Mitr Phol strives for world status via digitalisation of work process
MITR PHOL Group, one of the world’s major sugar producers, has deployed innovation and digital technology to transform its working process as part of its goal to become a world-class organisation by 2020.
Sarayuth Saengchan, senior executive vice president/Finance Group, said “to achieve that status, the company needs to become an organisation with sustainable growth through a transformation of its work processes.”
“Before leveraging technology to support our work, we started by adjusting the work processes in the areas of PPP (Plants, Purchasing, Payment) in our subsidiaries to retain the same high standards. We then adapted our technological systems to support the work and to raise the efficiency of technology usage. ”
He said that the company has used tools and technologies such as design thinking, mobile devices, cloud, automation, Internet of Things (IoT) and QR code in three main parts of its working process - supply chain management, plant maintenance, and inventory management, all of which are significant in the way the business is run.
The group’s digital transformation has reaped rewards as it was named the 2018 "Digital Transformer of the Year" by IDC at the IDC DX Awards 2018 Thailand in September this year.
Other winners included SCB Abacus Company Limited, CIMB Thai, Bank of Ayudhya, Advanced Info Service and Ananda Development, recognised as the winners for Digital Disruptor, Omni Experience Innovator, Information Visionary, Talent Accelerator, and Operating Model Master, respectively.
IDC is the premier global provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets.
According to IDC, the Mitr Phol Group began its digital transformation journey in September 2015 by combining its fully integrated agriculture business model with digital technologies. Digital technologies such as mobile devices, cloud, big data analytics, automation, and IoT sensors have been introduced in its three main areas: supply chain management, plant maintenance, and inventory management, covering 33 plants across 18 companies within the group.
Sarayuth said that in the supply chain management, the ease of procurement comes from its adoption of the UNSPSC [United Nations Standard Products and Services Code] structure, which provides information on common materials. Purchasing information is shared between users, purchasers and vendors via the Mitr Phol procurement system.
The UNSPSC is an open, global, multi-sector standard for efficient, accurate classification of products and services.
“The plant maintenance allows us to be able to use spare parts from a stock pooling strategy with the machines’ status updated via IoT sensors. Real time operation is reported via QR code and tablet,” he added.
In inventory management, the total cost has been reduced through the UNSPSC structure and stock pooling strategy. The process time is also reduced by real-time processing via a mobile channel.
“To support participatory development, we encourage our employees to share their ideas for initiating and developing systems that truly meet the demand of the users. This makes them feel that they are not users but owners, and encourages pride in being part of the development of the systems,” Sarayuth said.
