Qatar’s Khalid Cement Industries Complex Selects Epicor® as the technology partner

Khalid Cement Industries Complex (KCIC), one of the largest concrete manufacturing companies in Qatar, today announced the selection of Epicor 9, Epicor’s next-generation enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, in order to streamline KCIC’s entire chain of operations. The partnership with KCIC will allow Epicor Software Corporation (NASDAQ: EPIC), the leading provider of enterprise business software solutions for the midmarket and divisions of Global 1000 companies, to consolidate its position in the high growth Qatari economy.

Established in 2000, KCIC has had a remarkable growth story under the leadership of His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Bin Khalid Al-Thani, Chairman and CEO of KCIC. The company has played a pioneering role in the fast track development of the national infrastructure, utilizing some of the country’s finest ‘state of the art’ plant and machinery. Today KCIC is one of the foremost suppliers of complete concrete solutions in Qatar employing over 1000 people specializes in the manufacturing and selling of Ready Mix Concrete and Finished Concrete Products, including Hollow Core Slabs, Concrete Blocks, Interlock, Precast Building Panels and Beams, Boundary Walls and Kerbstones.

The company’s total production capacity stands at 9.500 cubic meter ready mix across its three manufacturing units situated at Salwa Industrial Area, Doha and two other in Dafna and Dukhan. KCIC’s Salwa Industrial Area plant is the largest admeasuring 200000 square meter. In addition, two more KCIC plants are expected to start production during the 1st quarter of 2010.

KCIC will deploy Epicor 9 across all divisions of the company streamlining core business verticals including financials, supply chain management, production management, customer relationship management etc. Epicor’s industry-leading ERP solution based on SOA architecture will also provide for complete business intelligence tools optimizing KCIC business operations and connect KCIC ‘s all remote locations in real-time enabling a continuous control over the daily operations, thus facilitating timely and critical decision making capabilities.

With Epicor 9, KCIC users will be able to interact with information residing in the company’s ERP systems through the 2007 Microsoft® Office system (Office Outlook® 2007, Office Word 2007, and Office Excel® 2007) and via mobile devices, such as Windows Mobile®, Symbian, BlackBerry®, and the Apple iPhone™—ultimately driving increased efficiency and value for business.

According to Mr. Kamal Abuhuzeimah, General Manager Corporate Governance: “In order for a corporate to function properly and serve its purpose; a proper and effective (ERP) solution system must be in place. That is why we opted for “Epicor 9” as the solution to the challenges facing KCIC now and to provide us with a clear path for the future so we can fulfill our commitment to our customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders. “

Wissam Iskandar, MD, Ictus Projects: “Qatar has witnessed unprecedented growth in the last few years. This rapidly changing economic environment has thrown significant challenges to the IT solutions providers catering to the needs of companies here. Having said that, Epicor is best suited, given the breath of the solutions, especially their latest release Epicor 9, to meet the challenges thrown by fast growing companies in Qatar, effectively and in a timely manner; and this remains true even in the current dynamic and yet uncertain economic environment.”  

“KCIC chose to partner with Epicor after a rigorous RFP process, we are confident that Epicor will provide KCIC with a clear IT path for the future helping them fulfill their requirements set out by KCIC’s customers, suppliers, employees and shareholders.”

Mr. Basil Daniells, Regional Director for Epicor in the Middle East, Africa, Turkey and India said: “We are pleased to partner with one of the leading cement manufacturing company in Qatar. Epicor understands the challenges facing a fast growing company with a diverse portfolio like KCIC, and we believe our solution is well-suited to their business. As more companies recognize the importance of SOA-based enterprise applications in driving company-wide efficiencies, we expect to see the initial excellent momentum gained by Epicor 9 to continue.”