AKTEL injects SAP into corporate muscle

bdnews24.com reports

AKTEL has selected SAP enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution to increase its operational efficiency. AKTEL’s finance, accounting, human resources, technical, sales, supply chain and other divisions are now manifolds efficient and productive with the ERP solutions of SAP. Supply chain manager Mizanur Rahman said AKTEL must withstand the customers’ growth and network resources are to be mobilized in advance to maintain the quality of service. Ordering equipment, preparing inventory, sending them to sites, activating them followed by routine maintenance is a chain of daunting tasks. "If there is a missing link in this extremely complex process, we are out of business in the fiercely competitive market." Mizanur Rahman said the ERP solution of SAP ensures the stability of the supply chain. "Earlier it took nearly thirty minutes to generate a purchase order but now it takes a few seconds." He said the entire process is flawless and tamperproof as a robust computer controls it centrally. AKTEL has deployed two such servers in different locations to ensure that one takes over in case the other computer fails.

The company’s assistant general manager of human resources, Shabbir Ali, is quite excited: "Now we can track every employee’s output and assess them accordingly." He said it perfects the evaluation process of the company’s human capital. AKTEL has paid $440,000 licence fee to SAP and procured ten ERP modules. They will be used by 400 executives of the country’s second largest mobile phone provider in terms of clientele. AKTEL’s costing and budget manager Sabbir Ahmed said his company is already getting tangible returns of this investment. Efficiency of his colleagues has already increased 99 percent. "ERP is a combination of workhorse and watchdog as it ensures that everybody delivers without making any mistake." But Ahmed said the top management of a company has to register the value of ERP and get equally committed. The AKTEL executives have recognised ERP an effective tool for transparency and good governance. The efficient private sector cannot deliver alone unless the public offices also become at par using modern technology, they said. Citing the Indian examples the AKTEL officials hope the finance ministry of Bangladesh will also adopt ERP solutions to streamline the revenue collection and strengthen fiscal management.

So far so good for AKTEL. Every company has a right to opt for the best software solution that would maximize profit and minimize costs for it, while providing superior service to its customers. However it also can be stated at this point that had corporates like AKTEL would have done some hand-holding for the local IT companies under the banner of CSR or whatever they call it, local software firms would have got the opportunity to demonstrate their IT expertise. Even if they are not at par with SAP or Oracle, even if they are not in a position quality-wise to serve companies as big as AKTEL, but some recognition and assistance from corporate houses like them would surely increase the brand image of Bangladeshi software solution providers. In an era of open competition we already have the low end of the spectrum flooded with invasions from software like Tally and in the high end, we have SAP India injecting ERPs into corporate muscles. No complains about the competition, just a request to patronize the local software industry as well.