Broad-based black economic empowerment (BB-BEE)

AL Indigo understands that Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) is a process and believes passionately in sustainable growth; redressing social and economic inequities in South Africa and broadening the skills and asset base of the country as a whole. AL Indigo encourages a view of personnel and business development in the private sector, which is non-racial, non-sexist and non-discriminatory in the most fundamental sense. The Company’s view is that South Africa’s challenge is the positive integration of diversity and the fullest utilisation of our country’s variety of talents and aptitudes. AL Indigo supports Broad Based black economic empowerment with a very clear and determined BBBEE strategy driving each of the 7 scorecard elements within our organisation, allowing an active positive contribution to the transformation of the South African economy. An external verification of AL Indigo’s BBBEE contribution was conducted by one of the first SANAS accredited rating agencies in April 2009. The AL Indigo team invested many weeks to prepare for the verification to ensure that a realistic Scorecard would be issued for the Company to build a BBBEE strategy on. Taking into account the positive transformation changes in the organisation over the last few years, AL Indigo achieved a Level 4 BBBEE rating, one level higher than the Level 5 certificate issued in 2008. Based on the fact that AL Indigo is a Value Adding Supplier (VAS), the scoring gets multiplied by 1.25. Our customers are therefore able to recognise a 125% of their spend with AL Indigo as BEE spend.

What does all of this mean to you, our customer? Other than the fact that you are doing business with a South African, 100% black-owned company, very committed to making a difference in our local economy, actively driving a better future for all of us in this country, the scorecard benefits are as follows: Our customers can currently recognise 125% of their spending with AL Indigo as BBBEE spend for their scorecard preferential procurement element.

Where to from here? Through in depth analysis of our business and the 7 scorecard elements, AL Indigo’s BBBEE strategy is clear in terms of where our focus will be over the next few years:

Skills Development – The development of black skills within our organisation, enabling succession planning and promotional opportunities for our employees, which will support the achievement of our Employment Equity numerical goals.
Employment Equity – Recruitment of new employees and personal development planning of current employees will be aimed at improving the composition of the junior, mid and senior management levels within the organisation. These goals and objectives will be integrated into the business plan of AL Indigo. It will therefore be implemented with the same enthusiasm as all other aspects of the business plan

Al Indigo realises that these strategies cannot be effectively implemented over night. It will therefore be approached through ongoing in depth workforce analysis, planning, goal setting and consistent implementation to work towards reaching our goals over the next few years.