Pretoria-based computer software company AccTech has launched a suite of mining software programmes that can be used in almost any country without infringing any laws.

The advantages of Sage enterprise resource planning (ERP) were high- lighted at a recent workshop hosted by AccTech. Representatives of a number of mining majors, such as BHP Billiton, Harmony Gold, African Rainbow Minerals and Sentula Mining, attended the workshop.

The ability of the Sage ERP system to function across geographical areas without infringing different mining legislation is an advantage to many companies, specifically those mining in Africa.

AccTech vice-president for African sales Keith Fenner reports that, in the past, countries such as Mozambique and Malawi did not have established regulations within the mining sector as it was a small contributor to gross domestic product; however, with an increasing number of mining companies establishing a presence in Africa, countries such as Mozambique have established strict protocols governing financial reporting and corporate governance. He adds that the old practice of repli- cating South African financial reporting standards could no longer be applicable.

“An added advantage of the Sage system is that it is loosely based on AccTech’s AccPac software, which means that users will have previous exposure to some of the elements within the software. The Sage system primarily aims to reduce a company’s costs and lead time, encourage collaboration and coordination for complete visibility, and improve customer satisfaction,” said Fenner.

Although new to some mining com- panies in South Africa, AccTech has successfully installed and run a number of Sage ERP applications in African countries, such as Algeria, the Demo- cratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The system has also been successfully implemented in a number of countries in Asia and Europe.