Symetrix deployment at BASF SA leads to projects in Africa

Symetrix Information Technologies (Pty) Ltd, recently deployed Microsoft Navision at BASF SA, a 100% subsidiary of the BASF SA Group, the largest global chemical company.

Due to the success of the project at BASF SA, Symetrix will implement Navison at BASF SA companies in Dubai and deploy similar interface systems in three other African countries which include Morocco.

It is expected that the roll-out will be by the end of July 2003. In addition, Symetrix was also invited to participate in a global workshop in Germany that ensured the company understood BASF SA's business processes more effectively and could map what the company's requirements were to what solutions Symetrix could provide.

Non-integrated systems for different parts of the business meant that BASF SA employees did not have fast access to accurate, up-to-date information. Navision helps employees become more productive with access to real-time information, and it has been customised to meet the special needs of the different parts of the company's business. This ensures that all employees stay up to date with current information and need not spend any unnecessary time consolidating data, leaving them free to focus on their core competencies.

Says Rob Allan, Financial Manager at BASF SA: "BASF SA needed a package that could change with the business. After consulting a number of software vendors, Symetrix presented a project plan and an in-depth knowledge of the technology we required. Navision made the transition of streamlining our systems, which included sales and distribution, much smoother. The clarity, transparency and functionality of the system was also very important to us and since the first phase was implemented in December 2000, the benefits of the project has been positive."

"Navision's object-oriented development environment and compact source code make it straightforward to customise, maintain and connect to other systems. The security system not only controls who can access what, but also ensures that a business never encounters inconsistencies in data. Even if a machine loses power in the middle of a data process, the transactions recorded will not be out of balance or necessitate one to start all over again, wasting time and raising frustration levels, or even changing data," says Vivian Buttle, Symetrix project manager at BASF SA.

"Moreover, the consistent and intuitive interface that Navision provides makes training employees and new users much faster. Interface screens will always look the same whether you're looking for a balance, creating a new account, or posting a journal to an existing account. Staff will find navigation familiar because the interface is based on Microsoft Windows' standards. There's extensive online 'Help', to which you can even add your own tips," adds Buttle.

In addition, a pilot environment was created to ensure that Navision could be successfully integrated into the business. The same site was also used to train over a dozen of BASF SA staff. The Navision purchasing and logistics interface, which links up to the BASF SA SAP interface in Germany, was kept simple to process information fast and effectively, ensuring data integrity at all times.

"Symetrix is only as good as its people, and this is reflected in their loyalty to our company as well as their continuous hands-on support throughout the project," adds Allan.

Says Ben Swartz, CEO of Symetrix Information technologies: "We went through a lot of leg work to analyse BASF SA's business processes so we could refine and adapt Navision to the business. Symetrix has the same goal as BASF SA, which is to ensure that business processes are streamlined and work more effectively so that the company can focus on their core business objectives."