SABI-Africa, says the decision to standardise on IMPACT was based on the product`s quick implementation and superior user-friendliness.

"Additional contributing factors were Syspro`s stability and open-door policy as well as the huge resources available in terms of programmers and dealers. Paying in rands rather than pounds is attractive, and the annual licence fees are 10% rather than those of competitive products, which tend to exceed 17%. Support is also readily available and of a consistently high standard," Kemp says. "It is our strategic intent to stay with IMPACT for all our African offices."

SABI-Africa has implemented IMPACT at 16 sites in 12 African countries and currently has more than 250 IMPACT users and an average of 12 modules per site. The countries involved in this network include Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Ghana, Botswana, Lesotho, Angola and Swaziland.

IMPACT Encore is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system designed by leading local software house Syspro. A 21-year-old company with a track record of supporting its customers` business objectives, Syspro`s accounting, manufacturing and distribution products are used in more than 45 countries.

Commenting on the fact that other ERP systems tend to be overly complicated and take too long to implement, Kemp points out that IMPACT was fully implemented at SABI-Africa`s Kenya site in eight weeks - including staff training.

"IMPACT`s flexibility also enables us to cater for the diverse requirements of each site - and they`re all different," he says. "For example, some areas offer a discount for clients which collect rather than having their orders delivered. We have set up a fictional Stock Code Interchange and a fictional warehouse to cater for this automatically and to provide information on which areas deliver more and where collections are more prevalent. Decisions are automated as far as possible to ensure high levels of accuracy."

SABI-Africa runs IMPACT primarily on Unix platforms with some Windows NT sites. The use of Unix enables the IMPACT PCs to be used as full office automation platforms as well. As most of the implementations are turnkey, the customisation is done in Johannesburg before the system is installed on site. The policy is to use local suppliers in each African country wherever possible for training and support, thereby developing the community and ensuring availability of on-site support.

The company has accomplished some world-class feats with IMPACT, including a wireless network in Uganda, depots using satellite telecommunications in Lesotho and an Ethernet radio link in Swaziland.

"Our users` eagerness and willingness to learn makes the implementation process that much easier," Kemp says. "We have a strong emphasis on training and development, and there`s no doubt that SABI-Africa is reaping the benefits of that policy."

Syspro provides flexible, integrated, cost-effective systems for the accounting, manufacturing and distribution activities of an organisation. IMPACT Encore enables a company to exercise complete control over the planning, forecasting, management and distribution facets of the business. It is a comprehensive solution which is simple to maintain, thereby maximising time for business management and profit generation.