BABA’S embraces innovative SAP technologies to further drive efficiencies

Established and world-renowned spice manufacturer Baba Products (M) Sdn. Bhd. (BABA’S) has accelerated its digital transformation programme in its efforts to further drive efficiency and provide optimal outcomes to its partners and stakeholders.

BABA’S Group of Companies’ Head of Finance, Mr. Ilaventhan Vijaya said: “As Malaysia’s preferred choice for curry mixes and spice powders curry mixes, pure spices and flour mixes, we are proud that our range of over 30 products can be found on almost every retail shelf nationwide.”

“We maintain the highest standards with our ‘freshest on the shelf’ policy, as well as our policy of using only the finest ingredients to ensure purity and quality, and the employment of innovative state-of-the-art production and hygienic packaging techniques,” Ilaventhan added.

“Our commitment to our distributors, retailers, and our customers is what drove us to ensure that, through digital transformation, our processes have been re-engineered to become more lean, agile, and resilient.”

According to Ilaventhan, BABA’S, which started out as a mobile sundry shop business servicing the Klang Valley area in the late 1970s, is now Malaysia’s leading curry powder and spice brand.

The company chose SAP for its digital transformation initiative as it transitioned from its previous all-manual, paper-based processes to a digital business platform. The SAP solution suite that BABA’S has chosen to implement included SAP S/4 HANA, Direct Store Delivery with CRM (customer relationship management), SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Payroll.

“After close examination of the various alternatives out there, we chose SAP as we felt that its innovative capabilities would enable us to achieve greater efficiencies, productivity, and propel our business’s development to the next level,” Ilaventhan said.

S/4 HANA is SAP’s industry-specific solution for organisations, and in the case of the retail sector, features a simplified data model with embedded analytics functions, and supports retail core processes end to end – from master data entry and product listing, through promotion execution and price maintenance, to point-of-sales accounting.

Built on SAP’s advanced in-memory platform, SAP HANA – a high-performance in-memory database that speeds data-driven, real-time decisions and actions – SAP S/4 HANA is the digital core that integrates technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, real-time analytics, mobile, and business networks.

Ilaventhan also explained that the SAP Direct Store Delivery mobile solution empowers BABA’S field personnel to simplify complex direct-to-store delivery processes and enable real-time decision-making.

Direct to Store Delivery is an SAP process regarding selling and distributing goods directly to the customer’s point of sales, without storing merchandise in customers’ warehouse, thereby helping them save money.

Through the use of specialised mobile apps, field personnel are also able to plan and schedule store visits and deliveries efficiently and improve product placement and in-stock levels, access key information about customers, orders, and deliveries in real-time on their mobile device, and verify product returns, process orders, and settle bills on the spot while sharing pricing, promotions, and discounts.

They too are able to take real-time pictures, conduct surveys and record customers’ feedback for further improvements to be made.

BABA’S is also implementing SAP SuccessFactors and SAP Payroll beginning July 2021 for its human capital management, aiming to improve employee productivity in the ‘new norm’.

SAP SuccessFactors is a cloud-based human capital management solution world-renowned for streamlining processes, winning at the recruitment and retention game, training and re-skilling the workforce, and capitalizing on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.

BABA’S employees would also be able to use its seamless, mobile-friendly user experiences and social collaboration capabilities to access information anywhere, anytime.

SAP Malaysia Managing Director Hong Kok Cheong believes that BABA’S growth will accelerate even further through the implementation of SAP’s range of products and services.

“We are pleased that BABA’S has chosen us as for its digital transformation programme,” said Hong.

“Regardless of industry, businesses must embrace true business transformation into ‘intelligent enterprises’ while keeping in mind that customers are the lifeline to survival and sustainable growth.”

Source: SAP Malaysia

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