The Great Resignation’s effect on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) throughout Asia and the Pacific was the subject of a study published earlier this year that revealed some interesting new details. SAP commissioned Dynata to conduct a survey of 1,363 SME owners and decision-makers in eight countries throughout the APJ region for their report titled “Transformational Talent: The Impact of the Great Resignation on Digital Transformation in APJ’s SMEs.” Participating countries include Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and Thailand.

SAP’s study confirms the reality of the Great Resignation and its current effects on SMEs across APJ. A majority of respondents (40%) believe that staff resignations are higher now than they were a year ago, and almost two-thirds (64%) of SMEs say they are struggling to deal with the fallout from the Great Resignation. According to SAP APJ President Paul Marriott, the Great Resignation is commonly misunderstood as employees leaving their companies to follow their passion. However, he believes that in order to attract top people, organizations also need to offer competitive compensation, a flexible work environment, and a transparent path to growth and development.

“Prioritizing upskilling and career progression, and supporting it with access to the right technology and partners is proven to be a win-win for employees and for SME,” Marriott remarked.

Echoing Marriott’s thoughts, another SAP top executive Atul Tuli — who currently serves as the Managing Director at SAP Indochina — said that SAP’s survey indicate that the shortage of trained skills is the biggest obstacle for businesses in Thailand when it comes to driving development and digital transformation, even more so than cyber security, financial constraints, and a general lack of awareness of digital solutions. He further shared:

“Nurturing talent and advancing digital skills are the cornerstones for empowerment and inclusive growth. SAP has always been committed to supporting the digital agenda in Thailand and this initiative further reinforces our efforts towards enabling digital transformation and sustainable growth.”

Fostering Digital Skills Development with SAP Thailand and DEPA

Reinforcing the German tech giant’s commitment to foster digital skills development in the country, SAP Thailand has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with DEPA in order to launch a new digital learning program for students, working professionals, and business owners who seek to expand their knowledge and expertise in emerging innovations and technological advancements. SAP’s online courses will be used to support the open educational system, and the two entities will work together to better manage open online courses so that they comply with global standards and improve the quality of lifelong learning.

Moreover, SAP has been working with similar organizations to maximize their own resources, from the delivery of integrated technology products and solutions to the sharing of their own talents, in order to boost the youth’s digital capabilities and prepare them for the workforce of tomorrow. Over the past few years, SAP Thailand has honed over 1,200 students’ digital skills through programs like the open SAP online learning platform and the ASEAN Data Science Explorers competition.

“We are excited to partner with Depa to enhance the digital skilling ecosystem in Thailand, build towards a more digital future, and catalyse the next decade of growth and innovation to help the world run better and improve people’s lives,” SAP Indochina MD Tuli said.

Meanwhile, Assistant Professor Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President at DEPA shared that since the digital economy in Thailand is expected to expand to 30% of gross domestic product (GDP) by 2030 (or earlier), their organization has made it a top priority to train Thai business owners to use digital technologies. He said that local  entrepreneurs have been rapidly undergoing digital transformation in recent years in response to the rising need for skills related to the use of digital methods and tools.

Commenting on the recently signed MoU with SAP Thailand to foster digital skills development in the country, Dr. Nimmanphatcharin concluded:

“We need committed private sector partnership to ensure young people are learning the skills they will need to thrive. This partnership is crucial to help accelerate our efforts in upskilling and reskilling them to stay relevant in the future workforce.

The post SAP Thailand Promotes New Digital Learning Program with DEPA appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

According to Asian Development Bank (ADB) data, there are at least 71 million micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) formally operating in Southeast Asia, accounting for 97% of all businesses in the region and employing 67% of the working population in 2020. With MSME’s 40.5% contribution to each country’s average gross domestic product and 19.2% of total export value, the sector’s development and digitalization have become front and center of many nation’s growth strategies. Specifically, Southeast Asian businesses are rapidly adopting digital technologies and platforms to streamline business processing, widen their market reach, and strengthen local logistics networks.

In Malaysia, one of the innovative SMEs that have embarked on a digital transformation to make headway for post-pandemic operations is PXL Marketing Sdn Bhd, one of the country’s fastest-growing companies in the food packaging distribution industry. The disposable food packaging supplier selected SAP Business One– a software solution designed for SMEs to give them total control to scale growth leveraging a complete set of tools to help them efficiently manage processes, from accounting and financials to purchasing and inventory management.

“SAP Business One was our technology of choice in preparation for PXL’s Industrial Revolution 4.0 (4IR) readiness along with the transition to intelligent technologies on the cloud to realize our business aspirations,” stated PXL Marketing Managing Director Keith Tan. “It has been instrumental in helping PXL connect and streamline processes, while also serving as a catalyst of growth.”

Leveraging SAP Business One ERP to Become a Sustainable, Intelligent Enterprise 

Keith emphasized that sustainability is at the core of the company’s operations as a manufacturer of disposable food packaging. Demonstrating PXL’s corporate culture, which is to always ‘do the right thing’, the company’s products are eco-friendly to ensure a minimal negative impact on the environment. Along with its sustainability initiatives, PXL is forging ahead in the post-pandemic era with robust business growth and enhanced customer experience as top priorities.

The PXL CEO shared that the company had a fair share of pandemic challenges like many others, from which they learned the significant role of technology. Keith detailed that the company was impacted by the global supply chain problem brought by the Suez Canal blockage in March 2021and the closure of several of China’s main ports due to Covid-19 outbreaks. These two major incidents affected the availability of raw materials, further disrupting the supply chain industry.

“From the observation and learnings, we gathered since the early days of the pandemic, PXL has taken pre-emptive measures to increase stock capacity,” he explained. “We started the process in Q4 2021 to relocate into a bigger warehouse facility in Malaysia’s Bukit Jalil Integrated Business Park.”

“Thanks to SAP Business One which provided better alignment between the sales and supply chain teams, PXL benefited from better inventory monitoring and stock projection to ensure better stock management for PXL’s consumers,” Keith added.

Realising Digital Transformation

Leveraging SAP B1, PXL witnessed:

• 30% increase in productivity brought by an improved inventory and warehouse management system

• Enabled integration between Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) with the PXL integrated portal, providing enhanced data insights for delivery while also improving versatility and access

• Supported remote collaboration, including internal sales training and customer consultations, in compliance with Movement Control Order (MCO), the Malaysian Government’s initiative in response to Covid-19.

Highlighting how SAP Business One ERP has streamlined management and connectivity across PXL’s different departments, Keith commented:

“SAP’s CRM and Opportunity Module was timely implemented for us to digitize our processes and maximize our work-from-home resources. The data extraction and integration capabilities have helped empower our Supply Chain Department to conduct forecasts for our exclusive customers to accomplish the company’s achievement beyond the industry standard.”

Kenneth dela Cerna, SAP Business One Business Leader said:

“SAP Business One is SAP’s solution for small and midsize businesses, such as PXL, to grow in its digital transformation. It offers an affordable way to manage an entire business by helping companies streamline processes, act on timely information, and drive profitable growth.”

PXL was awarded The Small but Mighty – Emerging Enterprise Award for Small and Midsize Enterprises (SMEs) in the inaugural SAP Best Run Awards 2021.

The post SAP Business One ERP Drives PXL Marketing’s DX appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

The recent report from the United Nations titled “The Impact of COVID19 on the MSME Sector in Sri Lanka” highlighted the critical role of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) in the socio-economic development of the country. Close to the global numbers, Sri Lanka’s GDP is mostly supported by MSMEs (52{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}), which also represents 90{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of total enterprises and delivers 45{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of total employment. 

Acknowledging the need to support Sri Lankan MSMEs’ growth during these unprecedented times, information technology and services provider ZILLIONe has announced its latest partnership with German enterprise software giant SAP. Having a market footprint in seven countries, including Australia, Cambodia, and India serving over 400 customers across various industries worldwide, the Colombo-headquarteted company will now be leveraging SAP’s industry-leading solutions for midmarket enterprises.

“We were enthusiastic to partner with No. 1 global ERP provider, SAP, to offer a fully Software as a Service (SaaS) ERP solution in Sri Lanka. This solution provides a higher Return on Investment (ROI) and savings. Businesses can now cut expenses incurred on legacy infrastructure, maintenance, and tech professionals. Moreover, businesses do not have to worry about new releases or technology shifts as it will be taken care of by the software vendor,” Luxshumyraj Sivarajah, Director – Enterprise Business Solutions at ZILLIONe, exclaimed during the launch.

SAP has been supporting the transformation of organisations in the country into intelligent enterprises as demonstrated in the software enterprise company’s partnership with Sri Lanka SAP User Group (SLSUG) in 2019.

SAP Business ByDesign to Advance Transformation of Sri Lanka Enterprises

A trusted digital transformation partner with over 40 years of implementation experience, ZILLIONe further strengthens its position as one of the leading enterprise technology solutions providers with the SAP Business ByDesign rollout. The strategic partnership with SAP is anchored on three core objectives to back the thriving SMEs in Sri Lanka– harness the power of digital technology for the post-pandemic era; adapt to the new ways of working, and design strategies for market expansion and growth.  

Explaining about adding SAP Business ByDesign in the company’s portfolio of enterprise business solutions, Chairman and CEO of ZILLIONe Tharmarajah Suresh said.

“In today’s corporate world, ERP solutions are moving away from legacy infrastructure and adapting to cloud solutions to achieve better scalability, accessibility, and functionality.”

“For instance, Forrester research says cloud-based ERP systems are at 20.7{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} enterprise application growth rate in the public cloud in 2018. So, we needed to have a fully cloud-based ERP solution in our portfolio,” he detailed.

Sivarajah added that ZILLIONe is passionate about the rollout of the cloud-based ERP from SAP in Sri Lanka, which complements the company’s four decades of extensive experience supporting businesses in their successful ERP transformation.

SAP Business ByDesign is a single, unified solution that delivers pre-built processes for core business functions including Finance, Customer Relationship Management, Human Resources, Project Management, Procurement, and Supply Chain. In addition, it offers industry-specific functionalities for professional services, manufacturing, and wholesale distribution. For businesses operating in multiple countries, especially in Europe, SAP Business ByDesign has localisation capabilities with specific features delivered for the respective pre-localised category.

This year, SAP Business ByDesign re-entered the Gartner Magic Quadrant for Cloud Core Financial Management Suites for Midsize, Large and Global Enterprises as Niche Player– a remarkable feat for an ERP solution mainly focussed on midmarket. The customers rated the SAP solutions not only  as best in class for ease of use and value for money but also for its global reach as well as flexibility and extensibility.

The post ZILLIONe Debuts SAP Business ByDesign in Sri Lanka appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In April, SAP and Oxford Economics surveyed 600 people across six Southeast Asian nations — Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand — with 400 coming from SMEs and 200 from larger corporations. Titled “Digital, resilient, and experience-driven: How enterprises in SEA can prepare for the new economy”, the regional study revealed significant challenges in key business areas of enterprises and growth opportunities for them in a post-pandemic environment.

COVID-19 has intensified the need to further digitalise business processes in order to make organisations more resilient, especially for SMEs. Implementing business software has been one of the most popular and effective options companies have taken to empower digital resiliency that is needed to adapt to the “Next Normal”. In particular, SAP and Oxford Economics’ survey showed that SMEs in Thailand are primarily concerned with lowering prices for their goods and services and providing user-friendly digital experiences as a secondary goal for improving customer and employee experiences.

Atul Tuli, Managing Director at SAP Indochina, believes that a large number of organisations are still finding it difficult to fully optimise their approach towards integrating new digital technologies to transform the way they operate and do business. He explained:

“At SAP, 80{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of our customers worldwide are SMEs. SAP helps Thai SMEs customers embark on the digital transformation journey and transform their business into an intelligent enterprise across diverse industries such as Retail, Healthcare, and Consumer. We found that they are now facing significant challenges in the areas of talent attraction and retention, cloud adoption, and gaining insights from data.” 

Enabling Digital Transformation in Thailand Through SAP Cloud-Based Solutions

SAP’s cloud business rose by 18{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} in the Asia-Pacific region in 2020, making it a third of the company’s total revenue. Specifically, the German tech giant’s concierge service to the Intelligent Enterprise RISE with SAP has been gaining traction globally since its introduction in January this year. During a regional media briefing on the sidelines of SAPPHIRE NOW 2021, Scott Russell, former SAP APJ President and is now SAP Executive Board Member and Lead of Customer Success, said that more than 100 customers have already signed up for the Business Transformation-as-a-Service (BTaaS) offering.

Noppadon Chareonthong, SAP Sales Director, Thailand and Emerging Market, stressed that SMEs are the backbone of the Thai economy and that cloud-based services will play a critical role in boosting operational capability as the country adapts to the post-COVID landscape. He then cited two examples of businesses that have already transformed their processes to stay resilient on the cloud: DoHome and Thai Medical Glove.

Leading comprehensive retail and wholesale construction materials and home decoration business DoHome decided to embark on a digital transformation journey and shifted away from its traditional business model in order to expand its operations. The company leveraged SAP solutions to help the management better understand situations in real-time and make more effective decisions during these unprecedented times. Meanwhile, Thai Medical Glove, one of the major rubber glove manufacturers in SEA, also used cloud technologies including RISE with SAP to transform their company into an intelligent enterprise, removing complexity with simplified engagement and guided journeys.

For Chareonthong, SAP cloud-based solutions will boost the competitiveness of SMEs to engage rapidly in digital transformation and empower them to bounce back strongly. He maintained:

“SAP is here to support and ready to be the trusted partner to offer cloud-based solutions like RISE with SAP and other comprehensive solutions that will help business transform holistically by changing the whole culture and mindset and redesigning business processes to unlock new ways of running business.”

The post SAP Cloud-Based Solutions Enable Thai SMEs’ Digital Transformation appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

VARStreet Inc., the leading provider of integrated sales quoting and eCommerce software for VARs (Value-Added Resellers), MSPs (Managed Service Providers), and other technology solution businesses, has completed its SAP Business One integration. The recent integration is a testament to VARStreet’s commitment to providing the best eCommerce management solutions that would streamline operations of small and growing VARs or large companies with multiple locations.

VARStreet is a known premier provider of a hosted B2B, B2G, and B2C advanced sales quoting and eCommerce solution for IT and office supplies VARs, system integrators, and solution providers in the US and Canada. The company, which also has a subsidiary in Pune, India, has been investing in intelligent integrations, products, and solutions that would enable VARS to enhance its procurement and selling processes. 

Since 1999, VARStreet business management platform VARStreet XC has been employing continual upgrades to match the changing needs of the market and its customers. VARStreet’s business management software integrates with all major ERP, accounting, and CRM software such as Microsoft Dynamics 365, Great Plains and Nav, NetSuite, Oracle, Connectwise, QuickBooks, HubSpot, Zoho, and DocuSign to support VARs business growth. Aside from shipping, freight, and tax integrations, VARStreet also has catalog integrations with over 45 distributors in the United States and Canada.

VARStreet and SAP Business One eCommerce Integration

Today, the integration of VARStreet’s modern SME business management software with SAP Business One strengthens the eCommerce platform’s capabilities by focusing on critical enterprise data points such as customer information, shipping and billing details, product information, pricing, inventory information, fulfillment, among others. These data are synchronised between SAP Business One and VARStreet back office and the frontend eCommerce, sales quoting, and CRM applications– streamlining the management of business tasks regardless of simplicity or complexity.

“These integrations increase the efficiency of the sales process and provide VARStreet users who also use SAP, a best-in-class experience by seamlessly connecting business-critical applications and allows them to focus on what matters most, which is, increasing customer satisfaction, revenue and growth!” highlighted Shiv Agarwal, Director, VARStreet Inc.

SAP Business One is a single, integrated solution that captures all critical business information for immediate access and company-wide use. The SAP ERP solution boasts of its modularity and flexibility having more than 500 add-on solutions, custom-made to industries, or special functions.

The integration of VARStreet’s eCommerce platform and SAP Business One delivers a unified approach to all processes, transactions, and inventory, which significantly improves businesses’ response time in attending to customers, vendors, and clients’ needs. The centralised data repository promotes efficiency by enabling salespeople to make smarter decisions in a shorter amount of time. The integration drives united financial operations, which brings speed to transactions and improvement in cash flow.

Following the SAP Business One integration, VARStreet also completed a Workday PunchOut integration to streamline procurement for large companies and build efficiencies and transparencies in their internal operations. Workday, trusted by top global companies like Netflix, AirBnB, TripAdvisor, and Keywest, offers a complete set of cloud spend management solutions that help businesses streamline operations and control indirect spend. 

With the Workday PunchOut integration, Agarwal stressed that VARStreet continues to support its users by leveraging technologies that streamline processes, improve operations, maximize productivity, enhance customer experience and expand their business.

The post VARStreet Completes SAP Business One eCommerce Integration appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

As 2020 nears to a close, many organisations are already looking into a more hopeful 2021 regardless of the coronavirus situation. For SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd, the aspiration is that the upcoming 2021 Budget will be directed towards supporting small-medium enterprises’ (SMEs) readiness for Industrial Revolution 4.0 (IR4) along with the transition to intelligent technologies on the cloud as well as upskilling and youth employment. 

SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director Hong Kok Cheong shared the company’s initiatives and plans that are geared towards economic recovery, supporting SMEs, and empowering the workforce of the future.

A Sustainable Future for SMEs

Earlier this year, Hong has already stressed that technology is the silver lining at these challenging times for SMEs. He encouraged SMEs to consider technology as an investment more than a cost to be able to, first, thrive, and then eventually sustain growth in these uncertain times.

Recently, the SAP Malaysia MD also emphasised that SMEs must equip for IR4 and embrace cutting-edge digital technologies to realise productivity and efficiency gains. He said: 

“The SME landscape is especially crucial as many still lag in technology adoption within their business operations. SAP Malaysia hopes that there will be more SME awareness, before increasing uptake on digital platforms.”

Recognising the pandemic’s impact on Malaysia’s economy, which is currently going through a period of ‘reset’ before the ‘rebound’, Hong explained that now is the time for SMEs to innovate and transform to remain competitive and become intelligent enterprises.

“For SMEs that are complacent with a ‘wait and see’ attitude, they could be left behind – and may even become irrelevant.

In the ‘new norm’, intelligent enterprises can ‘do more with less’, deliver best-in-class customer experience, build resilient supply chains, while inventing new business models and revenue streams,” Hong further said.

Hong previously said that ‘SAP is for everyone’, highlighting SAP Business One (SAP B1) as one of the German company’s ERP software solutions designed for SMEs. Another affordable solution for local SMEs is currently available in the SAP Business One Starter Pack offering developed by a local solutions provider priced from RM1,488.

Upskilling the Workforce

Before COVID-19, the ICT industry in Malaysia has been significantly contributing to the country’s journey towards becoming a high-income knowledge-based economy. With the pandemic happening, SAP Malaysia has focused on ‘people first’ policies and initiatives for economic recovery and the wellbeing and sustainability of livelihoods. 

The SAP Malaysia MD stated the need for upskilling of present employees to become the ‘workforce of the future’ and address the shortage of qualified talents in emerging roles. He stressed that every member of the workforce including the C-suite should upskill to survive and thrive in the new world of work. He said:

“The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need for companies to move towards a ‘digital first’ workforce.” 

He shared that the company’s training and technology-enabled learning initiatives will be announced within Budget 2021.

Prioritising the Youth

Referring to the recent World Economic Forum (WEF) study stating that 40{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of core skills would change by 2025 with some 50{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of all employees needing re-skilling by that time, Hong foresees further increase due to the rising demand for digital tools and processes.

“We support the government’s lead to continuously promote access to digital technologies coupled with digital literacy and transferable skills. Youth employment should be prioritised coupled with initiatives to improve online learning experiences,” Hong stated.

For the young learners, aside from partnering with ASEAN Foundation in hosting ASEAN Data Science Explorers at both national and regional levels, SAP also collaborates with Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) on the MyUniAlliance programme. The programme provides training for some three thousand students annually. These initiatives aim to encourage youths to embrace analytics skills through various projects that would benefit communities and countries.

The post SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd Supports SMEs and Workforce Upskilling appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

On the 19th of June 2020, Singapore has entered Phase 2 of its three-phased safe re-opening to sustain the efforts of the city-state in managing the pandemic. Under this phase, limited close contact amongst individuals as well as maintaining hygiene and safe management principles are widely implemented. For business owners, they have to ensure telecommuting by default, where possible.

While remote working has become more common than it used to be, there are still pitfalls that both employers and employees encounter as they work together to thrive in the new world of work. For the Singaporean workforce, a recent Qualtrics survey has shown that having robust training support is a key factor that affects employees’ job satisfaction.

New Initiatives for Local SMEs

SAP’s recent initiatives to support local businesses’ hurdles on managing remote working couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, especially for Singapore who has been steadily on Phase 2 (Safe Transition) and is prepping for Phase 3 (Safe Nation), the country’s new normal (Safe Nation). Now, SAP has opened up access to SAP Litmos, SAP’s cloud-based eLearning management platform, and SAP SuccessFactors, its cloud human capital management solution, to equip organisations, and consequently, their employees on their journey to recovery.

Eileen Chua, Managing Director at SAP Singapore, acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted traditional ways of working and business operations. She stressed that the silver lining in this global crisis is that organisations have accelerated their digital transformation and have seen the value of business agility and diversity of skillsets that are crucial for long-term recovery. She said:

“As Singapore continues its acceleration towards a digital economy to power growth, technology will be a cornerstone in an increasingly data-driven, digital future and will be found not only in the backend but also every touchpoint of the business and facet of society.” 

“Through opening up access of SAP Litmos and SuccessFactors to local businesses in Singapore, we believe these will aid digital upskilling and retraining efforts, where employees are empowered to take on higher-value roles and diversify their skillsets and knowledge, playing a greater role in driving business growth and transformation,” SAP Singapore MD explained.

SAP Litmos and SAP SuccessFactors HXM suite offer local SMEs remote digital tools to enhance employees’ skillsets, strengthen employee engagement, even as organisations transform and redesign their business models.

Upskilling with SAP Litmos

SAP Litmos combines a powerful Learning Management System called SAP Litmos Training with a robust course library called SAP Litmos Training Content. It enables targeted learning that trains and diversifies employee skillsets; boosts employee experience and loyalty; protects the brand by keeping the organisation compliant; and improves KPIs across the enterprise.

AcePLP, a local engineering consultancy and one of Singapore’s most widely used Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) services provider, has recently adapted remote learning to enhance the skillsets of its employees. Recognising the importance of equipping its employees with digital workflows and skills as they embrace remote working, Ivan Tang, Operations Manager of AcePLP, shared:

“As part of our digital transformation journey, we are using SAP Litmos to accelerate hybrid-learning for our 250-strong employees to help increase workflow efficiency for the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industries.”

SAP has recently made the customer experience edition of SAP Litmos Training solution globally available on SAP Store, 

Advancing HR with SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite

As businesses ease through remote working, SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite can help organisations continue providing its workforce with experiences that recognise their individual value and consistently motivate them to achieve peak performance levels. 

Local SMEs can leverage SAP Successfactors solutions in bringing their traditional HR processes to the cloud; digitalising and providing analytics on employee feedback management, core HR, and payroll services; and adapting to fluctuating talent needs across recruitment, onboarding, performance, learning and development.

RHT Management Services, a leading professional services company headquartered in Singapore, and PSB Academy, one of Singapore’s leading private education institutions, have successfully rolled out SAP SuccessFactors to help digitally transform their HR processes. 

“With SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite, we aim to deliver the exceptional employee experiences to help create a more flexible, engaged workforce and a more resilient business,” said Shan Gandhimani, Chief Information Officer.

“Shifting our manual HR processes to SAP has definitely improved employee experience and organisation efficiency. Information is available 24/7 and approvals can be done on-the-go, not to mention the ease of process tracking and record-keeping, too,” said Cecilia Yeoh, Vice President of Human Resource.

According to a SuccessFactors implementer DDG (Daya Dimensi Global), SMEs in Singapore have been leveraging existing government grants to digitalise their workforce and support their employees’ development and wellbeing remotely such as SME Go Digital grants for SAP SuccessFactors.

The post SAP Litmos, SAP SuccessFactors to Support Singaporean SMEs appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

As SMEs drive the Japanese economy coexisting with large companies in the country, they are also in the growth phase of exploring opportunities and expanding markets offshore. However, COVID-19 has disrupted the global supply chains and has challenged businesses’ procurement processes and digital networks.

Recognising this need, the Japanese government through the Small and Medium Enterprise Agency (SMEA) of the Ministry of Economy have tapped SAP Ariba Discovery as a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solution to propel the growth of SMEs within Japan and overseas especially in these unprecedented times.

Through the “Support Project for Promoting JAPAN Brand”, the regional SMEs can accelerate sales channel development and brand establishment across Japan and overseas. The agency support SMEs by partially subsidising expenses incurred on new product and services development, sales channel development initiatives implementation, and branding to develop their business nationwide or overseas. Tapping new tourism demand, initiatives that incorporate new methods such as crowdfunding, e-commerce, and online business meetings can also be subsidised by SMEA.

Capitalising on SAP Ariba Discovery

The SMEA’s project for SMEs now incorporates the open access to SAP Ariba Discovery, a cloud-based B2B e-commerce solution designed for all buyers. The Japanese government’s effort to back the SMEs in expanding its network outside the country can now be conveniently made possible with SAP Ariba Discovery being the premier service for matching business buyers and suppliers globally. 

SAP Ariba Discovery is fully integrated with the SAP Ariba Sourcing solution and the advanced edition of the SAP Ariba Buying solution, which is a cloud-based service that allows buyers to work with the industry’s highest-quality supply base. SAP Ariba Buying solution is known to reduce the time and cost of supplier qualification by up to 90{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} and overall project spend by an average of 15{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22}. 

Japanese SMEs can also leverage SAP Ariba solutions’ collaborative commerce capabilities from sourcing and orders through invoice and payment as well as help customers optimise spending. Over 4 million companies use SAP Ariba solutions, which support the marketplace for modern business, creating frictionless exchanges between millions of buyers and suppliers in the Ariba Network across the entire source-to-pay process. Ariba Network, the world’s largest B2B network, is a dynamic marketplace for buyers and suppliers to collaborate easily on transactions, strengthen their relationships, and discover new business opportunities.

SAP Extends Hand

As businesses continue to be resilient in these trying times, SAP remains to be a partner ensuring businesses run better with e-commerce solutions.

SAP has urgently heeded the need to address the supply chain disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic by offering select solutions, including SAP Ariba Discovery, at zero cost. It was recently announced that the open access to SAP Ariba Discovery is extended until 31 December 2020 to continue to help businesses mitigate the impact of the pandemic on their supply chain. Aside from the open-access extension, the removal of the supplier response fee relieves the SMEs’ concern on costs and will further enable SME suppliers in Japan to expand their sales channels overseas and find new buyers.

Much like the Japanese government’s efforts to boost SMEs, recently in India, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) also leverage the open access to SAP Ariba Discovery through SAP India’s recently launched Global Bharat program. The program, as part of India’s Vison 2020, aims to empower Indian MSMEs on their digital transformation journey through innovative sourcing solutions, digital skilling for the workforce and transforming business processes.

The post SAP Ariba Discovery to Back Japanese SMEs appeared first on InsideSAP Asia.

In January this year, SMEs dominate the Philippines’s business landscape comprising of 106,175 small enterprises, 4,895 medium enterprises, and a massive 887,272 units of micro business establishments. The country recorded only 4,769 large enterprises. With SMEs being responsible for 2.5 million-job creations in the country, the nation’s economic recovery post-pandemic lies in the ability of the SME ecosystem to thrive by leveraging technology. 

Karl Kendrick Chua, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) chief, said that the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for the Philippines to address its “digital divide” and transition to becoming a digitally-powered economy. Aside from enabling the healthcare sector to face the COVID-19’s pressing challenges head-on, technology has also been at the forefront of many enterprises’ strategies for survival in these unprecedented times.

Embracing the New Normal

SAP Philippines recognises the country’s need for a 180-degree pivot to embrace and adapt to the new normal. According to SAP Philippines Managing Director Edler Panlilio, the global health crisis has changed the business landscape as employees, customers, and organisations adjust to remote working, transacting via online or virtual channels, and even managing business operations remotely.

“These quarantine guidelines demonstrated how technology continues to play an important role in supporting business continuity. Organisations now rely more on digital tools and platforms to move labor-oriented practices into more automated and technology-oriented processes,” Panlilio explained.

Panlilio stressed that even when the Philippine government decides to lift the quarantine guidelines, technological advancements will continue to grow significantly. For SMEs, he emphasised that now is the most opportune time to shift their gears towards technology as an important asset, instead of an option. This shift in perception will enable them to not only thrive in the new normal but also continue to be resilient despite possible disruptions from the coronavirus health crisis.

SAP Solutions for SMEs

The SAP Philippines MD highlighted SAP Business One and SAP Business ByDesign as two of the SAP solutions that SMEs can take advantage of as they navigate the road to becoming an intelligent enterprise even in this unpredictable environment. Today, more and more businesses strive to become “intelligent enterprises” to achieve greater productivity, more efficient operations, and better cost-saving processes.

“Intelligent enterprises can collect insights better from customers, employees, products, and brands at every touchpoint as they use powerful technology to sense opportunities, risks, and trends and, turn this intelligence into action across every part of the business,” said Panlilio.

Designed for small and midsize businesses, SAP Business One (SAP B1) offers an affordable way to several key business areas. It is a single, integrated solution that captures all critical business information for immediate access and company-wide use. The SAP ERP solution boasts of its modularity and flexibility having more than 500 add-on solutions, custom-made to industries, or special functions.

On the other hand, SAP Business ByDesign is a single cloud ERP solution for fast-growing, mid-market businesses to scale and compete without the complexity and cost. The solution enables businesses to connect every function across their organisation to time-tested best practices and in-depth analytics.

SAP B1 Adoption

In the country, many SMEs that have used SAP solutions emerged to be fast-growing enterprises. 

Sta. Elena Properties is one of the SMEs that leveraged SAP B1 to seamlessly integrate their financial accounting system and deliver reports more effectively. The solution allowed the company to have access to real-time data enabling them to make sound and informed decisions.

“Optimising our financial and accounting system through technology has helped us improve our business processes and nurture the company’s growth,” said Katrina Tantoco-Lobregat, VP for Sales Marketing and Business Development at Sta. Elena Properties.

MM Steel Service Center Corporation has also leveraged SAP B1 to help steel production and delivery run 24/7. Now having full visibility into their stock items and production orders, the company can forecast demand as well as guarantee customer satisfaction.

“We have been successful in implementing SAP Business One across our supply chain. We are now always confident to fill customers’ orders. Because at any time of the day, we know exactly how much stock we have on hand, what orders are incoming and how much stock is in transit,” shared the steel manufacturer’s Accounting Supervisor Marcel Gako.

“This means zero delays across the entire supply chain. Uninterrupted supply means uninterrupted growth,” further stressed Raymond Seminiano, Supervisor at MM Steel.

MD Panlilio explained that SAP, as a purpose-driven company, is focused on helping its customers and organisations successfully manage their businesses amid new adversaries just like this pandemic. He said:

“SAP’s mission has always been to help every type of organisation in whatever size or shape, to run better. Especially in the Philippines where SMEs are essential to our thriving economy, we remain focused on providing access to technology that will support their growth and resiliency.”

While the Philippine government strives to provide incentives and aids to SMEs, SMEs, for their own sake, must stay on top of their game to innovate, find and adopt applicable solutions and technology to help them prosper during and after the pandemic.

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Many businesses, both global enterprises and SMEs, have been caught off-guard with the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in their operations. Organisations are compelled to rethink their business strategies in congruence with consistently evolving government protocols surrounding the crisis. In Malaysia, Movement Control Order (MCO), the country’s preventive measure to COVID-19 enforcing non-essential businesses to close, has been in effect since March.

 For small and medium enterprises (SMEs), SAP Malaysia Sdn Bhd Managing Director Kok Cheong Hong has found technology as its silver lining at these challenging times. Specifically, the MD highlighted the opportunity for SMEs to leverage SAP Business One software for business continuity amidst the pandemic and after MCO is lifted.

“The MCO has demonstrated how technology continues to play an ever-increasing important role in supporting business continuity while increasing the accuracy and accessibility of data, information management, and reporting analysis,” Hong said in a recent statement.

“The MCO also demonstrated the importance of digitisation and moving away from human-managed interfaces and toward machine learning and automated processes,” he added.

The MD stressed that the need for technology advancement will be of high importance even post-MCO. He clarified though that, above all, human connection and expertise play a significant role in the decision-making and communications process to protect and enhance the brand, operations, customers, and various stakeholders.

SMEs’ Silver Lining

Though some SMEs are technology-ready to seamlessly continue business operations in the COVID-19 environment, there are still some that haven’t explored the opportunities of digitalisation. Hong explained and encouraged SMEs to consider technology as an investment more than a cost to be able to, first, thrive, and then eventually sustain growth in these uncertain times. Many software solutions are now made available, scalable, and competitively priced for SMEs to take advantage of.

SAP Malaysia Managing Director explained:

“Technology serves as a business enabler that paves the way for greater productivity, operational efficiencies, and cost-savings.”

“This is a crucial point of a digital transformation journey which SMEs should recognise to overcome the fear that such a process might incur unexpectedly high cost,” he further said.

According to Hong, ‘SAP is for everyone’. SMEs can also evolve into an intelligent enterprise with the right technology. He highlighted SAP Business One (SAP B1) as one of the German company’s ERP software solutions designed for SMEs. Hong said:

“What SAP B1 does is automate key business functions in financials, operations, and human resources so that SMEs can derive greater efficiencies within their operations.”

“SAP is at the forefront of 25 various industries, and we can help SMEs learn from larger enterprises such as making their supply chain process shorter and more effective,” he stressed.

Designed for small and midsize businesses, SAP Business One offers an affordable way to several key business areas. It is a single, integrated solution that captures all critical business information for immediate access and company-wide use. The SAP ERP solution boasts of its modularity and flexibility having more than 500 add-on solutions, custom-made to industries, or special functions.

Hong said that intelligent enterprises leverage technology-enabled capabilities to collect and connect data that was previously unrecognized in resolving challenges. In a changing market, technology enables organisations to respond accordingly in no time. 

Encouraging SMEs to become intelligent enterprises, the SAP Malaysia Head further explained: 

“What’s more, intelligent enterprises are able to better collect insights from customers, employees, products, and brands at every touch point, use powerful technology to sense opportunities, risks, and trends and turn this intelligence into action across every part of the business.”

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