Bluekey expands Kenya operations

BLUEKEY Software Solutions, a South African based company with offices in Nairobi, has launched operations in the coastal town of Mombasa as part of its rollout in Kenya, and other African countries.
“We have a strong base of highly experienced personnel to implement and manage the solutions, and our core focus is to make sure that we don’t compromise on quality,” said Mala Bhatt, the managing director, Bluekey Kenya. “Across the group, service delivery is consistent, and clients get what they need.”
The company is the largest reseller in Africa of SAP Business One, globally reputed, affordable and easy to use business management software designed specifically for small and midsize businesses. In Kenya, Bluekey has implemented the solution to a wide range of industries – in manufacturing, distribution, professional services/consulting, advertising and Corporate PR, education and construction industries.
Meanwhile, the company has urged businesses to focus more intensely on two main pillars for business survival and growth; increasing revenue and cost cutting during the prevailing tough economic times.
Speaking during a seminar to sensitise businesses on using information technology (IT) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tools to survive and grow in the current depressed business environment, Paul Marketos, the group managing director,said companies will also need to invest in IT infrastructure that will allow them to optimize their business and respond readily to the dynamics of the markets, as well as partners who ensure proper implementation of these solutions.
“By investing in ERP, companies can, and should, expect measurable and quantifiable return on investment. The systems bind departments together through business processes, and enable management to have a single view of the truth,” said Mr Marketos.
An ERP is an integrated solution that helps people to use the same data or information to make different business decisions – like customer service, selling, procurement, financing, hiring, technology, among others.
According to John Kiarie the managing partner, Deloitte Kenya, who also addressed the seminar, businesses at this time of operational difficulties will need to worry more about their costs and efficiency.
“When we benchmark our businesses in Kenya and East Africa with others in other parts of the world, our businesses tend to be less efficient.
Because they tend to have lower gross margins and higher operating margins,” said Mr Kiarie.
“Businesses can do well by finding ways to improve their pricing efficiency to increase their gross margins, and lower the cost of doing business to decrease operating margins. They need to make sure they borrow less, because right now the cost of finance is going up, so borrowing a lot means their cost of financing their business in also high.”