Beny has had over 10 years of experience in the manufacturing sector, working with MNCs like Panasonic and Pioneer, where he played a role in product development. He later joined Razer and contributed to the company’s evolution of gaming accessories. In 2013, he moved to Indonesia and was a Sales Director of a Manufacturing company and managed 7 companies across the country. He later returned to Singapore in 2017 and joined SME Centre @SMCCI, in hopes of helping companies strengthen their internal processes and productivity.
We sat down with Beny to understand how companies can heighten their productivity by relooking at their business processes.
- Why is it important for companies to streamline their business processes?
A lot of companies these days, without realizing, tend to compartmentalize their processes. However, this is not ideal as it can result in a disintegrated model. Companies should streamline their processes to minimize error, reduce waste, improve productivity and efficiency.
- Example of simple process automation tools that companies can adopt.
An example of process automation tools is the Robotic Process Automation (RPA), which is you may find commonly adopted by businesses for automation. The technology enables companies to emulate human behaviour and actions through a computer software. This digital system eventually automates execution on a variety of repetitive tasks.
One of my clients struggled with their productivity and we later realized it was largely due to a lot of manual and tedious work, which could easily be digitized. I recommended that they purchase an ERP system, which would help their counter staff capture and store customer’s data and make it easily retrievable for repeated purchases.
- Misconception: Process automation tools are only for big companies. Could you shed some light on this?
No, it should not be the case, as any company, regardless of size or industry, will need a strong and clear business process to succeed and scale. This is where process automation kicks in and acts as a catalyst for digitalisation.
- What is the 5S about?
5S is a Business Process Improvement (BPI) method and originates from Japan. It is derived from the Japanese words: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu and Shitsuke.
- Seiri – Keep the necessary items in your work area and discard those that are not needed.
- Seiton – Maintain a Systematic Arrangement for the most efficient and effective retrieval.
- Seiso – Shining. Clean the workspace and keep it clean, tidy and organized.
- Seiketsu – Standardizing. Work practices should be consistent and standardized.
- Shitsuke – Sustaining. Once the previous 4 S’s have been established, they become the new way to operate.
This BPI method was initially intended for the manufacturing sector, but it works well in an office environment too so it can be applied to all types of business.
- Are there any productivity toolkits that can assist SMEs? (can suggest 5S and 7W diagnostics)
There are several productivity toolkits available for SMEs to benefit from. Commonly used tools are 5S, Kaizen and 7W. However, if the SME is unsure as to how to implement these tools, they can always approach any of our Business Advisors at SME centre @SMCCI – We provide complimentary business diagnostics which can help them identify gaps within their processes and find ways to optimize them.