Kim Sim is the IT and projects executive for Dis-Chem Pharmacies, a leading pharmaceutical retailer in South Africa. Based in Johannesburg, Sim has a wealth of experience in the retail space, previously working as senior manager – customer development/retail solution architect and A1 portfolio manager for UCS Solutions. Sim presented at the SAUG Summit 2013.
ISAP: You’re presenting a keynote at the Summit – what can attendees expect from your presentation?
Kim Sim: Essentially, we will be telling the story of Dis-Chem, which is a leading pharmaceutical retailer in South Africa, and their growth as a business. We have doubled in size since the implementation of the All-in-One Solution, coupled with the decision to implement SAP software through the business lifecycle.
ISAP: What were the key objectives of the project?
KS: The initial project business case was really about finding a solution which could grow with the business and offer better integration and control than the legacy software. Also we were looking for a solution and partner that could assist us with industry best practice.
ISAP: What did you find challenging along the way?
KS: The project was more about laying a secure foundation for future growth and offering faster and better visibility across all business processes. Some of the key challenges were getting the business to adopt the best practices that were offered as part of the All-in-One Retail template, as well as moving the majority of users from a DOS-based system to a Windows system… yes, really! Many of our staff, especially in-store staff, had never navigated with a mouse. Other challenges were the integration to the POS environment and in particular, the dispensary solution.
ISAP: What are some of the lessons you learned from this particular project that may be useful to others?
KS: The initial project was the same as most ERP implementations – it is heart surgery for the business and so the software is only a portion of the contribution to it being a success. We learnt lessons around business involvement, data, change management and training – the usual suspects.
Kim Sim and Reg Barry, executive client delivery, UCS Solutions, will be presenting international keynote, ‘An African Success Story – The expansion of Dis-Chem with SAP’ at the SAUG Summit 2013. This article was first published in Inside SAP Yearbook 2014 (September 2013).
