Recently added to the list of organisations partnering with SAP to deliver the Global Bharat program to its members is the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM). Taking on this initiative means paving the way for the Micro, Small, and Medium-sized Enterprises or MSMEs in India to have the support in skilling their workforce, get access to the global marketplace and accelerate their digital transformation in an ever-growing business landscape.
According to Dr Lovneesh Chanana, Vice President of Government Affairs for the Asia Pacific and Japan (APJ) at SAP, the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the concept of ‘Digital First’ to the forefront and that organisations must seize this opportunity to establish agile, resilient, and responsive models that can be changed on demand.
With going digital being considered by an increasing number of businesses, such as those in the MSME sector, as a way of surviving, recovering, and growing during the pandemic, Chanana added that SAP India’s Global Bharat initiative will empower Indian MSMEs in the following focus areas:
- Providing digital business networks to help them expand their reach to global markets.
- Helping stakeholders with their collective responsibility to promote awareness about technology solutions.
- Promoting the availability of a digital talent pool to meet the needs of the MSME sector, an area that necessitates collaboration between an industries and the government.
- Fostering learning from peers in the segment or the horizontal replication of experiences.
Just recently, SAP Indian Subcontinent President and Managing Director Kulmeet Bawa noted that the company has seen a lot of traction coming in from the MSME segment, even over the last few months. He stressed that the sector is one of the key pillars of SAP India’s strategy, adding that it is an area where the leadership team can “actually make a dent and help the Indian economy.”
Launched in association with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), NASSCOM Foundation, and the Pratham InfoTech Foundation, Global Bharat also reinforces the Indian government’s goal to empower the MSME industry by equipping them with the latest digital technologies and making significant investments to help them establish their businesses.
ASSOCHAM Joins SAP’s Global Bharat Initiative to Boost MSMEs in India
Moreover, Chanana said that the program will help MSMEs become globally competitive and future-ready by transforming their business processes and digitally skilling their workforce. Additionally, he stated that SAP has partnered with state governments, Central Ministries and other organisations to educate the youth on enterprise software to help facilitate a talent pool for MSMEs.
One of these is ASSOCHAM, a non-governmental trade association and advocacy group that fosters the growth of trade and industry in India. Akhilesh Jain, Chairman of MSME Sector Council at ASSOCHAM Eastern Region, and Perminder Kaur, Director of East and North East ASSOCHAM, said in a joint statement:
“With a legacy spanning 101 years, ASSOCHAM brings a wealth of experience and perspective along with an exhaustive range of industry and sector knowledge beneficial for the growth of our MSMEs.”
“We are bringing the Global Bharat movement along with SAP to the local businesses in the state of West Bengal, Assam and Odisha to ensure that MSMEs leverage technology to grow their businesses and become future-ready, leading to overall industry growth,” they added.
Through the Global Bharat movement, MSMEs in India particularly in the states of West Bengal, Assam, and Odisha will benefit from the following SAP partner networks and technologies:
- Access to SAP Ariba Discovery where members can register themselves as suppliers, get sales enquiries, and sell their products worldwide through the SAP Ariba Network — the largest digital B2B marketplace.
- Opportunities to digitally upskill their workforce with more than 240 courses on Digital Financial, Soft Skills, and Productivity Technologies through SAP India’s Code Unnati — a Golden Peacock Award-winning digital skilling initiative.
- Access to affordable, world-class ERP software solution, SAP’s Business One Starter Pack on the cloud, that aims to support businesses in providing reliable services and products to their clients.
Subramanian Ananthapadmanabhan, Vice President, Mid-Market, SAP Indian Subcontinent, said that SAP understands the technological needs and specific business requirements of MSMEs with more than 80{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of its customer base accounting for this segment.
“By bringing SAP’s Global Bharat movement along with ASSOCHAM to the local businesses, we are ensuring that they take full advantage of the offering to become future-ready and lead the charter in their industries for digital transformation,” he emphasised.
