Johannesburg, 19 Jul 2012
Sage ERP X3 offers the flexibility and functionality that many African businesses need to manage a competitive operation in an increasingly global market, offering a compact and affordable software system that was designed for the unique needs of a mid-sized company.
"In the last year, Sage ERP X3 has experienced 54% growth in Africa, which is a great achievement considering the global economic climate," says Jeremy Waterman, Managing Director of Sage MMD Africa, part of the Sage Group. "To date, we have trained and certified 253 consultants in the African region, as we continue to build a strong knowledge and skills base that end-users can rely on."
The involvement of the Sage Group in Africa started in 2003, when the Softline Group was acquired by Sage, the leading global supplier of business management software and services to small and medium-sized businesses. It was, however, not until 2008 when its global business solution, Sage ERP X3, was launched in South Africa.
"The network of business partners representing Sage ERP X3 on the African continent has since expanded to include countries such as Malawi, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mauritius, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria, with further expansion into the African market on the horizon," says Waterman.
Christophe Letellier, CEO of Sage ERP X3, commented: "The African market is very important to ensure the global growth of Sage ERP X3. As reported recently, the IT services market in South Africa has grown some 8% year-on-year in 2010 and the IDC includes South Africa as a region that is forecast to experience year-on-year IT spending growth of between 7% and 12% in 2012. These are all very positive signals, which underpin our commitment to the market and to the growth of our sales and partner network in the region."
The African landscape typically comprises businesses that are no larger than upper mid-market in size, as measured by global criteria. Sage ERP X3 was designed to support these mid-market companies, and is a perfect fit for the needs of businesses on the African continent. It supports all business processes across finance, distribution and manufacturing within one singular software design that is affordable and more effective and simpler to manage than comparable ERP software packages.
Waterman says the recent addition of Sage ERP X3 Standard Edition into the Sage product offering further underpins this goal. "Standard Edition allows for the implementation of the same fully functional ERP suite that the market has come to expect from Sage ERP X3. It does, however, include a defined implementation framework that effectively allows for implementation to take place within a predefined timeframe and within the initial budget expectations of the client. It is the perfect fit for an African business that needs to be agile, flexible and adaptable."
During 2011, the Sage Group restructured its base of operation into three distinctive regions: Europe, North America and AAMEA. The AAMEA region comprises Africa, Australia, the Middle East and Asia, of which Sage MMD Africa is the fastest growing region, showing consistent double-digit growth. "We have a plethora of opportunities to explore in a market that we understand. We aim to maintain the consistent growth that we have enjoyed to this point by offering our clients a product that speaks to their needs and fits their pockets," concludes Waterman.
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