
Paradigm and EBM Putting Out Fires
A Charka Case Study
Charka (Pty) Ltd, manufacturers and distributors of charcoal products, briquettes and fire-lighters, has been a part of many South African Braais since 1978. As the company and the demand for their products grew like wild fire over the years, they ran into some business challenges which led them to looking for solutions in order to effortlessly continue to supply the braai and keep the hearts and families of South Africans happy.
In 2016 management became aware that they were in urgent need of financial reports and information that is accurate and timeous. “We needed a sound and tested accounting system that is user friendly, and compliant. We were struggling with our then current accounting system, and upon enquiring, our auditors introduced us to Lara (EBM’s Evolution and Paradigm Consultant).
“We worked with great consultants during the procurement process. Lara listened and guided us with the right solutions. With the help from the EBM and Paradigm teams, we were able to “build” our own capturing and reporting system, unique to Charka and it’s users” said Arista Vogel, Financial Manager of Safire Charka.
Charka’s expectation was to find an accounting system that works effectively, not only for management but for the day to day users as well. They needed a system where support would always be available when they need it. But most importantly they wanted a system they could manage themselves.
When asked if these expectations were successfully met, Arista happily responded, “Yes. We have access to current financial information and reports. We have a user friendly system and as Managers, we can manage and maintain functions, user rights etc.
“Reports that used to be done manually, and were time consuming, are now done with the BIC reporting. Data capturing has also become less time consuming, as some orders can be downloaded electronically, and does not have to be manually re-captured.”
The company no longer operates on a smoke and mirror methodology, but rather on accurate data reports that are transparent and available to all the decision makers, which is made possible with Evolution and Paradigm.
It has been 3 years since Charka switched to Evolution and Paradigm. They are still going strong and not looking back!