Established in 1999, Exotic Food Thailand has grown to distribute over 800 products across 80 countries, becoming synonymous with authentic Thai flavors worldwide. This impressive expansion has recently seen a remarkable 73% increase in year-over-year sales, largely attributed to the deployment of the RISE with SAP package. The comprehensive solution, which includes AI-driven cloud ERP capabilities, has enabled Exotic Food to manage its rapid growth and large transaction volumes seamlessly.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the surge in home cooking led to an increased demand for Exotic Food’s products. However, this demand exposed the limitations of their existing on-premise ERP system, which struggled to scale effectively. In response, the company transitioned to RISE with SAP on Amazon Web Services (AWS) in January 2023. The migration to SAP S/4HANA Cloud has integrated key business functions, streamlined processes, and enhanced real-time decision-making, while AWS hosting has improved performance and reliability.

Enhanced Efficiency and Real-Time Decision Making

The adoption of RISE with SAP has been a transformative step for Exotic Food. According to Vasana Jantarach, Co-Founder and Managing Director, the cloud ERP system has optimized operational workloads and maintained staff capacity. The integration of financial processes across departments now provides a centralized view, automating tasks such as sales order computation, inventory management, and order fulfillment. This real-time handling of diverse product configurations allows Exotic Food to reach more customers globally in a shorter time.

The SAP S/4HANA Cloud has significantly reduced manual workloads, leading to faster and more accurate financial closings. Previously, month-end closings required extensive verification and correction of source data, resulting in lengthy delays. With real-time data recording and verification, financial reports are now generated more quickly and with fewer errors, reducing the time required for monthly closings from 18 days to just eight.

Automation and Data Traceability Using SAP Cloud ERP Solution

In the food industry, data traceability, production planning, and automation are critical. Previously, Exotic Food relied on paper-based transaction records, which made financial audits cumbersome. Now, with digitalized and centralized data on SAP S/4HANA Cloud, efficiency has markedly improved. Tasks that once took hours are now completed in minutes, providing a 99 percent reduction in time spent on traceability.

Automation has also streamlined operations, significantly reducing stocktaking time from two days to just half a day. This reduction in manual processes has freed up staff to focus on more strategic and business-critical tasks, thereby boosting overall productivity and innovation.

Kulwipa Piyawattanametha, Managing Director of SAP Indochina, emphasized the transformative impact of SAP solutions on Exotic Food’s operations. The company’s shift to the cloud has resulted in enhanced information management, increased data transparency, and more efficient decision-making processes. With the flexibility to add new solution extensions and leverage AI-powered capabilities, Exotic Food is well-positioned to continue its innovative trajectory.

The success of this migration is attributed to a clear ERP scope, experienced SAP implementation partners, and robust post-go-live support. Wisit Wirayagorn, Managing Director of NTT DATA Business Solutions (Thailand) Ltd., highlighted the importance of expertise in both the manufacturing and food industries. As the implementation partner, NTT DATA has worked closely with SAP and Exotic Food to ensure a smooth transition and ongoing optimization of business operations both in Thailand and globally.

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NTT DATA has been commended by Everest Group for its advanced capabilities across multiple dimensions, including delivery capability and market success. Its robust value proposition focuses on helping clients create tangible business outcomes through its extensive portfolio of services and solutions combined with broad industry expertise.

Furthermore, Everest Group has placed NTT DATA in a prominent position as a Leader across seven distinct areas – evaluating the company’s overall market impact, its comprehensive vision and capability, strategy, scope of services offered, level of innovation and investments made, value provided to customers, and rate of market adoption. The company also stands out for its strong global presence and expanding client base, which reiterates its commitment to continual innovation that helps clients maximize their investments in SAP technologies.

At last year’s SAP Sapphire Tokyo conference, NTT DATA unveiled a new packaged solution dubbed Connected Product in collaboration with SAP Asia-Pacific Japan (SAP APJ). Using the Connected Product solution, the two businesses will be able to provide complete, end-to-end solutions that prioritize productivity and efficiency. The SAP Business Network for Logistics, Global Track and Trace Option serves as the foundation for the Connected Product, which provides logistics companies with connected and traceable supply chains.

According to Norbert Rotter, SVP of NTT DATA Corporation and CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions AG, an NTT DATA entity dedicated solely to providing SAP solutions to clients worldwide, businesses today are looking to get more out of their SAP investments by taking advantage of the cloud and achieving more domain-specific innovations in customer experience (CX) and efficient service delivery.

Commenting on Everest Group’s recognition of the company as a Leader in SAP Business Application Services, Rotter said that it validates the company’s ability to generate the outcomes customers need. He further shared:

“NTT DATA’s 30-plus years of SAP experience along with our ongoing investments in tools, technology accelerators, skills development, and strategic alliances together with our advisory expertise make us the perfect strategic partner for SAP implementations and operations, being close to our customers in their transformation journey.”

Recognized as Leader in SAP Business Application Services

Everest Group identifies NTT DATA in the research as a relevant service provider for businesses in the Asia-Pacific and European regions that are looking for onshore-centric, end-to-end services for SAP business application engagements. NTT DATA provides services to more than 5,000 SAP customers all over the world through a network of more than 20 delivery centers in 58 different countries.

Moreover, the business has proven that it is capable of providing a comprehensive range of first-rate business consulting services, in addition to solution implementation and operation services, in support of SAP technology by earning the status of SAP Global Strategic Service Partner, which is the highest honor that SAP can bestow upon a partner. Abhishek Mundra, Practice Director at Everest Group, explained:

“As enterprises seek to future-proof their digital core, they are in need for SAP modernization and are increasing their investments in cloud-based ERP initiatives. Furthermore, enterprise objectives have evolved beyond cost efficiencies to enhancing stakeholder experience across customers, employees, and partners when adopting a cloud-based ERP model.”

“NTT DATA has invested in building a strong talent pool across core and emerging product areas of SAP. Clients have specifically appreciated NTT DATA’s project management capabilities and flexibility across engagements. Collectively, these capabilities have helped position NTT DATA as a Leader on Everest Group’s SAP Business Application Services PEAK Matrix Assessment 2022 – Global,” Mundra stated.

The PEAK Matrix Assessment recognizes NTT DATA as a credible partner due to the efforts the company has made in developing a solid talent base for SAP business application engagements. More than 19,000 IT specialists are employed by the organization and their primary focus is on SAP deployments and operations. In addition to this, it has established a specialized SAP S/4HANA academy in order to increase the number of resources that are competent in S/4HANA.

Lastly, the flexibility of NTT DATA’s engagement and account management skills as well as the robustness of its partner network of cloud providers are two of the company’s strengths that are recognized in the research. The study also states that NTT DATA’s data migration and supply intelligence capabilities would be enhanced, respectively, as a result of acquisitions such as Natuvion and Chainalytics.

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Trusted, long-term SAP partner NTT DATA Business Solutions has recently achieved Partner Center of Expertise (Partner COE) certification from SAP for demonstrating remarkable, global quality assurance initiatives across 24 countries, including its latest subsidiary offices in the Philippines, Ireland, and the Czech Republic. Offering and reselling a comprehensive portfolio of SAP products and services to support customers’ industry-specific transformation needs that span three decades, the consulting company’s SAP expertise is further underscored by this latest validation.

Highlighting the impact of the Partner COE on the firm’s global services strategy, Lars Janitz, Executive Vice President, Head of Global Managed Services, NTT DATA Business Solutions, said:

“Our service strategy of ‘Global Capabilities – Local Presence,’ with the global Managed Services division and the local frontends in the different countries, is also being applied successfully in the area of maintenance services. We are always looking out for useful innovations and for synergies with the other service elements of our Managed Services portfolio in order to fulfil the high expectations of our customers around the world.”

A prerequisite for all global resellers, the Partner COE is a seal of approval that the providers of SAP technologies have passed the German software giant’s stringent evaluation and audit of the partner’s entire support environment such as personnel, processes, and service infrastructure– renewable every two years.

Recognising the Global Approach of NTT DATA Business Solutions

The SAP Partner COE recognition certifies NTT DATA Business Solutions’ capabilities to deliver product maintenance services (SAP Standard Support or SAP Enterprise Support)–both technical and organisational– for various SAP software solutions based on consistent and high standards in 24 countries or sub-regions for two years. The global SAP Platinum Partner is an authorised provider of support services for several SAP applications namely: SAP Business All-in-One, SAP Analytics, SAP HANA, SAP mobile solutions, SAP Commerce, and SAP Database and Data Management.

As a reliable partner for SAP, NTT DATA Business Solutions has been driving innovation in its global service and support strategy and delivery model to ensure customers worldwide receive the optimal level of support across managed services. In the Philippines, for instance, NTT Data was recognised as the Innovation Partner of the Year 2020 at SAP South East Asia Partner Kick-Off for championing ground-breaking initiatives in solution-specific areas leveraging SAP products and technologies. The consultancy has also been selected by the country’s flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) to be the implementation partner for its modernisation project across its critical business processes — including supply chain, procurement, finance, and human resources (HR).

Most recently, NTT DATA Business Solutions’ global presence and deepening SAP expertise have been reinforced during the SAP Middle and Eastern Europe (MEE) Partner Excellence Awards 2022. The Bielefeld-headquartered IT specialist received four Partner Excellence awards for “Top Midmarket Cloud Performer”, “Net-New Names – Cloud Business”, “RISE with SAP” and “Cloud Delivery”.

“These awards are the best proof of our leading role as an SAP partner in middle and eastern Europe,” said Norbert Rotter, CEO of NTT DATA Business Solutions. “Particularly in the small to midsize enterprise sector, there is a rising demand for digitizing business processes using cloud solutions. Companies are increasingly placing their trust in SAP S/4HANACloud and in our competencies to migrate, operate, and develop new business models. In view of the positive market development, we are set for future growth.”

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During SAP’s Q4 2021 Earnings Conference Call, SAP CEO Christian Klein noted that the company’s success with its Business Transformation as a Service (BTaaS) offering RISE with SAP helped to propel the company’s SAP S/4HANA initiative forward. He added that SAP currently has nearly 5,000 S/4HANA cloud customers and that the company’s win rate against competitors in the fourth quarter was more than 70{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}. Klein further detailed:

“Many large customers are moving to S/4HANA enabled by RISE with SAP. This includes CVS, Panasonic, IBM and Standard Chartered Bank and a number of wins overall, including Siemens, Philippine Airlines, Allianz Technology, and Jungheinrich.”

“One of our customers, Philippine Airlines, is ready to take advantage of the anticipated recovery in travel. They chose SAP for our comprehensive understanding of the airline industry and its key business courses,” he revealed.

To help the company achieve its goal of a comprehensive digital transformation, PAL has forged a partnership with NTT DATA Philippines to assist the organisation in implementing SAP’s intelligent enterprise solutions. As the Philippines’ only full-service network airline and a pioneer in the aviation industry, PAL Senior Vice President of Finance and Chief Financial Officer Nilo Thaddeus Rodriguez stated that the company is committed to utilising 21st Century innovative solutions to increase the efficiency of its business operations. He explained:

“A true digital transformation will strengthen interdepartmental collaboration and promote sound decision-making as we tackle the challenges of global competition. This will benefit our customers who look to us for reliable service as the nation’s flag carrier and largest international airline.”

Furthermore, the modernisation program intends to enable PAL in boosting operational productivity, improving enterprise decision-making skills, and enhancing the employee experience by implementing new technologies.

Partnering with NTT DATA to Implement SAP’s Intelligent Enterprise Solutions

As an SAP global strategic partner with a presence in more than 30 countries, NTT DATA collaborates with the German tech giant to improve industry-specific solutions needed to support organisations in their digital transformation journeys. The company recently received the SAP Asia Pacific Japan Award for Partner Excellence 2022 for SAP Concur Solutions. SAP and NTT DATA, both of which have a significant global footprint, have been working closely to leverage the former’s Industry Cloud solutions and the latter’s business services and industry expertise, as well as integration accelerators.

Relying on NTT DATA’s capabilities in SAP implementation and management, PAL’s modernisation project — which started during the COVID-19 pandemic — incorporates different SAP solutions into the company’s respective business processes. These include SAP S/4HANA enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform on Microsoft Azure, SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM), and SAP Concur’s expense management solutions.

According to PAL Senior Vice President for Supply Chain Management Alvin Kendrich Limqueco, NTT DATA and SAP are expected to contribute to equipping the PAL management with accurate data so that they can make informed decisions that enable them to quickly adjust to change.

“This project will help make PAL stronger, more agile, and more resilient as we continue to fulfill our mission of bridging the Philippines and the world with our signature Buong Pusong Alaga or heartfelt service,” he said.

SAP Southeast Asia (SAP SEA) President and Managing Director Verena Siow dubbed the project as a strategic partnership that the company truly envisioned. She said that it is a market-making collaboration and well beyond the Philippines, SEA, and SAP globally.

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At the press conference between NTT and SAP that was held last week to announce the two firms’ expanded alliance, SAP CEO Christian Klein said:

“SAP and NTT are both driving their own transformation based on each other’s technology. NTT Data [Services] serves as the company’s largest division outside Japan and has adopted the full suite of intelligent management solutions from SAP—including SAP Ariba, SAP Fieldglass, and SAP Concur.”

According to Klein, SAP Ariba helps NTT Data Services manage over 1 billion in spend and over 3,700 suppliers across more than 50 countries. While SAP Fieldglass solutions support NTT Data in effectively managing over 1300 US-based contingent workers.

He also adds:

“NTT uses SuccessFactors Essential Talent management platform—one of the largest implementations of the world. NTT uses SuccessFactors for more efficiency, stronger employee engagement, and to support employees during the digital transformation of the company.”

Becoming an ‘Intelligent Enterprise’ with SAP Software Solutions

NTT Data Services uses SAP Ariba, SAP Fieldglass and SAP Concur solutions to help drive the company’s intelligent enterprise transformation and effectively manage spend.

Jeffrey R. Tramel, NTT Data Services vice president of Global Procurement, explains how SAP’s support is helping the company achieve automation and cost-savings in procurement:

“We knew that utilizing world-class tools to create a modern procurement function with the help of SAP was going to enable our business to move forward and deliver clear value. SAP’s support has been instrumental in helping us build and deploy a standardized set of processes and tools that enables us to reduce cost, enable revenue, and mitigate supplier risk now and into the future.”

NTT Data Services leverages SAP software solutions to centralize its procurement management system from sourcing and supplier management, buying and payment, and supplier compliance and risk management. Additionally, the solutions have enabled NTT Data Services to:

• standardize purchasing processes and supplier management
• enhance visibility into stakeholder priorities and supplier spend and performance
• maximize cost-saving opportunities through competitions and volume discounts
• gain flexibility for regional and functional groups to manage daily operations while leveraging enterprise-wide best practices

Chad Crook, SAP Procurement Solutions senior vice president and global head of Customer Engagement and Adoption, adds:

“The outcomes to date have been impressive, and I anticipate even more positive momentum to come given the increased efficiency, cost reduction and risk mitigation already achieved.”

In the future, NTT Data Services plans to further utilize SAP software solutions and technologies to achieve the following:

• enable its remote workforce to procure goods and services
• enhance user experience and adoption
• innovate around machine learning, artificial intelligence, and robotics

About NTT Data Services

NTT Data Services is headquartered in Texas, U.S.A. The NTT Data Services team consists of more than 50,000 professionals worldwide who work to address today’s challenges, and tomorrow’s—whether it’s to help jump-start cloud migration, reinvent the customer experience, streamline business processes or upgrade aging infrastructure.

NTT Data Services is a division of NTT Corporation, a top 10 global IT services provider with 130,000+ employees in more than 50 countries. NTT Corporation offers one of the industry’s most comprehensive services portfolios, designed to modernize business and technology to deliver the outcomes that matter most to our clients.

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The SAP project was supported by systems integrator and software solutions provider eGeneration in partnership with NTT Data, a global implementor from Japan.

The new business operating system—dubbed UniBOS—went live on December 01, 2020. The go-live event was held at the Westin Hotel and was attended by several executives from the Unitex Group, eGeneration, and NTT Data.

Emran Abdullah, Director, eGeneration said:

“Such SAP implementations were only done by global implementors in Bangladesh, but now eGeneration is successfully accomplishing this by connecting local Bangladeshi and global resources. We appreciate the UNIgas Management who really took the brave and right decision which is eventually now becomes [sic] a success. We appreciate the cooperation of the core team at UNIgas who relentlessly worked hard to make us complete the implementation.” 

Kuhanesh Arul, NTT Data’s regional manager for South East Asia also said:

“NTT Data is delighted to have a capable partner such as eGeneration in Bangladesh. We look forward to working with them in the future on improving business processes with technological innovation.”

Empowering business growth with SAP Oil and Gas HPM solution

Project UniBOS is based on SAP’s industry-specific solution, SAP S/4HANA IS Oil and Gas HPM.

Morshed Ahsan, CTO of UNIgas, expressed his confidence in the SAP Oil and Gas solution:

“We believe that the solution will help us achieve simplification and standardization of core organizational processes and operations across the organization.”

According to UNIgas, the implementation of the SAP Oil and Gas HPM solution is a first in the LPG Industry vertical in Bangladesh.

The LPG distributor is confident that with the deployment of UniBOS, it will be able to fully-leverage the power of SAP technologies for sustainable business growth—maximizing profitability and improving operational excellence.

A press release by the Unitex Group said:

“We have begun our ‘digital’ journey and there will be many more prestigious milestones yet to come in upfront. Through this technological integration, UNIgas has been enabled to digital transformation for the business. And as such the UNIgas [company] achieved a magnificent milestone in the history of the organization!”

According to SAP, the SAP Oil and Gas solution benefits include:

• providing a holistic view of assets and performance by integrating production, maintenance, engineering, and planning
• improving and speeding up operational decision making, increase deferment understanding, and reduce production loss
• enabling oil and gas companies to maximize asset utilization and enhance production planning

About UNIgas

UNIgas (Unitex LP Gas Ltd.) is one of the leading distributors of LP gas in Bangladesh. The Unitex company has one of the largest distribution networks in the country.

UNIgas’ LPG products and solutions are used in various capacities throughout a wide range of industries. The company provides turnkey solutions for high-volume commercial usage by restaurants, hotels and other hospitality industries. 

About eGeneration

eGeneration is one of the leading system integration and software solutions company in Bangladesh with a vision to transform Bangladesh into an innovative high-tech nation.

About NTT Data Japan

NTT DATA has built up a dominant position in the public administration field in Japan, building large-scale systems for government ministries and agencies and taking part in numerous other national projects. 

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SAP gained a stable footing in the tech industry in Thailand with support from some of the leading SAP specialists in the country. These companies specialise in various industries such as automotive, food and beverage, manufacturing and retail industries and are experts in S/4 HANA, C/4 HANA, SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Ariba.

Cloud Specialists in Thailand

A number of local and global tech companies that specialise in assisting organisations in their transition to the cloud are establishing and strengthening their partnerships with SAP.

An example of these companies includes NTT Data, NTT’s publicly traded tech provider, which acquired the leading SAP specialist in Thailand last year. In 2019, they acquired Locus Telecommunication, a CRM expert and prominent system integrator based in Bangkok.

Sutas Kongdumrongkiat, the CEO of Thailand at NTT appointed during the last quarter of 2019, shared how cloud services on SAP platforms see an increasing demand not only in Thailand but also across Southeast Asia. At present, Thailand contributes up to 24 per cent of the global total SAP usage.

Kongdumrongkiat said that a total market size estimating to US$ 27.1 million is achievable by the year 2023. The figures he shared included Thailand’s which shows a compound annual growth rate of 7.4 per cent which is US$ 16.4 million higher than in 2016.

He added:

“We forecast that more than 50 per cent (of enterprise organisations) will move to the cloud in Thailand over the next few years.”

Another example is Azure Computers who signed a value added reseller (VAR) partnership with SAP in May 2019 to help address the challenges related to demand and supply in the manufacturing industry. They assisted in bringing the SAP S/4 HANA solution to the market for both on premise on on the cloud.

In its press release on the partnership, Azure Computers shared that one of the reasons for pursuing the development in Thailand is because there are available quality infrastructure and experienced SAP consultants at reasonable rates. The capacity to establish self-sustainable business from the domestic market of Thailand is also identified as another reason.

Deepening relationship with SAP

Tech companies continue to build and deepen its partnership with SAP — a leading factor pointed out by Google Cloud’s regional director for Southeast Asia, Tim Synan.

In an interview with Channel Asia, Synan shared Google’s excitement for its collaboration with SAP in the Southeast Asian region. He pointed out how global system integrators like Accenture and Deloitte, both known SAP partners, are reporting milestones through SAP and Google Cloud across countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand.

SAP, along with its partners, continuously works to respond to the demand for cloud and other digital transformation across the Asia Pacific region by increasing its focus on the channel this year.

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Before September 2019 ended, NTT Data Asia Pacific has wholly acquired Bangkok CRM expert and prominent system integrator Locus Telecommunications. The acquisition is intended for NTT Data, a leading IT service provider and the parent company of NTT DATA Asia Pacific, to enhance its market position in Thailand while strengthening its capabilities in customer relationship management (CRM), customer experience (CX) and analytics solutions.

Ken Tsuchihashi, President and CEO of Asia Pacific, NTT Data has shared that the company is thrilled and welcomes the talented Locus team to NTT Data. He expressed:

 “I’m confident that they will accelerate our ability to support customers in their digital transformation journeys. Through collaboration with Locus and other NTT group entities, we expect to become a top provider of IT solutions and services in Thailand within a few years.”

Headquartered in Bangkok, Locus is a leading provider of systems integration (SI) services in the country with expertise in digital-enablement solutions for CRM/CX, loyalty program management, business intelligence, data analytics solutions, and enterprise mobility. Since 1999, the consulting firm with around 150 IT consultants has successfully served more than 100 clients across various industries such as banking, insurance, telecommunication, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, and utilities.

NTT Data President Tsuchihashi stated that the company would like to “create opportunities” with Locus’ market, cross-selling cross-selling to customers in fields such as banking, insurance, manufacturing, retail, and utilities. This is on top of the goal of accelerating the firm’s digital consulting and delivery capabilities in Thailand.

Andrew Yim, CEO of Locus, said:

“Access to NTT Data’s depth and breadth of service offerings and innovative global technologies will enable Locus to evolve from a niche player into a more comprehensive business solutions provider.” He added:

“NTT Data will both strengthen our core business and help us accelerate our expansion into big data, artificial intelligence and enterprise resource planning practices.”

NTT DATA is positioned as a Leader in the Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM and CX Implementation Services worldwide and a Challenger for Data and Analytics Service Providers worldwide in a recent Gartner report. 

Now with the Locus’ expertise and solutions, NTT DATA becomes a stronger partner in helping its customers through their digital transformation journey with enhanced digital capabilities and services.

NTT Data has been ramping up its presence in Thailand with its recent acquisitions including those of its subsidiaries.

Just this July, itelligence AG, Global SAP specialist and part of the global NTT Data group, acquired ISS Consulting. As one of the leading SAP consulting firms across Thailand, ISS Consulting focuses on manufacturing, automotive, retail, and food and beverage industry sectors employing around 250 people. The company specializes in S/4HANA, C/4HANA, SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Ariba, in addition to SAP HANA Cloud, SAP Business By Design and help desk support.

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