Distributors of Ghana Cement (Ghacem), the country's largest cement manufacturer and market leader, will now use e-zwich as a payment mode for purchases from the factory. Under the arrangement, Ghacem Sales Persons in the regions will visit the distributors with Point of Sales (POS) devices to enable them to pay for their goods using the e-zwich card. The programme, which started on a pilot basis at Winneba in the Central Region with eight distributors, has chalked successes for over eight months now. The Acting Commercial Director at Ghacem, Philip Archer, said the pilot project had been a great success, encouraging the cement manufacturer to extend it to its distributors nationwide. Over 22 distributors at the Achimota and Madina Sales Outlets, the two sales points in Accra, have recently been trained on how the system works. Distributors who currently do not have e-zwich cards are in the process of acquiring one and will soon start paying for their cement orders electronically. The exercise will be extended to Tema and Kumasi sales points shortly and gradually to all corners of the country where Ghacem has sales points. Mr Archer explained that the e-zwich payment system shortens the process involved in placing order for cement, making it less cumbersome and convenient for distributors. He added that the e-zwich system had enabled the company to bring its business closer to the clients and this he considered an added value to distributors. Mr Archer noted that the Sales Representatives would go to the distributors with a POS device and the slip after which the payment made with the e-zwich would be scanned and sent to the factory in Tema for supplies after going through the rest of the order processing. The new process, he said, would save the distributors a lot of time and cost incurred in getting a payment draft. Ghacem has been working closely with Ghana Interbank Payment and Settlement Systems (GhIPSS) to ensure that its distributors use the e-zwich. The two institutions will in future encourage cement retailers to also acquire the e-zwich cards. This, Mr Archer said, would reduce the use of huge sums of cash that circulate within the cement trade. "In the near future, the distributors will acquire their own POS devices so that they can pay directly to Ghacem with a real time confirmation of payment from their offices," the Acting Commercial Director said. Source: GNA