Auto-Mate hits the expansion trial with Eliance
Auto-Mate hits the expansion trial with Eliance
Auto-Mate Dealer Management Systems, subsidiary of Convergence Partners’ investee company, Britehouse, has announced its acquisition of 100% of Eliance (Pty) Ltd. Ranked as South Africa’s top DMS service provider, and with over 30 years of experience in the automotive sector, Auto-Mate has a geographical footprint in 13 African and four Middle Eastern countries.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of Britehouse Holdings, Auto-Mate is one of four companies in the group: Britehouse SSD (specialist SAP division), 3fifteen (specialist Microsoft division) and Firestring (knowledge management and social business division). Formed in 2006, Britehouse’s shareholders include Dimension Data, Convergence Partners and Remgro.
Eliance is a specialist IT company providing wide-ranging business services and solutions tailored to the specific needs of clients within – and also outside of – the automotive sector. Established in 1998, initially to service the McCarthy Group’s marketing and IT needs, the company’s core competencies include customer relationship management (CRM), digital marketing and systems integration. Eliance became part of the Bidvest Group in 2004 following McCarthy’s merger with that group and, seven years later, a management buy-out saw control of the company shift into private hands.
“Eliance will continue to trade under its own name. Its overall structure will remain the same with previous management remaining in key positions to ensure that relationships remain on track, maintain high levels of service and support and guarantee continuity going forward,” says Auto- Mate CEO Claudio Camera.
The future of DMS lies in mastering the integration of complementary components he explains.
“Eliance forms part of our strategic growth plan to provide a comprehensive, 360 degree range of multi-faceted system and service solutions. While DMS will remain core to our business, going forward, Auto-Mate will now be in a position to afford customers a DMS solution that goes way beyond the market’s traditional expectations of what DMS offers. Our aim is to meet – and exceed – our customers’ needs and further strengthen Auto-Mate’s position and competitive advantage in our market.
“We are in the process of developing additional products that will complete our full circle service solution and these, in tandem with the complementary skill set, systems and services that Eliance brings to the table, will serve to underscore our vision to be the definitive customer- centric systems’ solutions partner to the automotive industry,” adds Camera.
Marthinus Strydom, shareholder and CEO of Eliance concurs. “This acquisition allows Eliance added growth opportunities and the ability to innovate further in the context of changing traditional dealer management systems to provide more diverse business functionality and measurement in, for example, lead management and CRM.
“We firmly believe that Eliance is now in a place that will allow us to achieve our growth ambitions and take the business to the next level.”
The two companies’ blue chip customer base includes Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Fiat and Alfa Romeo, Mahindra, Imperial, AMH, CMH, McCarthy, Super Group and Sandown Motors.
“Auto-Mate already ranks as South Africa’s leading DMS provider and we are now embarking on a phase of strategic growth. A key focus is to expand our extended range of systems and services to motor manufacturers, retail motor groups, smaller, independent players and also to industries allied to the automotive sector domestically and beyond South Africa,” concludes Camera.
“These are exciting times for Auto-Mate and the sectors in which we operate.”