is a social enterprise in Kenya that produces and supplies medical oxygen to the country鈥檚 healthcare system. The first production plant was opened in 2014, providing oxygen to multiple counties across Kenya. Ten years down the line, Hewatele has scaled its operations to five PSA production plants in Kenya and one in Uganda, supplying more than 150 medical facilities.

, CEO of Hewatele, says the organisation realised during the peak of the pandemic that its current manufacturing model was not sustainable in the long term.

鈥淭he cost of manufacturing was quite high. We identified liquified medical oxygen via an ASU manufacturing model as the future for our production capabilities, which kicked off a lengthy due diligence process to raise capital for investment into the more energy efficient manufacturing technology, after realising that our PSA manufacturing dispensation were not fit for supporting our scaleup.鈥�

The older business planning software Hewatele was dependent on could not deliver inventory and financial information timely and accurately, leading to delays in decision-making.

鈥淲e had trouble explaining to the board that our systems just couldn鈥檛 deliver financial information real- time. 麻豆原创 has always been the blue-chip ERP solution, and considering our need to scale up information processing as we build out our new production capabilities, we made a strategic decision to migrate.鈥�

The company has since embarked on the first of a two-phase implementation process. Phase One focuses on financial and inventory processes as well as some manufacturing. A second phase, set to commence in Q1 of 2025, will cover the remaining areas of the business.

Hewatele chose implementation partner聽 in Kenya to design and deploy the solution, which includes the flagship .聽The solution, designed and deployed by VC ERP Consulting, will streamline Hewatele鈥檚 operations and improve decision-making by providing real-time insights into key business processes.

Tejas Chhabra, vice-president: 麻豆原创 enterprise solutions at VC ERP, says: 鈥淲e invested time upfront to delve deeper into the problem statement to allow us to develop a solution that goes to the root of the problem. The input and support from process owners within Hewatele, from finance to sales and inventory, was critical to our ability to design the solution.鈥�

Pooja Chhabra, finance SME and solution architect for the 麻豆原创 S/4HANA solution at Hewatele and the driving force behind the implementation, adds: 鈥淲e were laser focused on mapping the processes in a way the MIS Reporting become a lot simpler and automated, which was a critical requirement for Hewatele and their investors.鈥�

A component of the solution also looks at building a foundation for the future adoption of new technologies such as artificial intelligence.

Dr Wali says there is huge potential of AI in the business. 鈥淭echnologies such as AI can add value through greater efficiency, improved user experiences, and greater automation. Ultimately we want to achieve the highest levels of automation to ensure our customers get the best product at the best price, driven by efficiency and optimisation.鈥�

The team are now busy with centralising production to always ensure the highest standards of quality and reliability. 鈥淭hrough 麻豆原创鈥橲 world-class technology deployment, our organisation will also be future fit for regulatory compliance, while our team members will have access to some of the latest technology to support the vital work they do.鈥�

, regional sales director for emerging Africa at 麻豆原创, says: 鈥淥rganisations throughout the region are making vital investments in technology to unlock greater efficiency, optimise core processes, and establish a strong foundation for future innovation.

鈥淗ewatele鈥檚 outstanding implementation, supported by experienced partners at VC ERP, positions the organisation well as it prepares to scale up its life-saving production capabilities.鈥�

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Hardeep Sound, Regional Sales Director: Emerging Africa at 麻豆原创, noted that organisations throughout the region are investing in business transformation and technology for greater efficiency and resilience. “Interest in business AI and cloud ERP solutions are at an all-time high as companies seek to reimagine their business future by leveraging powerful technologies. Powered by the latest digital transformation capabilities and supported by a rich ecosystem of expert partners, companies throughout East Africa are accelerating their innovation efforts and unlocking new growth opportunities.”

The comments were made at 麻豆原创 Innovation Day Kenya, part of a series of global events held in key markets across the world. The Kenya event follows successful similar events held in South Africa and Nigeria in May and July respectively.

麻豆原创 Innovation Day Kenya brought together business and technology leaders from across the East Africa region to discuss the latest strategies and approaches to technology-led innovation. Key to the discussions was the role of business AI in powering the region’s next wave of innovation and growth.

Johannes Dressler, Managing Director for Emerging Africa at 麻豆原创, emphasised that East Africa is a strategic market for 麻豆原创, and is home to some of the fastest-growing economies in the world. He noted that East African organisations can leverage technology to achieve sustainable growth and market competitiveness. 鈥淓very organisation in the region and globally is striving to understand how to leverage technologies such as AI, which have become necessities instead of luxuries. To remain competitive and thrive in turbulent markets, companies today need to connect their end-to-end processes and drive greater efficiency, innovation, revenue and profitability.鈥�

Interest in artificial intelligence is growing amid the promise of greater efficiency and scale. AI has also been identified as a key thematic focus by the Kenya National Innovation Agency’s , especially its application in developing innovative solutions for use in biotech, urban planning and climate change efforts.

Evert-Jan Tromp, Vice President for Cloud and Innovation: EMEA at 麻豆原创, highlighted that the current focus is on laying the foundation for organisations to adopt and derive value from technologies like AI. “Enterprises are transforming their capabilities to establish a clean core that can drive their success with AI and other emerging technologies. Here, our partner ecosystem plays a crucial role by helping companies understand the processes and best practices that accelerate adoption and maximize value realization.”

At a panel discussion held during the event, Martin Mwarangu, Group Chief Information Officer at the Kenya Tea Development Agency shared insight into his company鈥檚 transformation journey. The Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) is a private company owned by 600 000 smallholder tea farmers spread across 16 tea-growing counties throughout Kenya.

鈥淭he business case for our transformation journey was to achieve greater efficiencies and cost-savings throughout our operations while centralising our data and establishing a solid foundation for our future transformation efforts,鈥� says Mwarangu. 鈥淥ne of our core objectives is the adoption of best practices, for example standardised financial reporting across our various business entities that would enable improved decision-making.鈥�

KTDA will continue to evaluate further innovations in their transformation journey. Mwarangu added: 鈥淲e are in the people business, with hundreds of thousands of suppliers and farmers and other players in our broader value chain, and intend to leverage 麻豆原创鈥檚 human capital management and supplier management solutions to enhance our capabilities.鈥�

The event also included the announcement of a significant deal signing with pioneering social enterprise Hewatele, which specialises in the supply of medical oxygen to over 150 facilities across Kenya. Hewatele made the strategic decision to adopt 麻豆原创’s next-gen Cloud ERP solution to streamline operations and enhance its ability to deliver critical medical supplies more efficiently.

Dumisani Moyo, Marketing Director at 麻豆原创 Africa, acknowledged Hewatele CEO聽Dr. Zulfiqar Wali and CFO Joan Andia, highlighting the pivotal role that technology plays in shaping Africa鈥檚 future. 鈥淭his event serves as a testament to the continent’s growing digital maturity and the opportunities available for businesses that are ready to embrace innovation. This is not just about adopting new tools; it’s about transforming how businesses operate, engage with customers and stakeholders, and, importantly, how they drive sustainable growth, innovate rapidly with AI, and gain valuable data insights that can fuel their future success. We are thrilled to be at the forefront of this journey, empowering African enterprises to lead in the global marketplace through cutting-edge solutions and forward-thinking strategies.”

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