SAP SE has announced Siam City Cement Company (SCCC), one of Thailand’s largest cement producers, has renewed its investment in SAP Ariba solutions to further digitalize its end-to-end procurement processes.
An innovative supplier of cement products, services and solutions, SCCC has been a staple in Thailand’s development for more than 50 years and is expanding its operations to Cambodia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
“From the beginning, we saw our procurement transformation as an opportunity to bring more value to the organization and to our network of suppliers in Thailand and beyond,” Siam City Cement Co. Head of Group Procurement Benjamin Goodwin said. “Our recent renewal of SAP Ariba solutions is a result of the successful partnership cultivated over the years, which set us up to achieve process efficiencies and cost savings from automation, standardization and improved collaboration with suppliers. We look forward to continuing our journey with SAP.”
After adopting SAP Ariba solutions for sourcing, contracts, catalogs, supplier information management and supplier collaboration in 2016, SCCC renewed its investment in SAP Ariba solutions to help support its growth. The company plans to implement the SAP Ariba Strategic Sourcing Suite and the SAP Ariba Supplier Lifecycle and Performance solution to take advantage of the latest innovations from SAP and further refine its procurement operations.
As of the August 2020 release, SAP Ariba solutions now support the Thai language, making it easier for buyers and suppliers to communicate and transact over Ariba Network. Thai companies like Siam City Cement often work with local small and midsize businesses that face adoption challenges because of language barriers. The Thai localization of SAP Ariba solutions will help drive adoption and increase value to buyers and suppliers alike.
Exogro, one of SCCC’s suppliers helping it reduce sourcing costs for maintenance and operations, started using Ariba Network to receive and respond to purchase orders digitally. The automation enabled by the SAP Ariba solutions improves the overall experience of both parties by making it easier to transact.
“As a supplier to Siam City Cement Co., Ariba Network has been integral to our successful relationship,” said Prakasit Yarnprasithwet, managing director, Exogro. “Processing orders and invoices automatically — and in our native language — simplifies the process and keeps our business running smoothly and optimally.”
With the upgraded SAP Ariba solutions, SCCC plans to further digitalize post–purchase order processes including invoice automation and remittance visibility. By automating its end-to-end source-to-pay process on one cloud-based platform, SCCC will become more efficient and able to provide a positive experience for its staff and suppliers across Thailand, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. The procurement transformation and enhanced visibility into spend enables SCCC’s procurement team to make better informed business decisions to help generate cost savings.
Gareth Bowen, SAP Ariba and SAP Fieldglass Southeast Asia regional vice president, said: “As the first procurement transformation enabled by SAP Ariba solutions in Thailand, Siam City Cement Co. has set a new benchmark for the region. Centralizing and standardizing procurement in the cloud has already helped the company achieve efficiencies not possible without digitalization. SCCC’s renewed investment in SAP Ariba solutions will extend the benefits to its growing network of suppliers, especially those who were asking for a localized user experience.”
