The Covid-19 pandemic is changing how businesses operate. Employees, customers, and organizations are adopting a new way of working—including working from home, transacting via virtual or online channels, and managing business operations remotely.
Thus, SAP Philippine Managing Director Edler Panlilio is encouraging local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to start looking at technology as an important asset rather than an option. He is confident that technological advancements will likely continue to grow even after the eventual lifting of the quarantine guidelines.
“These quarantine guidelines demonstrate how technology continues to play an important role in supporting business continuity,” Panlilio said. “Organizations now rely more on digital tools and platforms to move labor-oriented practices into more automated and technology-oriented processes.”
Intelligent enterprises
SAP Philippines is now offering two ‘intelligent enterprises’ to help local SMEs. SAP Business One and SAP Business ByDesign were both once exclusive to large firms. Through these intelligent enterprises, SMEs can achieve greater productivity, more efficient operations, and better cost-saving processes.
Several SMEs can attest to the effectiveness of SAP Business One. These small businesses have emerged to be fast-growing enterprises with the help of these intelligent enterprises.
Sta. Elena Properties is citing SAP Business One for its ability to gain the capability to seamlessly integrate their financial accounting system and deliver reports more effectively. The company also gained access to real-time data that enabled it to make sound and informed decisions. “Optimizing our financial and accounting system through technology has helped us improve our business processes and nurture the company’s growth,” said VP for Sales Marketing and Business Development Katrina Tantoco-Lobregat.
Uninterrupted supply
For steel maker MM Steel Service Center Corporation, SAP Business One helped its steel production and delivery to run 24/7. The company now has full visibility into its stock items and production orders, supporting those to identify future demand and guarantee customer satisfaction. “We have been successful in implementing SAP Business One across our supply chain,” said Accounting Supervisor Marcel Gako. “We are now always confident to fill our customers’ orders,” he added.
On the other hand, SAP Business ByDesign helps in managing the business with a single cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution. It helps SMEs in expanding and competing with more established businesses with less complexity and cost.
“SAP’s mission has always been to help every type of organization 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,” said Panlilio.