Shelly Dutton — January 8, 2017 In small and midsize businesses, supply chains can sometimes be more daunting than their much-larger rivals’. The challenges may be the same; but when every customer counts, there is little room for delayed product shipments, lost material orders, and low-quality supplies. Access to high-quality resources at the right time, right place, and right quantity matters to smaller firms. But more important, they must take every opportunity to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty, generate a stable cash flow, and reduce overhead costs.
To create supply chains with “big business” advantages such as cost-efficiency, growth-enablement, and strategic outcomes, small and midsize companies require a forward-thinking mindset and the right tools. The eBook “Ecosystem in Action: SME Customer Success Stories,” recently released by SAP, offers various examples of supply chains that are running like a big business with the agility and nimbleness that only small and midsize firms can deliver. Here are three of those success stories.
CPIC Abahsain Fiberglass: Driving 50% higher operational efficiency
With a workforce of 350 employees, CPIC Abahsain Fiberglass, a joint venture uniting Bahrain-based Abahsain Fiberglass and China-based Chongqing Polycomp International Corporation (CPIC), is fulfilling the high demand for corrosion-resistant fiberglass and glass fiber across the Persian Gulf region. The company has created a business model dependent on high-quality products, proximity to its customers, reliability, and timeliness. However, maintaining this well-earned reputation required a new perspective after Abahsain opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility shortly after its partnership with CPIC was formed.
To operate more efficiently as it significantly increased production output and connectivity with CPIC, Abahsain implemented a foundational enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution system. In short order, CPIC Abahsain Fiberglass enhanced its ability to change and expedite product customizations – leading to 50% greater efficiency, 10% lower operational costs, and higher customer satisfaction.
Royal Can Industries: Bringing clarity to product costs and driving 5% cost savings
For years, Royal Can Industries has demonstrated mastery in the art of maintaining the lush flavor and nutrients of fruits and vegetables as they are packed in a tin can and shipped to the rest of the world. As a leading packaging can manufacturer in Thailand, the company is the first company of its kind to penetrate the Japanese market – proving its position as the industry’s primary innovator.
When demand and revenue surged, Royal Can Industries’ siloed platform made it difficult to support informed decision making. After implementing an ERP application, all levels of the firm gained an uninterrupted flow of business-critical information and detailed visibility into costs by product and process. With greater transparency and a clear vision, Royal Can Industries decreased its costs by five percent while consistently innovating attractive and convenient packaging designs for consumers.
3F Industries: Responding to dynamic market conditions
3F Industries is playing a vital role in millions of households, bakeries, and confectionery manufacturers – providing vegetable fat products and edible oils that make food healthier, tastier, and longer lasting. To stay competitive in a highly dynamic market that varies from one location to another, 3F must customize its offerings quickly with a high level of flexibility and accuracy.
An ERP software system running on an in-memory computing platform has brought tremendous advantages to 3F’s production operations. The company can now respond quickly to changing market conditions by tailoring daily price changes and schemes to align with different products and locations. Plus, digitalization of quality management activities is ensuring consistent control over product quality across the entire value chain – from procurement to sales – to safeguard the hard-earned trust of its consumers and customers.
Bring “big business” advantage to your supply chain. Learn from the stories of 90 small and midsize firms that are embracing their own digital transformation.
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