Samancor Chrome has contracted IVORY Systems to support its SAP/R3 Basis module, AS/400 operating system and DB/2 database administration off-site in Johannesburg.
SAP has been installed centrally at the company`s chrome head office in Middleburg after the recent splitting of the Chrome and Manganese divisions. The Manganese division is now based in Meyerton.
Samancor has offices worldwide in The Hague, Switzerland and Australia. There are nine sites in South Africa all moving to an integrated SAP platform.
IVORY Systems MD Hennie Smith said the support will include analysing system performance and data dumps to determine problem areas; SAP, database and operating system housekeeping; and facilitating third party connectivity.
Samancor Chrome IT manager Sollie Swanepoel said future plans are to implement SAP at all sites within Samancor Chrome. The project will start early 2001.
"This will replace the existing inhouse systems running at all mines and plants, providing standardisation and efficiency benefits," he explained.
"IVORY Systems is key to our strategy and most important to us is the remote support service they are providing, enabling maintenance and trouble-shooting to be done off-site, up to hundreds of kilometers away if necessary," he said.
"In addition, IVORY is providing a 24 hour support call-out service, complementing these remote support facilities," added Swanepoel.
Two of the critical areas of the contract are training and succession planning.
IVORY Systems account executive for Samancor Chrome Ansie De Hoop, who is one of only two people in the country who is certified to provide SAP Basis support on the AS/400 platform, said there will be skills transfer program implemented to ensure expertise does not remain solely within IVORY Systems.
"We are implementing a succession planning strategy to ensure that skills will be available to meet the company`s 2001 plans and that there is a timeous transfer of this expertise to Samancor," she concluded.
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