Prior to the commitment to K8, Kerridge Commercial Systems products were already in place at Iliad and have played an integral part of the company’s impressive growth for more than a decade. With K8, IT standardisation is enabling the introduction of best practice processes and system controls across the company. In addition to upgrading the existing systems, K8 is replacing a number of disparate non-integrated systems – a situation that had arisen as a result of business acquisitions.
Deirdre Ackermann, group CIO, explained the company’s choice, “It was important for us to know that our ERP provider had the necessary expertise and experience to implement the new system successfully. We knew that Kerridge had a proven track record, both in South Africa and the UK.”
Ongoing client liaison was another important consideration for Iliad. “Kerridge worked closely with us in the project’s design and development and preparation of our customisation requirements. With an existing long term relationship in place, we were assured of full support from Kerridge through the roll-out and beyond.“
Des Nangle, MD Kerridge Commercial Systems (South Africa) said “K8 is an ideal solution for Iliad, being a fully integrated and scalable solution. It enables organisations to control multiple trading divisions which may have different process requirements and operational characteristics.“
To meet Iliad’s requirements, Kerridge Commercial Systems developed K8 to operate on an IBM xSeries Intel platform with Oracle RAC and Dataguard, resulting in a robust, cutting edge scalable solution. K8 is being rolled out to all 112 Iliad locations during 2012. The project involves an in-house Iliad team who are being fully supported by Kerridge Commercial Systems consultants and technology specialists. Following roll-out, Iliad will manage their new K8 system independently on a day-to-day basis.
Looking towards the future, the flexibility and scalability of K8 will support Iliad in all areas of business development. The use of best practice processes will not be sacrificed as the business grows and volumes increase. K8’s powerful integration will ensure that full day to day control and management will be maintained.
About Iliad Africa Ltd
One of South Africa’s leaders in the sourcing, distributing, wholesaling and retailing of general and specialised building materials, an industry which is worth R40 billion per annum. With a customer base which ranges from corporate developers and construction groups to do-it-yourself home owners, Iliad has an impressive national footprint which includes a General Building Materials division comprising 55 stores and a specialised Building Materials division operating from 57 outlets nationwide. This success has been as a result of an ambitious growth strategy including key acquisitions within the industry.
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