Operating across two countries, multiple companies, diverse regulatory environments made it difficult to maintain visibility and control. Holler Trade needed a solution that could support growth and help coordinate between South African and Zambian operations, each with different warehousing and regulatory requirements.
Founded by brothers Alex and Andrea De Leo, Holler Trade is a procurement and logistics company operating across South Africa and Zambia. The business has grown organically from its roots in procurement to incorporate robust logistics capabilities — ensuring efficient and economical delivery of goods into Africa.
Their customer base is highly diverse, ranging from commercial farming and mining to hospitality, construction, NGOs, and even individual consumers. They have sourced everything from a pack of toothpicks to a 60-ton excavator — and everything in between.
Holler Trade is intentionally reactive — they do not hold stock, but instead source to order based on the specific needs of their clients.
“Holler Trade is a procurement and logistics company based in Midrand. We have offices in Zambia, and I have a partner, who is also my brother – Andrea. We have about 50 people working for us,” reflects Alex De Leo, Co-founder, Holler Trade.
Pain points
As Holler Trade expanded, so did the complexity of its operations. The business had outgrown Excel-based processes, particularly as it managed cross-border logistics and warehousing between South Africa and Zambia.
Operating across two countries, multiple companies, and diverse regulatory environments made it increasingly difficult to maintain visibility and control.
“It has been a 12-year journey, and we started in the dark ages of Excel,” says Fiona Kimmins, Financial Accountant, Holler Trade. “Holler Trade needed a solution that could support growth and help it coordinate between the South African and Zambian operations, each with different warehousing and regulatory requirements.”
The solution
To support its growing operational demands, Holler Trade selected Epicor ERP, with the implementation managed by Epicor partner epic ERP.
epic ERP is a South African-based ERP consulting firm delivering advanced business management solutions across on-premise and cloud environments. With over 75 years of collective experience, the company empowers mid-sized to corporate organisations to make profitable decisions through world-class ERP and MES platforms.
epic ERP specialises in solving complex business challenges, enhancing competitiveness, and future-proofing operations. Their expert consultants serve a broad range of industries across Southern Africa, offering tailored guidance and implementation. Backed by strong academic credentials and a customer-first approach, epic ERP is committed to unlocking value and driving growth through strategic technology adoption.
The implementation began with a deep dive: the team spent four weeks mapping out business processes in detail — step by step, line by line — ensuring the Epicor solution was tailored to how Holler Trade operates.
“Epicor understands our business, how we do things,” says Kimmins.
From day one, Holler Trade had support to look at processes and ask: how can we do this better and more efficiently? How does the product work for us?
Because of the way Epicor’s solution stack has been put together, it allowed Holler Trade to configure software solutions that are tailored to their specific requirements.
Gains and ROI
With the last Epicor upgrade, Holler Trade has discovered new functionalities. It has completely changed their processes. Holler Trade did not have to go looking for new systems — the tools were already there, within Epicor.
Epicor’s strength is taking massive amounts of data and making it accessible in a digestible way — supporting real-time decision-making that can impact both short- and long-term outcomes.
Epicor helps businesses go paperless by digitising core processes such as invoicing, purchase orders, and quality documentation. Integrated document management, e-signature support, and mobile access reduce reliance on physical records, streamline approvals, and improve auditability—especially in manufacturing and distribution environments.
Epicor ERP has transformed Holler Trade’s operations, particularly on the finance side, enabling multi-company, multi-currency accounting and seamless integration across warehousing, logistics, and procurement.
Holler Trade now has, in simple terms, a safety net. Everything that goes into the ERP, Holler Trade can track. From warehousing and stock programmes to integrated accounting that ties into our orders, receipts, and dispatches. The system provides traceability, transparency, and the ability to adapt to regulatory needs across borders.
Epicor is helping Holler Trade change because they can now tailor and adapt to changes in the regulatory sphere. This will help them to work in different countries, while meeting the regulatory needs within those countries where Holler Trade is operating. This includes Zambia and the South African Regulatory Service. If the regulations in these countries change Holler Trade can adapt by making modifications to Epicor ERP.
Epicor has also helped Holler Trade go fully paperless — an essential shift during the pandemic and continues to unlock new process efficiencies with every upgrade.
Looking forward, Holler Trade is excited by the roadmap and innovation Epicor offers. Holler Trade is impressed by the ongoing enhancements — especially around Cognitive AI. Features like predictive scheduling and smarter forecasting will make a difference.
