By Bosco Magare

PLANNED implementation of the Ebizframe Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solution to manage all Chemelil Sugar Company operations will enable the firm to save over Kshs. 4.5 million yearly in operational costs.

The enormous operational savings that will accrue to the company became apparent during a one-day Ebizframe ERP solution performance presentation workshop held at the company’s boardroom.

During the boardroom presentation of the Ebizframe ERP solution developed by Eastern Software Systems (ESS) PVT, Limited, ESS’s Project Manager Kevin Jethwa said its implementation will offer Chemelil Sugar Company one solution for management of all its operations.

Jethwa said ESS’s ERP solution has been specifically developed for the local Kenyan sugar industry to manage and provide the sugar companies with automated end-to-end processes.

The solution is designed to manage the following sugar company processes: sugar sales, normal financials, accounting, Human Resource (HR) payroll, cane farmers financials, agricultural management, and factory maintenance including production. Other processes include inventory management, procurement, medical stores, transport and fleet management, among other operations.

“Chemelil Sugar Company will immensely benefit from ESS’s one ERP Ebizframe solution in the management of its processes and will yearly save on costs between over USD 30,000 and USD 40,000, translating to more than Kshs. 4.5 million per year,” Jethwa pointed out.

Jethwa gave the example of a local sugar company that saves between USD 10,000 to 15,000 through the ERP solution, previously from fuel station theft.

The Project Manager, accompanied by ESS’s Business Development Manager Anwar Khan, enumerated other benefits that Chemelil Sugar Company will enjoy, including efficient management of operations and reports, and the provision of local technical support by ESS after implementation of the solution.

Jethwa said through implementation of the solution, the company will also benefit from enhanced productivity, as it will not spend more time preparing reports as it does currently with its existing Sun System, which doesn’t provide end-to-end process solutions.

“Decision-making by company management will also become faster through the prompt online availability of reports,” he added.

In a separate interview with this staff writer, the ESS Project Manager explained that due to Chemelil Sugar Company’s desire to implement such an ERP solution in phases, implementation of phase one—focused on sales, procurement, and financials—will take 2 to 3 months.

Phase 2 of the company’s desired solution, covering agriculture management, cane farmers financials, and fleet management, will take 2 months, while adding other modules like HR payroll and factory manufacturing will take 2 to 3 weeks.

Jethwa said the ERP solution implementation timeframe will include commissioning of the project, which will entail installation, testing, and training of company personnel who will manage the entire desired ERP system.

The Project Manager noted that ESS, a global company headquartered in Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, has a wealth of international experience in providing ERP solutions. Within the local Kenyan sugar industry, they have implemented the solution at Nzoia Sugar Company, neighboring Muhoroni Sugar Company, and Trans Mara Sugar Company.

ESS, with a branch in Nairobi, has also implemented the Ebizframe ERP solution at Kinyara Sugar Company in neighboring Uganda.

The ERP multinational, with branches in other countries such as Britain, the United States of America (U.S.A), and India, has also provided ERP solutions to local Kenyan firms engaged in food manufacturing, such as Nairobi-based Premier Food Industry, which manufactures the Pep eang tomato sauce brand, and has implemented a solution in a local steel company, Devki Steel.

Present during the boardroom presentation were Chemelil Sugar Company Interim Managing Director Jacqueline Kotonya, Acting ICT Manager Abraham Birgen, Acting Human Resource Manager Constance Webale, among other company staff.