Saudi gold titan taps 3i Infotech solution to achieve business excellence

Dammam, Saudi Arabia - July 25, 2009 - Ghassan Holding Group (GHG), one of the largest business conglomerates in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), today announced the selection of the ORION ERP II software solution from the global technology solutions and services provider,
3i Infotech.

Ghassan Al-Nemer Group, famous for the gold business with rich experience and exceptional reputation, is a privately owned family business. The family has been involved in the gold business (originally as goldsmith) for approximately 122 years, with the skills passed along within the family from one generation to the next. With the collective wisdom and experience spanning over 122 years, Mr. Ghassan A. Al-Nemer started his business in 1985, and he expanded rapidly securing a significant market share. Ghassan now operates 19 gold jewellery outlets in KSA with wholesale offices in Dammam, Jeddah and Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). These outlets deal in a complete range of high class gold and diamond jewellery and artefacts. Ghassan has been ranked as the ’number one‘ gold supplier in the KSA, with gold trading turnover of SAR 13.476 billion (US$ 3.6 billion) for fiscal year 2008.

The group is professionally managed and the management inculcates the commitment to excellence and customer satisfaction at all times and in all the areas of the group’s diversified business. In line with the Kingdom’s policy of encouraging indigenous workforce, 70% of GHG employees are Saudis, who have been rigorously trained to cope with the needs and requirements of their work.

In addition to the gold and jewellery business, the group has a diversified portfolio with interests in real estate, financial investments, general contracting, trading in electronics, hardware, manufacturing of wooden furniture & fixtures and heavy transport business. GHG is a significant player in the transportation business and owns over 200 heavy commercial vehicles.

As the Group steadily expands, GHG deemed it fit to utilize a software solution that would help maximize ’Enterprise-level Resource Planning‘ to better address the multi-faceted business needs of the Group companies and further enhance its operations and services, such as:

Group level consolidation, to review the business performance at the group level
Company-wise consolidation of data to review each company’s performance
Seamless integration of all the business functions (marketing, HR, finance, operations, etc.) of each company
Proper controls and visibility of end-to-end process of all companies
Proper control and visibility of procurement process
Proper control and visibility of vehicle fleet (key aspect of transportation business)
Availability of centralized customer information
Create self-service and paperless environment
Accurate information to analyze the business performance
Timely availability of accurate information to all the management team for fast decision-making

3i Infotech’s ORION ERP II is an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution that will help Ghassan Holding in its operations across KSA and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries by providing effective control and visibility on stocks, procurement, costs, processes and documents. The solution will centralize fleet management, consolidate various systems, and provide information for effectively managing project timelines.

Commenting on the tie-up, Mr. Ghassan A. Al Nemer, Chairman of Ghassan Holding, said: “Our vision is to actively participate in the economic development of the Kingdom by heavily investing in key sectors. In line with our strategy of business diversification and geographic expansion, we scouted for a technology partner that would map our requirements and provide the right consultancy. We feel that ORION ERP II is a highly dynamic, scalable and a flexible solution that can take us to the next level and cater to our needs within the GCC and globally.”

Mr. Pankaj Chawla, CEO and President, 3i Infotech, Middle East, Africa, Russia & CIS (MEARC), said: “At 3i Infotech we have understood the critical requirements of Ghassan Holding and we are providing the best ERP solution that will augment future growth plans of this visionary Group. It is with this focus that we recently set up our office in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and put in place a dedicated team of professionals who will look after key clients such as GHG.

“In a highly competitive business environment, excellence in the chosen fields of endeavour could best be realized with the application of a greatly efficient and dependable solution from 3i Infotech, and it’s here where the ORION ERP II software solution has a significant edge.”

Mr. Ashish Dass, Sr. Vice President & Business Head, MEARC, 3i Infotech, said, “With ORION ERP II software solution in place, GHG is set to achieve notable gains, such as:

Effective control and visibility of stocks, costs, process and documents for all group companies
Group and each company level consolidation of data
Implementation and centralization of human resource policies
Cost and process control will provide the visibility on the cost incurred when any asset (property / land) is acquired
Fleet management solution for the transportation business will ensure effective utilization of drivers and vehicles, and thereby increase profitability
Vehicle life cycle management. This will provide vehicle-wise profit / loss statement
Effective control tracking of project timelines and cost
Effective and timely availability of information.”

About 3i Infotech
3i Infotech provides a range of Information Technology (IT) solutions for the insurance, banking & finance, capital markets, mutual funds, e-Governance, manufacturing, and retail & distribution sectors. The Company's quality certifications include SEI CMMI Level 5 for Software business, ISO 9001:2000 for BPO, ISO/IEC 27001:2005 for Data Center Operations and ISO/IEC 20000-1:2005 for Data Center Management Services.

Using its domain knowledge and through continuous investment in technologies, 3i Infotech Limited helps corporations in their businesses through its expertise in enterprise-class software solutions, software services, information security consulting, IT infrastructure and Disaster Recovery solutions. 3i Infotech has a presence across 5 continents and serves customers in 50 countries.

For almost two decades, 3i Infotech has been serving the Middle East and Africa region. 3i Infotech's list of more than 1,500 customers includes those in the GCC countries, Africa, the Central Asian Republics and the Mediterranean countries.

For more information, please contact:
M.B. Battliwala
Senior General Manager
3i Infotech Limited
Akruti Centre Point, 6th Floor
M.I.D.C Central Road
Next to Marol Telephone Exchange
Andheri (East), Mumbai - 400 093
India
Tel: 91-22-39145560
Fax: 91-22-39145520
E-mail: corporate@3i-infotech.com

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