Lusaka Water and Sewerage Company Limited (LWSC), a commercial water utility company, has invested in Sage 300 ERP. LWSC provides water and sanitation services to individuals and institutions in the Lusaka Province in Zambia. The implementation of the new ERP system started in October 2012 and although full system implementation is yet to be achieved, the software already allows for a wider form of analysis and alignment between business functions, together with improved businesses processes, all characterised by automation and integration.

The Lusaka Province has a population of around 2.3 million people, and new development areas in the province mostly comprise of housing units. LWSC became a provincial utility in February 2008 with the Councils of Lusaka City, Kafue, Chongwe and Luangwa as the shareholders.

LWSC’s service area is divided into 83 water supply districts. The utility’s customer focus culture compels them to be responsive and accessible to the customer and therefore they have decentralised their operations in the main city of Lusaka through six branches, namely: Central, Kabulonga, Kabwata, Chelston, Lumumba and Peri-urban. Peri-urban is further decentralised into zones for easier and more efficient management.

LWSC experienced challenges with timeous and accurate reporting, as only the financial accounting system was automated while other systems, such as HR and Procurement, were either manual or a standalone entity such as the billing software. LWSC was in need of a system which could allow for the automation and integration of all information systems to streamline their business processes.

LWSC chose NetOne IT to implement the Sage 300 ERP Premium Edition solution (formely Sage ERP Accpac). NetOne IT is part of the NetOne Group, Zambia’s leading service provider for IT solutions. Their solutions range from ERP and Cloud Computing to customised IT products and their most recent investment, N Data launched in March 2013, being Zambia’s first and only Tier III Multi-tenant data centre facility.

NetOne IT provided an extensive training programme with set deliverables which helped transform the financial accountability and reporting standards of the company. “Managing the change from their previous systems was vital and well planned as we had to ensure there was no downtime in the migration process seeing the business was a public utility company. I am confident LWSC is now geared to deliver adequate and timely reporting to its stakeholders,” says Bejoy Nettikadan, managing director of NetOne IT.

“The Sage 300 ERP solution revolutionised the way we conduct business and complements our drive in doing business electronically. The solution will definitely contribute positively to our growth, through its facilitation of comprehensive and efficient reporting which in turn will enable us to make improved business decisions,” says Matilda Mwansa, finance director at LWSC.

“Sage 300 ERP Premium Edition is a powerful ERP software solution that helps businesses streamline time-consuming accounting processes and manage financial accountability and compliance. The operational modules enhance the inventory-handling and order fulfilment processes, and tie together the supply chain so that businesses can deliver on time, every time. The Customer Relationship Management module includes world-class sales, marketing, and customer service automation solutions to help a business maintain a high level of customer communication and satisfaction,” says Jeremy Waterman, managing director of Sage ERP Africa and Sage Middle East.

Editorial contacts
Aloma Swanepoel
Aloma@wattcommunications.co.za
011 425 6290

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Sage ERP Africa is a provider of business management solutions, including financial, distribution, service management, retail, warehouse management, project costing, manufacturing and CRM, to the mid-range market. Sage ERP solutions are delivered to 130 countries exclusively through a global network of solution providers, including over 150 throughout Africa. The Sage ERP Africa product line includes: Sage ERP X3, Sage 300 ERP (formerly Sage ERP Accpac), Sage ERP 1000, Sage CRM and Sage RMS as well as Sage third party partner solutions. With a choice of languages, currencies, locations and legislations - Sage ERP offers efficient multi company and multi-national solutions.

For more information please visit www.sageerp.co.za 

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