Financial Times

iOM Sri Lanka, one of Asia's pioneering IT solution providers that services a large and growing global client-base, has secured a contract to supply and implement ‘Retailigence’ at the Sri Lanka Handicraft Board, Laksala.
Retailigence, the end-to-end solution for medium to large-scale retail and distribution channels, is highly scalable and also offers easy integration to financial and enterprise solutions. By providing a complete, integrated information services infrastructure on a single database, Retailigence addresses the issues of system stability and security that are mission critical in any business. The project is scheduled to be completed within seven months, the Information and Communications Technology Agency (ICTA) which awarded the contract to iOm, said in a statement.

“Laksala has been selected as one of the main projects under the eServices initiative on account of its high impact and visibility to both the citizens and businesses,” ICTA CEO Manju Haththotuwa said.

The objective of Laksala is to promote and protect the Sri Lankan handicrafts industry. Laksala helps and nurtures Sri Lankan craftsmen by providing them opportunities and livelihood through purchasing and selling their items.

Laksala also provides design ideas and as well as craftsmen skill improvement ideas via its National Craft Council and National Design Centres. By enabling Laksala to re-engineer their operations and processes to be effective and efficient via the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in this competitive market, it will also enable to sustain the survival and development of many of the Sri Lankan craftsmen and the art of craft.

iOM won this contract over intense competition from more than 20 IT Solution Providers. iOM (formerly known as EDS) is one of the longest established IT enablers in Asia with 27 years of experience in ERP implementations and over two decades of expertise in implementing retail solutions in Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Cyprus, Seychelles, Philippines, Thailand, and the Middle East.

The solution proposed by iOM had been recommended by the ICTA which is the apex body involved in ICT policy and national direction. Fully owned by the Sri Lankan government, ICTA is the implementing organization of the e-Sri Lanka Initiative. Major donors including the World Bank, Korean EXIM Bank and JAICA will be funding a number of Agency's initiatives.