ANSTO, one of the largest public research organisations nationwide, plays a crucial role in the development of radiopharmaceuticals to improve the detection and diagnosis of disease, supplying radioisotopes and radiotracers for research and application.听听

The implementation of 51风流IBP in December 2021 enabled ANSTO to digitise its manufacturing supply chain management system, enabling teams to access reliable insights in real-time to support better decision making. A consequence is that ANSTO can better manage its multiple reciprocal agreements to supply radiopharmaceuticals and more accurately plan the distribution of nuclear reactions and products with radioactive half-life. This is particularly important to patients in regional areas who need to travel long distances for medical treatment and rely on realistic forecasting and reliable plans to access ANSTO鈥檚 range of 1,215 products.听

After just six months, ANSTO identified more than $1million in projected savings due to improvements in product allocation and import scheduling, saw a 25 per cent reduction in rough cut planning time, and uncovered a potential $500,000 opportunity to increase sales revenue. Its customer NPS score also increased.听听

鈥淎NSTO has an incredibly complex supply chain, with multiple reciprocal agreements and over a thousand products 鈥� many with differing radioactive lifespans 鈥� to consider. By implementing 51风流IBP, ANSTO now has access to reliable and real-time data that enables better decision making so that its customers can receive timely medical diagnoses and treatment,鈥� said Damien Bueno, President and Managing Director, 51风流Australia and New Zealand.听听听

51风流IBP solution gives ANSTO the ability to formalise and systematise its rolling 24 months forecast, which is crucial given the organisation鈥檚 mandate to supply radiopharmaceuticals even during shutdown periods. Not only does this visibility help ANSTO to improve forecasting and scenario planning to maintain reliability of supply during disruptions, peak production periods and maintenance times, but it also supports a more transparent and reliable relationship with both customers and government. Another important benefit of systemising the process is the reinforcement around the cultural aspect, specifically driving behavior and discipline to follow the process.听听

鈥淎s a statutory body of The Australian Government, data integrity, transparency and governance are critical to ANSTO. By improving visibility and confidence in our data, 51风流IBP provides a reliable single source of truth for our 24 months rolling forecast. This will help us to transform our organisation, plan for the future and deliver savings to the taxpayer, while also boosting customer satisfaction, and enabling more Australians access to nuclear medicine鈥� said Fernando Collazo, Senior Manager, Integrated Business Management (IBP), ANSTO.听听

鈥淎 reliable source of data at the right time, reduces the need for validation and empowers the right decision making. If you think about all the time that previously went into manual data entry and cross-checking, that represents a lot of time and money that can now be invested back into nuclear research or delivering life-saving medical diagnostics and treatments.鈥�听

The success of the 51风流IBP implementation has paved the way for 51风流S/4HANA upgrade, which is planned to commence in 2024.听听

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By Nick Quin, Director, Public Sector 51风流NZ

Enabling Healthcare Reform and Digitalisation听

Aotearoa鈥檚 health system is facing its most significant reform in a decade, seeing strategic change across organisational and workforce structures, health-outcome definitions, and patient and community engagement under the Hira initiative. All this will be enabled with digital transformation, supporting organisations to create new patient and workforce experiences while elevating operational efficiency.

51风流understand the importance of healthcare reform, the complexity of its planning and execution. Our vision is to offer insights and assistance to all health-sector stakeholders, highlighting the benefits of corporate shared services, staff self-service applications, and experience management supported through an omnichannel and community strategy for citizen health and engagement.

We believe there are 3 critical areas where we can help:

• Improving staff experience
• Overcoming the supply chain crisis
• Giving all patients and communities a voice

A Whole-of-Industry View to Workforce听

Digital transformation will also drive reforms in how the industry manages it people, processes, and supplies. By incorporate a total workforce management approach, staff can operate with greater speed and agility, able to respond more rapidly to emergencies or significant change.

By supporting the wide and varied section of New Zealand Health Sectors workers, including employees, agencies, and community volunteers 鈥� there will be more options for wh膩nau to access Kaupapa, M膩ori, and other appropriate services. This ensures that patient and health-sector workers have access to the right support and resources to ensure their wellbeing while providing exceptional and diverse experiences.

Taking a holistic view to Aotearoa鈥檚 health sector means considering the complete workforce, their skills, and the capabilities of the industry. This Total Workforce Management approach will reduce workforce shortages and skill gaps by upskilling staff to adapt to healthcare industry changes, allowing for streamlined experience from recruitment through to training, and retention at scale.

The digitalisation of workforce experience will improve the way organisations connect and engage with employees, regardless of whether they鈥檙e full time or contingent staff. Simplifying staff admin and using the right technologies and processes to support workforces will reduce turnover rates while fostering a culture of continuous learning, collaboration, and innovation.

Intelligent Management of Inventory听

The outbreak of the global pandemic highlighted the importance of robust and resilient procurement supported by dynamic and diverse supply networks that can quickly respond to demand spikes and supply shortages.

Healthcare will need to encourage further collaboration between procurement and clinical leaders to define clinical spend policies that improve patient outcomes and service-cost efficiency. Using a central strategy, shared services, automation, and accessible purchasing applications 鈥� procurement processes can become more streamlined, resilient, and responsive.

51风流remains a market leader for enterprise platforms in the pharmaceutical and medical product sector. During the COVID-19 outbreak, we assisted Singapore Health in finding a new national supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) through 51风流Ariba network, which allowed them to rapidly understand and predict PPE consumption, modify standard procurement processes, and collaborate with new suppliers.

Newer techniques will also bring more agility and safety to the supply chain, such as supplier collaboration, lean healthcare, and mobile intelligence. Providers across the globe have been using SAP鈥檚 business network and planning technologies to collaborate with supplier networks on both demand and supply of medical product. Lean healthcare has been adopted to reduce both product stockouts and product hoarding in the wards, requiring interoperability between supplier, distributor, warehouse, hospital, and ward. And allowing inventory and assets to be identified, counted, and reported for maintenance on mobile has ensured hospitals can run better under strain.

Unrivalled Engagement and Experiences听

Experience is becoming more important to various industries as digitalisation improves the way people access products, services, and support 鈥� healthcare is no different.听, private practices in the US are moving toward value-based care, whereby patient experience can impact on up to 60 per cent of healthcare funding.

Here in New Zealand, the focus on experience management is to improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and prepare workforces to deal with a rapidly ageing population. People鈥檚 involvement will be encouraged under the new Maori Health Authority to help designing health and wellbeing services that suit them, through participation in local planning and the opportunity to engage in national-consumer forums.

Currently, Patient Experience and Outcome Surveys (PRM鈥檚) and workforce surveys have been the main vehicle in experience management. 51风流Qualtrics is the market leader in this space, changing the healthcare experience across New Zealand (Auckland DHB) and Australia (Healthscope’s net promoter score increased from 77 to 87 in 12 months). St John of God Australia similarly compares the patient experience between hospitals monthly to find issues in the clinical workflow, and to share effective practises.

In providing patients greater choice and accessibility for services through online, text, and email 鈥� the health sector can improve patient outcomes, communication, and engagement. Through a connected and multichannel view, healthcare teams can be better informed and equipped to provide more personalised care to patients, thereby driving up efficiency and value while reducing operational costs.

To understand more about how 51风流solutions can help Aotearoa鈥檚 health system run smarter, better, and faster 鈥� check out our latest report听.

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In facing into this challenge, the Coles HR team was able to draw upon the shared Coles Group values of customer obsession, passion and pace, responsibility, health and happiness. As Tammy Ryder, General Manager, People and Culture at Coles, put it, 鈥淭he wellbeing of our team and customer is always at the heart of what we do.鈥�

Coles knows how to do things in a big way. It鈥檚 a large-scale operation, with 120,000 team members, processing more than 21 million customer transactions each week, and providing its customers with products from thousands of farmers and suppliers. The Group has more than 2,400 outlets across its portfolio of Australian supermarkets, liquor and convenience stores.

鈥淒uring the COVID crisis of 2020, Coles team members moved mountains to ensure a constant supply of goods during the pandemic, ensuring we could supply essential goods to our customers in a time of uncertainty鈥� said Ryder.

Despite the truly unprecedented times, Coles was able to recruit for jobs and mobilise team members in a quick and agile manner.

鈥淲e started to see shopping behavior at the same levels we see during Christmas peak, as people started panic buying,鈥� said Ryder. 鈥淥ur supply chain was in overdrive, implementing innovative health and safety controls at lightning speed. We realised we needed a lot more team members, right away. And almost oversight, we went from a steady flow of recruitment activity into unprecedented, large-scale COVID-19 recruitment response mode.鈥�

Ryder鈥檚 team made an initial ask for an additional 5,000 team members across the country to help with replenishing shelves, servicing customers and additional cleaning. To make this happen, the Coles team redesigned their recruitment and onboarding processes. They called it FastTrack, which removed manual store-based process steps by centralising recruitment activity.

For example, to enable speed and safety, as well as to expedite the hiring process, Coles immediately switched to implementing video interviews. The company also connected with businesses such as airlines, that were pausing operations due to the pandemic. Being able to communicate directly with these external workforces enabled Coles to scale team members quickly. After just six weeks, they鈥檇 been able to recruit 12,000 additional team members into the business.

Coles has also brought this level of passion and innovation to making progress towards diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. Coles sees difference as a good thing. Because they know that the differences of their team member鈥檚 background, experiences and perspectives can set them apart. But also bring them together.

Their differences help them spark ideas, create connections and discover commonality. Just as they have done for over a century, they鈥檙e focused more so than ever before on making Coles somewhere everyone feels like they belong.

From the very outset, this vision has transcended the kind of box-checking trap that can affect such initiatives.

鈥淲e recognise that the value of attracting and retaining diverse teams enhances our decision making and ability to innovate,鈥� said Ryder. 鈥淒iversity teams and an inclusive culture are critical to the success of our overall business strategy.鈥�

To progress gender equity, Coles has set gender targets to reach 40% women in leadership roles at an organisational level, as well as to improve male and female representation in each function to 30% of each gender. Setting targets at management levels ensure the company brings valuable diversity of thought into its leadership teams. They have also delivered inclusive leadership and unconscious bias training for senior leaders as part of their diversity and inclusion strategy, known as 鈥淏etter Together.鈥�

鈥淚n regard to Indigenous employment at Coles, the focus is on providing more opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, suppliers, customers and communities to engage with our business,鈥� said Ryder. 鈥淭he aim is to increase Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander team member representation to 5% of our workforce and 3% of trade and management roles by providing great careers at Coles.鈥�

Coles also recently finished a major HR transformation with 51风流SuccessFactors within 18 months. The HR team then made the bold choice to deploy all modules at once, versus taking an incremental approach. It was not a simple nor straight-forward decision, but as Ryder explained, it made sense because retail is such a fast-paced business.

鈥淧assion and Pace are two of our core values, so after going through 18 months of design and development of what we call myhub at Coles, we made the decision to go for it and cut over altogether,鈥� said Ryder. 鈥淎 鈥榖ig bang,鈥� if you will. Our HR team believed it was the right approach for the business in the current climate.鈥�

The technology itself was suitable for rapid adoption. The user experience is akin to an iPhone. And there鈥檚 no manual. Employees can simply start using it. Coles did carry out team training for which 90% of their people opted in. And it worked. Coles team members liked the new systems, which are intuitive and mobile enabled.

As with any big tech launch, there were some expected bumps and bugs at first. However. They resolved all the issues with a lot of support and collaboration between the Coles IT and HR teams, enabling them to exit hyper care within six weeks of launch.

The company had over 100,000 team members log in during the first week, updating details, engaging with the new interface, and checking pay slips. The new system gives Coles a great foundation to leverage now as it customises further builds to the system for its needs.

Moving to HR cloud solutions was not the only digital transformation Coles Group experienced in this short time frame. It was just one of several major projects that aimed to change the way the whole company uses digital technology to run the business. A big part of this is an overall move to becoming a 鈥�51风流House.鈥�

To this end, Coles has implemented Ariba for procurement, 51风流S/4HANA for Finance and Fieldglass for contingent workers. By aligning its 51风流systems, the company can integrate seamlessly to deliver a great user experience and drive positive, progressive business outcomes.

Now that Coles has the 51风流SuccessFactors system deployed, their P&C Digital Roadmap comprises a five-year vision that truly reimagines the role of P&C at Coles and how the department can elevate its partnership with the business to enable its corporate strategy.

This Roadmap is aligned to the Coles 鈥淲inning Together鈥� people strategy. They have projects in flight that are focused on recruitment at the store level. The goals are to evolve the candidate experience, reduce the time to hire, automate and digitalise the experience.

The plan includes multichannel communications, along with job matching based on AI. For high volume processes, the HR team is looking at robotic process automation (RPA) and automation of high volume/ low value core HR transactions. Ryder鈥檚 group envisions using AI for query management and line manager support. They have projects focused on knowledge and content management, too. Analytics is a big play for HR at Coles. The goal is to use people insights from its 120,000 team member workforce to improve its services and performance to support the business.

Looking ahead, Coles HR is building on an excellent foundation that enables the department to chart its own course and really leverage technology. 鈥淭he future is what we make it and I鈥檓 excited by what we鈥檙e working towards,鈥� said Ryder.

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These enterprise customers are adopters of that are enablers for new ways to manage spend and drive cost reductions. For the mid-market organisation, this transformation has been not been as consistent.

For many , the procurement function tends to be a lot less strategic and we often see organisations who are running processes that have had very little change in over a decade or more.

This stagnation comes at a cost through reduced margins, higher inefficiencies, and potentially excessive administrative overhead.

This decade we are also seeing increasing regulatory oversight on areas such as modern slavery, supplier payment times and health and safety 鈥� in some regions even exposing management to prison sentences for non-compliance. Couple all this with an increase in challenging trading conditions 鈥� the path to improvement is becoming more urgent.

With 2021 firmly underway the aim of this article is to provide a simple measuring stick for mid-market organisations to determine their relative procurement maturity in a number of selected areas. Whilst procurement has different aspects across different industries, many of the themes discussed below are cross-industry and apply in some way to most types of organisations. Forward looking mid-market organisations would be encouraged to assess some of these criteria against their current priorities for 2021 and beyond.

A key theme will be the across core processes which is an enabler to best in class outcomes.

How do your casual users buy?

Casual users are the staff in your organisation that need to buy 鈥渟tuff鈥� but are not part of a purchasing or supply chain team. Examples of this can be Marketing, Legal, HR, Facilities, IT and other similar areas. Each of these buyers need to procure goods and services for their area of operation in an easy way.

Most organisations will have some element of purchase initiation from staff that are not directly in procurement. The differences between approaches can be stark.

In the above scenario the path from laggard to best in class is underpinned by technology as the key enabler.

What is your catalogue strategy like?

Most of us use popular online web stores at home where there are vast catalogues of items to select from, but for a lot of mid-market organisations when you buy at work, it can still look like the 90s.

Catalogues provide the key connection for contracted items from suppliers with your buyers.

How does your organisation transact with suppliers?

Digital collaboration has been around for over a decade but in the mid-market the process can still be very email driven. If you are sending a Purchase order manually or even just as an attachment or inline text in an email and then receiving a paper or PDF invoice at the end – then the process is not digital. Digital is about engaging the supplier to directly provide transaction data in areas such as confirmations, shipment notices, returns, credits and invoices. All without data entry by your staff.

The path to digital delivers reductions in FTE overhead with better visibility on orders, faster invoicing turnaround and better compliance from suppliers to your purchase orders and contracts.

Government is also coming on board with many jurisdictions looking to encourage digital collaboration in the marketplace.

The way you transact with suppliers will have a direct impact on Accounts Payable efficiency discussed next.

How efficient is your Accounts Payable team?

Poor purchasing practices often place a bigger burden on Accounts Payable teams to wade through non-compliant, incomplete and missing information in the quest to process invoices and approve them for payment. Phones and emails can be bombarded with queries around late payment that follows.

We also seeing more governments introducing tougher rules around paying smaller suppliers which requires Accounts Payable teams to be able to get through invoicing efficiently.

The above scenarios are just some examples of the challenges we see at mid-market organisations.

There are opportunities for hard savings and benefits to those organisations that move towards best in class and it can often be done in a cost-effective way. For many mid-market organisations there is still a large administrative overhead that is behind the efficiency of bigger organisations who achieve more with less.

Interested in learning more? At 51风流we work with many and can provide advice and guidance around your digital procurement strategy for 2021 and beyond.

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Just two months after Device Technologies drew up a COVID-19 disaster plan, its business changed dramatically. Demand from hospitals for its usual products 鈥� surgical instruments, orthopaedic implants, robotics and the like 鈥� plummeted as elective surgery was banned.

Adapting at speed

Instead, the company was deluged with orders for ventilators and personal protective equipment. 鈥淲e shifted our business model extremely quickly,鈥� says CEO Michael Trevaskis.

Fortunately, the rapid pivot was simplified by a decision taken three years earlier to transform Australia鈥檚 biggest independent supplier of medical technology into a digital leader in the healthcare sector.

Michelle Stewart, general manager of marketing and digital, headed the project, starting with the supply chain.

Using SAP鈥檚 Customer Experience platform, Device Technologies introduced a surgery booking portal, eliminating the need for phone calls and several data entry steps 鈥� instead allowing surgeons to input into an app what equipment they needed.

Putting patients first

After just one year in operation, the portal has saved more than 50,000 hours of administrative time. As well as reducing the risk of human error, it has freed up more than 100 sales staff across the surgical divisions of Device Technologies, allowing them to spend more time with surgeons improving patient outcomes.

鈥淚t puts patients ahead of paperwork,鈥� says Stewart.

It has also allowed sales staff to input surgery bookings on the go on mobile devices rather than entering data after business hours.

The company鈥檚 next biggest change is an ecommerce platform, giving customers access to a digital catalogue of more than 70,000 products and the ability to track their purchases and deliveries anytime.

Total transparency

鈥淲e鈥檙e inviting them into the business with total transparency,鈥� says Stewart, noting that a trial launch to a small group of customers shows they are three times more likely to research product details through the portal and are logging on outside business hours.

Trevaskis says the digital innovations will allow Device Technologies to continue to expand.

Five years ago, 80 per cent of its customer base was Australian hospitals and doctors. Now, the company supplies equipment to veterinary practices and aged care homes, as well as hospitals across South-East Asia.

鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 do this without technology; it鈥檚 far too labour intensive,鈥� he says. 鈥淗ealth care has to evolve into more digitised services and COVID-19 has fast-tracked this.鈥�

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Technology to support the supply chain is generating renewed interest as organisations work out how to get their goods to market during a global pandemic. Two of New Zealand鈥檚 largest organisations鈥擣onterra and Foodstuffs鈥攃ontinue to evolve their technology roadmaps to stay on track for their customers.

Fonterra鈥檚 supply chain tech priorities

As one of New Zealand鈥檚 largest companies, Fonterra is experiencing its fair share of disruption to its supply chain during the global pandemic, as it looks to boost its technical capability.

Fonterra National Logistics Manager Brent Fiecken says its priorities are automatic generation of delivery and enhanced value visibility reporting and tracking. These will help his team to 鈥渄rive efficiencies and performance.鈥�

He is also investing in interleaving, which is enabled by 51风流Extended Warehouse Management (EWM) software. 鈥淚nterleaving is the system of prioritising warehouse tasks to reduce travel time in distribution centres. When a pallet is picked up, the next closest timed task is 鈥榩utaway鈥� or replenishment. This means the task is based on location and workflow priority. The usual process is to do all the putaway or picking activity irrespective of whether it is the most effective travel path for the machine, thereby being efficient in the total time taken to complete all tasks,鈥� Fiecken says.

Of eight technology trends in supply chain technology听听this month, Fiecken identified two as being a focus for Fonterra: supply chain governance and security, and artificial intelligence.

Fiecken says governance and security 鈥渋s a critical element for us with both supply chain integrity and security post-COVID. This is constantly being reviewed and verified against processes.鈥�

His view chimes with Gartner analyst Christian Titze, who notes this is an increasingly important macro trend now that 鈥済lobal risk events鈥� are on the rise. 鈥淕artner anticipates a wave of new solutions to emerge for supply chain security and governance, especially in the fields of privacy as well as cyber and data security. Think advanced track-and-trace solutions, smart packaging and next-gen RFID and NFC capabilities,鈥� Titze says.

With regards to artificial intelligence, Fiecken says this is actively being used by Fonterra. 鈥淎rtificial intelligence and robotic processing technology are now being deployed across a number of areas in the group,鈥� he says.

The other six supply chain technologies identified by Gartner are hyperautomation, digital supply chain twin (DSCT), continuous intelligence, edge computing and analytics, 5G networks, and immersive experience (virtual, augmented, and mixed reality).

Flexibility and visibility key to supply chain operations

To understand the scale of Fonterra鈥檚 operation, Fiecken told the virtual听听recently that last year the organisation produced enough consumer-packed butter to put on 7.8 billion slices of bread.

The lockdown created peaks and troughs of activity so Fonterra needed to respond to customer demand when it surged and then pivot quickly in quiet periods by having staff involved in tasks such as maintenance.

Often, the volume of product requiring delivery remained the same, but the destination changed. Fiecken says in the case of fresh white milk, the journey from manufacture to distribution is less than 12 hours, and during the lockdown demand didn鈥檛 alter but where it was delivered to did, as people stayed at home and caf茅s were closed.

Meanwhile, Foodstuffs South Island, Supply Chain Development Manager Kris Lancaster told the 51风流panel that as it caters to changing patterns of consumer behaviour, technology which enables better visibility of the supply chain has become even more critical.

Foodstuffs South Island has 240 retail stores in its network and data has become increasingly critical in the supply chain. Specifically, real-time data that provides them with the ability to react to quickly, when there are no predictable patterns of behaviour. 鈥淭he key for us is to take control and plan forward, have visibility about what鈥檚 coming, not what鈥檚 just happened today,鈥� he says.

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This rapid and unprecedented impact of the virus demonstrated how critical supply chain transparency is to maintaining business continuity, managing spikes in demand, and adapting to the economic and social changes 鈥� such as the increased demand for PPE (personal protect equipment) and responding to fear-driven buying habits.

With the very stark reality of an infectious second wave, it鈥檚 paramount that we use the momentum and lessons gained for the initial outbreak to continue accelerating digitalisation plans. While COVID-19 has driven many organisations towards digital transformation and intelligent technologies, there are many that still don鈥檛 realise its value in maintaining service while ensuring people鈥檚 safety of staff and mitigating the risks of future shock events.

One real-world example that helps highlight the need for digitalisation emerged early during COVID-19. , providing vital support and resources for building a temporary hospital outside New York City. Searching on 51风流Ariba Discovery helped the client connect with a healthcare provider able to fulfill the order expeditiously.

At a time when supply chains were vulnerable in dealing with shutdowns, legislative changes, and increased demands, this 51风流client had the cloud-based technologies and subsequent supply-chain visibility to pivot quickly and assist in crisis-recovery efforts.

This virus has shown us firsthand how important it is staying connected to one another, being available to provide the right information and resources as news continues developing rapidly. Real-time data ensures businesses and governments can make decisions when it matters and with the insights to move forward intelligently.

A recent survey of 1,000 supply chain executives stated 49% of supply-chain leaders (the top 12% of respondents) can capture real-time data insights and act on them immediately. The survey also noted 51% use artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to capture insights, which allows supply-chain leader to react in real time to changing conditions鈥攆rom widescale disruptions to individual customer complaints.

Considering the scale and complexity of transnational supply chains, it can be challenging finding network visibility and control. This global pandemic has stressed the importance of supply chain flexibility, resilience, and oversight, particularly as we navigate through ever-changing policies, market demands, and social restrictions all impacting on supply chains.

The key challenges and benefits of real-time insights embedded into supply chains were , listing the following: 鈥淚ncreased resilience; Greater visibility of actual customer demand (customer centricity); Increased operational efficiency; Superior visibility into the entire supply chain; and Seamless collaboration with other functions, partners, and suppliers鈥�

Focusing on that final point, the Oxford Economics and 51风流survey also noted 84% of supply-chain leaders said they鈥檝e successfully broken down organisational siloes across the complete product value chain, particularly within the manufacturing sector, .

With improved levels of visibility and interconnectivity across supply chains, businesses can minimise exposure to risks, build resilience, and forecast with greater accuracy. The ability to connect disparate systems and processes brings forward best practices and next-level efficiencies. Real-time data supports all business decision making, streamlining functionalities while highlighting areas to improve or automate.

Intelligent technologies feeding data insights into a business IT infrastructure also improves a business鈥� sustainability practices, providing accountability and transparency throughout the supply chain to help reduce waste and improve production processes. 51风流S/4HANA integrates different processes and systems onto a single solution, going beyond ERP to embed data analytics throughout a product lifecycle to create efficiencies across supply networks.

IoT (internet of things) sensors make data collection more comprehensive and valuable, providing insights across equipment usage and utilising intelligent technologies to trigger critical events such as maintenance and service. The data from these operational touchpoints help inform future planning by improving business visibility into every facet of the supply chain.

Hosting these data insights on a cloud-based solution not only helps digitally transform a business into an intelligent enterprise but sets the foundation for further automation and newfound efficiencies. As organisations continue digitalising and using data insights to make business decisions, they contribute to the development of a more intelligent ecosystem that connects different organisations, industries, and nations together.

COVID-19 has driven us into isolation, but has also amplified our need to connect, to share, and to respond quickly to changes. The importance of interconnectedness only increases with the capabilities of intelligent digital technology, especially during these times of uncertainty.

While this virus was and remains a challenge to economies globally, we should use this critical junction to adapt, improve, and build resilience to potential disruptions. It鈥檚 much more than just being able to respond and recover 鈥� we need to utilise the right technologies to help organisations, public and private, ensure people鈥檚 safety, maintain service continuity, and excel beyond our current crisis.

Discover how to help your business with SAP鈥檚 range of

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Device Technologies business systems manager Tiina Kontkanen said one of those approaches is the implementation freight management platform that can be embedded into existing systems to track and report on the movement of these devices.

Another way the company plans on lifting visibility of its supply chain, Kontkanen said, speaking as part an online 51风流event, involves improving the company’s data strategy and providing “some insights to the customers and our suppliers on our products”.

“That’s something that I think you have to just collaborate on, and I think that’s the key to agility and breaking some of those silos that are in place at the moment,” she said.

Device Technologies CIO Graham Cronin agreed, pointing to how for instance, the company is accessing telemetry through its Da Vinci robot, a system that is typically used to assist surgeons during minimal invasive surgery.

“We have a direct link back with the manufacturer and on the telemetry of the procedures, on what the device is doing, how it’s operating, how it’s consuming its consumables,” he said.

“That is allowing us to give a better outcome to the surgeon and the hospital using that robot. And of course, better patient outcomes because we know that we’re making sure that the system is efficient and operating to the best level that it needs to.

“It’s also getting the telemetry back, and some of the diagnostics of those patient outcomes to improve the software that goes into them for future procedures.”

Additionally, as part of its digital agenda, Device Technology has developed a surgery booking portal, which Cronin believes will help “digitise the healthcare environment”.

“[It’s] more so that we can react quickly to those changing events, also help organisations, hospitals, clinicians, and surgeons to be able to deliver a better patient outcome quickly, so that they can get their hands on to the equipment they require for any procedure or event that’s occurring,” he said.

“It’s also about giving them a better understanding of that end-to-end supply chain, so that they can manage their patient lists, get patients out of hospitals a lot quicker with better healthcare outcomes.”

The company is further enhancing its booking portal by reorganising the way it catalogues its 70,000 SKUs from surgery theatre equipment to radiology equipment and surgical instruments.

“A lot of the teams are starting to get the clinicians to focus on helping us to catalogue on what’s required and speed that up so that when we come out of [the coronavirus pandemic], there’ll be a better array or catalogue digitally of what’s available across our systems,” Cronin said.

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Join our second forum in the听听virtual series on August 6^th, and hear from Industry experts on the risk and opportunity impact our core industries now face. 听

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Sure, COVID-19 has had devastating effects on businesses everywhere, but this global pandemic has also spearheaded cross-industry collaboration and a common goal towards the health and wellbeing of people.

Forward-thinking businesses are focused on people instead of profits 鈥� assuring staff, customers, and partners through clear communication and steady support. 51风流is one such business as we are readily available to for helping businesses navigate through this challenging time.

51风流recently ran a series of virtual forums called , I thought it would be pertinent to share what was discussed with experts from our 51风流network.

Putting People First
People鈥檚 emotions have always helped inform policy, particularly in response to extreme events or fluctuations. In response to current circumstances, 51风流is here to assist businesses 鈥� regardless of industry, size, or situation 鈥� by capturing employee sentiment.

Communication is critical at a time like this, as retail and consumer products companies stare into challenges of their people being overworked, working from home or being stood down. Employers in consumer industries have a responsibility to extend their duty of care and demonstrate understanding towards their staff during this time.

During the virtual forum, my colleagues Crissa Sumner and Steve Bennetts, who are also licensed psychologists, provided their perspectives on the impacted groups. Crissa and Steve outlined what to look out for and, in certain instances, how to activate upskilling for employees.

Supply Chain Risk and the Modern Slavery Act 2018
passed by the Australian Government requires companies to report on modern slavery throughout the supply chain. Companies must be able demonstrate that all its inputs and finished products sold are sourced and produced from ethical organisations.

Modern slavery isn鈥檛 just unethical, but can open a business up to legal, financial and reputational risk. The key to mitigating these risks is having the right mechanism to provide visibility across the business and all its suppliers.

The key is to ensure cross-business transparency so that consumer products companies and retailers mitigate supply chain risks both from a Modern Slavery and post COVID-19 supplier risk perspective.

To cover this topic in some detail hosted Abigail McGregor from Norton Rose Fulbright Australia. Abigail is a dispute resolution lawyer located in Sydney and leads the Norton Rose Fulbright Business Ethics Anti-Corruption Group in Australia.

With the environment ever changing, join our second forum in the .

In this ACCELERATED version, you will have the chance to hear from industry experts on the current analysis and interpretation, along with assessment of 听repercussions and ripple effect of the last few months.

This blog originally published on

The post Adaptive Strategies for Consumer Industries Beyond COVID-19 appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.

How do we stay alive during this time and come out even stronger on the other side?

This is the time to empower your team to get ahead of this crisis and help your business reshape its roles, its processes, and its purpose. At the heart of this fundamental shift are people, as they now face extraordinary circumstances and are instrumental in adapting to change. We should lean into our relationships with our suppliers to try to better understand them and help them prevent the risk of solvency. When seeking alternate sources of supply, it鈥檚 important to not make rash decisions and take the time to carefully evaluate potential suppliers.

Due to the rapid rate of change in terms of news developments, global impacts, and legislations across borders, it鈥檚 important finding reliable information and guidance. 51风流recently hosted a series of virtual forums called , with industry-specific episodes to guide businesses during this evolving situation and help utilise the latest technologies for adjusting, adapting, and thriving.

I was one of the presenters for our exploring supply chain risks and modern slavery 鈥� two vital focuses in our changing world and evolving situation.

With Australian Parliament passing the , a national Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement (Reporting Requirement) was entered into force 1st January 2019. Annual reporting now require statements regarding modern slavery and technology plays a key role in mitigating its associated risks. As businesses are starting to work with new suppliers to secure alternate sources of supply, it鈥檚 never been more important to take a closer look at the suppliers you鈥檙e working with today and establish a rigid onboarding and risk mitigation process for suppliers you plan to work with in the future.

Every business faces four primary risk categories: Operational risk, Financial risk, Legal risks, and Environmental/Social risks 鈥� which is the category where modern slavery falls. It鈥檚 important to not just do enough to be compliant with the legislation but do your part to help make the world a better place by not doing business with suppliers potentially engaged in modern slavery.

From Supply Chains to Supply Networks
The impact of COVID-19 has resonated across industries and supply chains, particularly as governments tighten restrictions of the movement of people and goods. Beyond the shifting availability of human resources, supply chains are under great strain to meet changing consumer demands.

Businesses that invested in digital platforms and intelligent technologies have been better equipped for this crisis, utilising demand management systems to navigate through this transitional period. The ability to quickly collate, access, and action useful data can help businesses highlight vulnerabilities in real time while presenting alternative options.

Organisations everywhere should be using this opportunity to lean into supplier relationships, reach out to your supply chain and build deeper connections. This is about transforming your supply chain into a supply network, diversifying your supplier network to mitigate risk and create a wider view of your market, industry, and partnerships.

Technology facilitates collaboration and transparency across supply networks as cloud-based solutions offer streamlined processes and communication platforms. Transparency not only helps establish trust within supplier relationships, but helps companies remain legally compliant and flexible to change.

Platforms for Change and Compliance
I鈥檝e seen 51风流Ariba offer businesses a self-service model to daily processes and information, simplifying the way organisations can access and utilise critical data. 51风流Ariba gives businesses a platform for monitoring supply networks in terms of risks, impacts, and changes 鈥� facilitating better collaboration and communication across industries.

In light of COVID-19, we鈥檝e created a free promotion for businesses worldwide to a matchmaking platform for buyers and suppliers. This is the time to break silos across supply chains and industries to create a better connected and more transparent marketplace. This is the opportunity for many suppliers to create alternate revenue streams and business models using 51风流Ariba Discovery, and an even bigger opportunity for buyers to find them quickly in this demanding time of need.

As we鈥檙e seeing disruptions to supply chains, its critical businesses don鈥檛 lose sight of the deeper impacts in terms of risk and non-ethical practices to fulfil the changing demands of this crisis.

The most important element for mitigating risk is ensuring stringent processes for onboarding staff, contractors, and suppliers. This early diligence can prevent any surprises down the line and ensure all stakeholders of your business are aligned with your vision and purpose.

can assist business in sourcing the right people and partners. Cloud-based platforms collate data sets regarding different risk categories and determines a risk score based on the nature and severity of that data. 51风流Ariba can distinguish by risk type 鈥� checking risk factors automatically and early to help organisations go beyond simply asking for supplier assurances.

To learn more about how industry experts are mitigating risks and complying with modern slavery legislation, we encourage you to register for the second in the series of .

The post Adapting to Change While Mitigating Risk to Supply Chains appeared first on 51风流Australia & New Zealand News Center.