Enterprise Management Systems (EMS) specialist, SAP Africa, and Operations Management Systems (OMS) provider, Keops Isis, a member of the JSE-listed Altech group, announced the release of the first comprehensive e-business solution for the process industry at the Process Control and Automation 2001 exhibition, which was held in Johannesburg last month.
The joint initiative between the companies has resulted in the introduction of a new solution, dubbed Value Management Solutions, which provides integration between generally disparate EMS and OMS products to give companies full control of their businesses, from the production and process control level, right up to the enterprise level.
Andr'e Brits, business development manager at Keops Isis, explains that the natural resources industry has progressed rapidly since the introduction of process monitoring and control, and overall information technology. However, while process control systems have greatly improved, the business and operation management systems have remained fragmented.
"The launch of Value Management Solutions," says Brits, "ushers in a new area for this market as it enables the two disciplines to be seamlessly integrated, taking the best from SAP`s EMS products and expertise, and the best from Keops Isis` OMS, or e-production, products and expertise."
Says Gerhard van Niekerk, Mining Solutions Manager, SAP Africa: "By leveraging off Keops Isis` experience as a premier OMS, or e-production company, we have been able to conceptualise a collaborative solution that gives our joint clients the best of both worlds. Our clients, who have implemented Enterprise Management Systems, are now able to implement these solutions downwards to incorporate all elements of OMS. Meanwhile, those clients who have implemented leading OMS solutions - which form the bulk of Keops Isis`s clients - are able to migrate upwards and seamlessly integrate their e-production, or OMS solutions, with a fully-fledged EMS layer."
Van Niekerk adds that after conducting a number of workshops it became clear that SAP`s clients wanted to integrate vertically downwards from EMS solutions to their process control systems. In such cases Keops Isis will function as an enabler to allow clients to integrate downwards in a seamless fashion. Similarly, Keops Isis`s clients often need to integrate upwards from their established process control systems into fully-fledged EMS solutions.
"Value Management Solutions, which merges the best of both worlds, represents a vitally important niche-market strategy for SAP Africa," says Van Niekerk.
"We would be negligent if we did not offer this solution to our client base. There is clearly a need."
He says an earlier SAP-centric version of the e-production solution has been successfully tested at a number of companies in the US and UK, including by Du Pont in the Americas. "We have now taken this solution - which was well received - and added additional strengths that come from the Keops Isis` products and solutions pedigree. I do not believe there is any other solutions offering of this kind available in SA today."
Commenting further, Brits says the alliance struck with SAP Africa allows his company to take OMS into the e-world and to expand its current process-only focus into a wider manufacturing focus. "This alliance and this collaborative solution allows both parties to leverage off each other`s client bases, at the same time introducing a value-added solution that is required by both sets of clients. This certainly creates additional opportunities for both players and it certainly allows us to take advantage of further business opportunities stemming from the SAP client base - many of which still require OMS, or e-production, solutions."
Value Management Solutions spans the process industry with specific reference to Aluminium, Chrome, Steel, and Petrochemical verticals. Specific quality management, logistics management and production management scenarios feature value-adding functionality to unlock additional business value for companies, as well as increasing their operational efficiencies and overall ROI.
Enhancing mySAP.com, SAP`s e-business platform, Keops Isis offers extensive experience in consulting, systems configuration/development and implementation of solutions and industry-specific enhancements through SAP and other complementary systems. These solutions, according to the companies, bind the different levels of systems into a cohesive OMS that complements the EMS.
With its local headquarters in Centurion, Keops Isis is active in SA as well as a number of Southern African countries, boasting large clients in the metals, minerals and petrochemical industries.
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