By Beda Msimbe:
Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software in Tanzania is gaining traction, thanks to an aggressive marketing drive by Bluekey Tanzania. The firm opened an office in Dar es Salaam eight months ago and has quickly established itself as a major player in the provisioning of enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions to companies, enjoying exceptional growth since then.
According Ms. Mala Bhatt, Managing Director, Bluekey East Africa, the company used consultative approach and focus on driving greater awareness of the value of SAP Business One, hence the success.
The software (SAP Business One) addresses all the key business requirements from finance and inventory, to customer relationship management; human resources; sales, and procurement, all in a single, integrated solution
At a seminar on the 17th of May 2012 In Dar es Salaam, experts from Bluekey showcased the latest features and enhancements of SAP Business One to more than 70 executives from local businesses in Tanzania and illustrated the relevance and impact that SAP Business One has had on the East African business market.
Bluekey Software Solutions is the largest and most successful SAP Business One partner in Africa, she said adding that the firm implements, supports and develops ERP and accounting solutions for SME’s.
Ms.Bhat said, “Bluekey is currently responsible for almost 50% of SAP Business One sales in South and East Africa and we have expanded from our initial beginnings of core ERP to incorporate development, networking, business intelligence and mobility solutions into our portfolio.
With its established base in Tanzania, the company is filling a void in a market which is hungry for qualified, on-the-ground support in implementing and optimizing integrated business management tools that enable companies to drive efficiencies, gain competitive edge and increase profits,” she said.
“For years, ERP vendors have serviced their customers in Africa from a distance and as a result, companies sometimes battle to find the necessary technical support for implementations, maintenance and customizations.
“However, the demand for integrated business management tools is growing to the extent that this model cannot adequately support the requirements of companies in Africa. Our success in the African region, including Tanzania, is due to our approach to build a strong, locally-accessible support base for companies using SAP Business One. Our customer base is diverse and many of them are regional concerns, which show that it’s not only the big companies with international ties that are keen to leverage ERP to drive business efficiency.
“With Tanzania growing rapidly, and fast becoming a commercial hub in Africa, there is a definite and increasing need amongst companies for systems that can provide the insight, control and visibility they need to effectively manage growth efficiently and profitably,” says Ms Bhat
“Bluekey is confident that SAP Business One will become the preferred ERP solution for companies in Tanzania because it provides such an excellent fit for the typical Africa-based business. Specifically designed for small and medium sized enterprises, it is easily configured for varying business needs, without having to do bespoke development as is often the case with other less flexible products. Because it can be implemented ‘vanilla’ without customizations or third party applications, the complexity of implementations is dramatically reduced and support is simplified.
SAP Business One is extremely scalable so it supports companies as they grow. There is also plug-and-play integration with bigger SAP products such as SAP Business Suite and SAP All-in-One for African subsidiaries of multinationals running larger systems. Although a product of the world’s foremost international ERP vendors, SAP Business One can be localized so that it conforms to the legislative requirements of each country in which an organization operates. It also offers multi-language support.
Bluekey and coresystems work hand in hand to ensure a comprehensive and overall solution for our customers. With this strong partnership we create value-add and pass this on to our customers through experience and knowledge. With more than 6,500 customers (75,000 users) worldwide, coresystems is the leading supplier of standardized add-on solutions for SAP products aimed at small and medium-sized companies. The company is certified as SAP GOLD (SSP) made up of small and medium sized companies as well as major corporations from various branches of industry,” said Ms Bhat
Santone Lange, Branch Manager, Bluekey Tanzania is convinced SAP Business One addresses all the key business requirements from finance and inventory, to customer relationship management; human resources; sales, and procurement, all in a single, integrated solution.
“With our strong team, our track record, and our experience, we are well-positioned to make SAP Business One the number one business intelligence (BI) tool in Africa,” he said.
ENDS