Cocking a snook at the prevailing tough economic climate, a Durban-based Oracle Corporation Partner is reporting strong growth and is going national after ten years of success in KwaZulu-Natal. Despite the adverse market conditions, TiFozi is reaping the rewards of an aggressive expansion plan by securing new business and rapidly growing its competencies through acquisition, key hires and organic growth. 

According to Managing Director Kenny Naidoo, the company established itself over the last decade through the provision of JD Edwards support for Tiger Brands in the province. "In January, the company directors decided the time was ripe to grow the business into other regions and into markets beyond its anchor client," he says.

The appointment of Ken Cullinan was a direct result of this decision; as a former managing director of an EOH company, a major Oracle Partner and also having served as a group executive director of the group, his talents are central to Tifozi's rapid expansion. 

Cullinan relates that the first acquisition took place just weeks after he joined the company. "We acquired an Oracle Partner, also Kwa-Zulu-Natal based, called Fusion ERP. It's specialisation in the Oracle eBusiness Suite and Oracle Retail immediately added valuable depth and breadth to the existing JD Edwards competence within TiFozi," he explains  

Furthermore, Cullinan notes that the Fusion ERP team, headed by Glen Mountney, maintains a sound relationship with Oracle Consulting SA and executes a number of projects for the vendor. 

As it looks to enter the Gauteng region, the company has made another key appointment by securing the services of Layton Mtimkulu Kakana, a former Director at Deloitte, who previously headed the Oracle division at Deloitte. Scheduled to join TiFozi as a director and shareholder in June, Kakana's immediate responsibility will be the opening of an office for the growing company in Johannesburg. 

Between them, Cullinan and Kakana headed two of the largest Oracle practises in the country and will leverage their skills and relationships to grow TiFozi in the future.

Furthermore, as a result of Kakana's appointment, TiFozi is a majority black owned business with 55% of the shareholding owned by previously disadvantaged individuals (PDI). In addition to Kakana and Cullinan, the directorial team includes Naidoo, while 58% of the staff complement is comprised of PDIs.

Cullinan points out the calibre of the TiFozi leadership team is a key element which will contribute to drive its growth. "The organisation has already secured several new deals since January and our pipeline and trajectory are looking substantially positive," he says.

The new business includes two jobs in Durban, secured through TiFozi's ability to deliver new resources, a project in Johannesburg which will draw on the company's new resources, and a deal in Cape Town through a reference from Oracle sales.

"In due course, we intend to open an office in Cape Town, with our focus now falling on securing further business in the spheres of local and national government entities as well as delivering Oracle-centric services and solutions to private business," Cullinan states.

TiFozi has scheduled its official launch to coincide with the South African Oracle User Group Conference (SAOUG), taking place for the first time in Durban in June this year.

 For more information visit www.tifozi.co.za