With the Kenyan cement manufacturer Bamburi Cement`s acquisition of the MAXIMO Computerised Maintenance Management System (CMMS) the Pretoria based high technology software and consulting company Megkon Systems Technology (MST) has again proven its capability to service clients beyond South Africa`s borders.
This contract represents another step towards MST`s vision to be acknowledged as the number one supplier of leading edge business improvement tools, methodologies and services to Africa, says Danie van Vuuren, Senior MAXIMO Account Manager at MST. Bamburi has now joined other MST clients in countries such as Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, Mozambique and Mali to become part of the steadily growing user base on the African continent.
Bamburi, a subsidiary of the international cement manufacturer La Farge, purchased a 10 user MAXIMO Enterprise system that is going to be integrated as "best-of-breed" solution with SAP Financials. The integration is going to be done by ways of a standard application program interface (API) for SAP Financials developed by Sercon, the SAP implementation division of IBM Germany.
According to Van Vuuren the integration of "best-of-breed" business software solutions with ERP systems is a growing trend with organisations such as Eskom Distribution electing to empower their users with a "system of choice" approach and going live with their MAXIMO/SAP interface soon.
Bamburi will use MAXIMO for work and asset maintenance management at its open cast lime mine and cement production and bagging operations at Mombassa and Nairobi in Kenya. The lime stone is mined from an ancient seabed coral reef. Bamburi`s assets include open cast mining and plant equipment such as hauler dumpers and other earth moving equipment, mini drag lines, crushers, conveyor belts, vibrator feeders, silo`s, mills, rotary kilns and bagging and dispatch plants.
Francois du Plessis, MST`s Services Manager, says MAXIMO is not only going to be used as a maintenance management system at Bumburi, but also as an asset management and plant information system.
"Bamburi plans to use MAXIMO as a tool to verify maintenance cost, product quality improvement and plant availability and reliability.
"Bamburi, which supplies cement to Central and West Africa, has a need for quality control improvement in support of its plans to export cement beyond Africa`s borders. MAXIMO with its plant information capabilities will be implemented as part of Bamburi`s drive for quality control improvement.
"Other challenges Bamburi will be addressing with MAXIMO is the maintenance to production cost ratio that is currently outside the parameters set by La Farge. This is due to, among other things, excessive spare part inventory levels which is a result of long lead times. By using MAXIMO Bamburi will be able to reduce its spare part inventory levels," says Du Plessis.
La Farge is an international MAXIMO client. The system is already implemented at La Farge plants in France, Spain, Central Europe, North Africa, Sweden and Central Africa.
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