R10-m computer plan comes of age

AT SACD 1998 is crunch year for the implementation of its R10-million computer system. 'Pirate project' is an advanced operational system far removed from the seemingly sinister name it carries. The word Pirate tells it all. It's an acronym for 'Providing Information, Reliability, Accuracy, Timeously and Efficiently.'
SACD in Cape Town is introducing this new computer hardware and software development costing R10 million during the course of 1998. It is supported by IBM who are the principal consultants and contractor.
The company's customers have also been consulted so that the new system can add value to their businesses, with discussions centred around the day-to-day operations of the system.
In the months ahead SACD will undertake a series of workshops with customers to define the future strategic direction of information requirements, gearing towards the removal of manual documents, with the electronic tracking of cargo and containers an integral part of the operation.
This follows the company's decision at the end of last year to employ the services of the Institute for Customer Service South Africa to audit the customer service function. The results varied from region to region but highlighted a more focused approach.
Our philosophy is 'winning with customer service' and we will continue to train our employees to think and behave according to the demands and expectations of our customers at all levels and meet the demands of all as we go into the new millennium, says SACD new business manager Geoff Popple.
Our people in the organisation are the key component of our success and we will continue to give this important aspect our full attention.
Our advertising stresses this point and our ads of 'People are our strength' will be revitalised in a new advertising campaign which will be presented shortly, he says.