Team Youth Forward, comprising Rada Prapaikornkiet and Kanjaree Suppawittaya from Saint Joseph Convent School, Thailand, emerged as the top winner in the recently concluded ASEAN Data Science Explorers (ASEAN DSE) Regional Finals 2021. The winning entry focused on empowering farming towards a sustainable future of the ASEAN Community covering SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 4 – Quality Education, and SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth. 2021 marks the fifth-year milestone for the ASEAN DSE competition with a renewed focus on UN SDGs that target climate and sustainability.

“We are so surprised, excited, and honored to be the ASEAN DSE Regional Finals Winner! We didn’t expect this at all. This journey has been memorable and life-changing for us. We learned so many new skills from this competition,” said Team Youth Forward. “Lastly, here is our message to ASEAN’s youth: Go for it! Don’t hesitate to join ASEAN DSE and your voices will definitely be heard, as our slogan: Let’s grow together as one ASEAN community that harmonizes in one vision, one identity, and become the remarkable changemakers of ASEAN’s future!”

Working Together for Sustainability Goals 

Since 2017, ASEAN Foundation and SAP have been engaging the university students in Southeast Asia through the ASEAN DSE programme to develop data-driven solutions that highlight six Sustainable Development Goals namely Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG 7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG 8), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG 12) and Climate Action (SDG 13), by harnessing SAP’s Analytics Cloud software. The SAP Analytics Cloud solution combines BI, augmented and predictive analytics, and planning capabilities into one cloud environment.

This year, the competition was focused on insights and data-driven solutions that address climate action and sustainability. Against the COVID-19 backdrop, the ASEAN DSE conducted the data analytics challenge in a hybrid model– hosting virtual and in-person events. The awarding session for the regional competition was held on the second day of the three-day event, which was live-streamed on the ASEAN Foundation’s Facebook channel and achieved over 2,200 views.

As the top winner of the regional finals, the Thailand team was awarded the Regional Champion trophy and prize money of US$1,500. The first runner-up recognition was given to Team Sprinkle of Cambodia, comprising Chakriya Suy and Serei Neath Reasey from Kirirom Institute of Technology, who featured recycling centers as the solution for waste management covering SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic. Team Brain Drain of Malaysia, comprising Ryan Kok Lam Liew and Jia Hui Ng from Sunway University, took the second runner-up place for their presentation that focused on prioritising e-waste covering SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production.

Beyond the ASEAN Foundation and SAP Data Science Challenge

Going beyond the ASEAN Foundation and SAP data science challenge, the ASEAN DSE programme also delivered enablement sessions, both online and in-person, in partnership with Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in ten ASEAN member states (AMS) to equip the youth, including those with limited access to technology and youth with disabilities, with next-level digital skills. As a result of this collaborative effort, the programme was able to cascade SAP Analytics Cloud training to 11,782 students and lecturers in 2021, with females making up 53{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of the youth beneficiaries.

“The ASEAN DSE initiative sets the foundation of a digital world where our ASEAN youth are inspired and motivated to create and solve challenges through technology. This will also cultivate digital inclusion by imbuing youths and lecturers with data analytics skills and nurturing and deepening a pool of homegrown talents in the region to build the workforce of the future,” said Verena Siow, President and Managing Director of SAP Southeast Asia.

“Through our collaboration with the ASEAN Foundation, we aim to empower the diverse ASEAN community to be the world’s economic powerhouse, be at the forefront of innovation, and drive sustainable economies,” she added.

Throughout the event, the regional finalists have participated in series of activities such as team building, networking sessions, storyboard presentations to build connections, strengthen their future-ready skills and grow their appreciation for being a citizen of ASEAN. On the last day, all participants engaged in sharing sessions with the ASEAN Secretariat, Permanent Mission of Brunei Darussalam to ASEAN, alumni of ASEAN DSE, and social enterprises.

“ASEAN Foundation and SAP aspire to help young people in the region to be future-ready by nurturing their 21st-century skills. Aligned with the theme of Brunei’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2021 ‘We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper,’ this programme also allows youth to better understand the shared challenges the region must overcome together and fosters a deeper sense of belonging towards the ASEAN Community. We also hope that the collaboration between ASEAN Foundation and SAP can inspire more public-private partnerships in the future to support the development of our future generation,” said Dr. Yang Mee Eng, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation.

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HH Global, a trusted procurement partner in the outsourcing industry, is one of the companies that has embarked on a transformation journey with SAP Ariba to modernise its procurement and supply chain processes and, more importantly, enable them to achieve ESG and sustainability goals according to a blog written by Kristina Walton, Global Customer Reference Manager, SAP Ariba & SAP Fieldglass. For the past three years, the company has achieved EcoVadis Gold corporate social responsibility status and is ranked within the top 5{aa282f308afcc222aaa21b0478c79e01a8fedd01972e2180867097bd93930f22} of companies that are evaluated by EcoVadis globally.

As one of the pioneers of global print management with a market footprint across 50 countries in EIMEA, the Americas, and the Asia Pacific, HH Global ensures that it delivers market-leading sustainable solutions and reduces the material footprint of the products it purchases and supplies by modernising its supply chain. Aside from innovating new eco-friendly material substitutes for print and point of sale materials, HH Global has also digitalised its operational processes with the help of longstanding partner SAP Ariba, the global provider of procurement and supply chain solutions.

Gary George, Global Technology Director at HH Global, said:

“Eleven years ago, we had one major global client on Ariba Network. Fast forward to today and we use SAP Ariba solutions across our global organisation, with 89 global clients in 39 markets covering 265 enablement integrations.”

Similar to HH Global’s business strategy that is centered on sustainability, SAP Ariba also ensures that it helps its customers and partners “procure with purpose” by providing transparency deep into their supply chain. SAP Ariba’s innovative solutions enable companies to gain visibility across the supply chain to better understand the real-time impact of transactions on the business, the community, and the environment. Moreover, SAP Ariba supports the seventeen UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and guiding principles on business and human rights. 

Enabling a Sustainable Supply Chain Management and More

SAP Ariba helps both large and midsize organizations achieve digital transformation–from source to pay– and realise the fast time to value with e-procurement and supply chain cloud solutions that are always on and easy to deploy. SAP Ariba spend management solutions digitalise and simplify all processes end-to-end, on a single, integrated platform in the cloud.

In partnership with SAP Ariba, HH Global has achieved the following:

• Digitalised and streamlined supply chain processes and documentation
• Improved collaboration with buyers, with purchase orders and invoices now managed electronically
• Adopted punchout and published catalogs 
• Innovated to intelligently and automatically route orders to buyers based on agreed rate cards and delivery location
• Eliminated manual order confirmation tasks and reporting
• Enhanced payment-process visibility
• Reduced use of physical resources and waste

“We also use our experience and credentials with SAP Ariba solutions as part of our sales collateral,” adds George. “For potential clients, it’s such an advantage to work with a supplier like HH Global that is already embedded on the network.”

Companies Digitalising Procurement and Supply Chain

SAP Ariba shared some of the global companies across industries and geographies that have embraced procurement and supply chain solutions in the second quarter to optimise spend management.

Alcon Vision, a global leader in eye care, has selected SAP Ariba solutions for sourcing and procurement for direct and indirect materials to foster simplicity, speed, and user-friendly buying services with increased data transparency and compliance.

Bitzer SE, a refrigeration and air conditioning technology manufacturer, has implemented the SAP Ariba Buying solution with guided buying capability to help streamline and digitalise its procurement operations.

Molson Coors Beverage Co., a multinational drink and brewing company, made a strategic investment in SAP Ariba solutions to help modernise its global procurement operations, building on its implementation of the SAP Ariba Contracts solution and adding the SAP Ariba Buying and Invoicing solution with commerce automation capabilities. 

Roca Sanitario SA, a global leader in bathroom equipment, selected SAP Ariba solutions for strategic sourcing, buying, commerce automation, and supply chain collaboration. The company anticipates to increase visibility into spend and supplier performance to optimise costs and operational efficiencies.

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