17, July 2008, London: leading SAP HCM specialist ROC, has today announced that South Africa-based SAP HCM consultancy, SWICON has joined forces with ROC Group to lead ROC’s African business initiative. The objective of the two companies is to jointly penetrate the sub-Saharan Africa market.

The African venture means that SWICON will trade as “SWICON, member of the ROC Group” and at a later stage, will be fully integrated into the ROC fold. This announcement follows hot on the heels of the news of ROC France and an initiative where ROC Group has partnered with Quintisys in Benelux.

The African drive and partnership with SWICON is another significant step towards ROC Group’s business objective of becoming the largest global SAP HCM consultancy by the end of 2008. The partnership will prove hugely beneficial to ROC and SWICON’s clients and partners, as it enables both companies to provide a fuller complement of SAP services and expands the workforce, making the combined organisation a larger and more stable entity. It also underpins both companies’ commitment to SAP HCM technology.

Les Hayman, chairman of ROC and ex CEO of SAP EMEA championed the deal: “This partnership with SWICON and the African initiative is a hugely exciting move for ROC Group. Africa is a crucially important market for many of our clients and in order to position ourselves as a truly global partner, it is imperative to establish a presence there. In terms of a partner for this region, SWICON was the right fit for ROC, given its culture, the depth of experience of the executive team and local knowledge.”

Markus Bucher, managing director of SWICON and executive board member of ROC Group commented: “SWICON is delighted to be partnering with ROC Group in Africa. Being part of a global organisation brings significant benefits to our people, partners and clients. Together, we look forward to getting significant traction in the sub-Saharan African market. It is also important to note that this deal will in now way affect SWICON’s status as a level 1 B-BBEE (broad-based black economic empowerment) contributor.”

 Editors’ NotesROC  ROC is a global SAP HCM specialist, delivering HCM business and technology solutions across the HCM lifecycle, from strategic planning, through process and organisational design, to implementation. ROC also provides a full range of consultancy services – training and change management – to support technology implementations. ROC is an accredited SAP partner providing specialized HCM consulting, implementation and support services. ROC currently has 160 HR consultants across 10 countries. ROC has domain expertise across a range of sectors, including: food and beverage, FMCG, public sector, automotive and engineering, retail and utilities. Clients include Convergys, Premier Foods, Bentley, Royal Mail, Siemens, Tecnocom, Dielako and Brose.www.roc-group.com  

Swicon Boilerplate Swicon is Southern Africa’s leading provider of SAP HR/Payroll Business Solutions. Swicon’s offering includes services from HCM Consultancy / Advisory, SAP HCM Implementation to SAP HCM Operations. Swicon currently has 50+ consultants and is a certified Level 1 B-BBEE (Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment) contributor. Swicon partners with SAP as a registered SAP Business Partner, SAP A1 and Business Edge Partner as well as with the leaders in the field of Workforce Planning/ Talent Management and Time & Attendance and Access Control solutions. Swicon’s client base includes local and multinational companies as well as parastatal organisations. www.swicon.co.za    www.swicongroup.com   

Press ContactsLucy Clark/ Joanna Quayle/ Toby BrownBuffalo CommunicationsTel: +44 (0) 20 7 292 8680Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it