We had an INCREDIBLE presentation from P&G Asia in Singapore where they showed us their brand-new BI system. Extensive data is currently collected 12 out of the 15 countries of the region. It was beyond impressive! For example, they showed us from their Asia headquarters in Singapore they can drill to the level of a single distributor's figures for a single brand in rural China. Using TIBCO Spotfire software, David Dickman (Director of BI for P&G Asia) demoed this drill down by clicking on portions of charts and infographics. One of the coolest infographics showed vertically integrated value and volume share. The software also has predictive modeling capabilities, but he could not show us that information. The most amazing takeaway from this presentation was that Mr. Dickman shared that just one year ago, all of this information was shared in paper reports. He credits P&G Asia's ability to do implement this massive project as a combination of the right technology finally becoming available as well as Global CEO Bob McDonald's vision to "digitize the organization from end to end." The rest of P&G's global operations' data remains separate, and this project was paid for using regional funds. It was also interesting that corporate in Cincinnati has limited access to the data, as the BI director said they did not want them to get bogged down in a certain level of detail that is reserved for analysts. The intricacies of Business Intelligence at work!
Since my group has focused on P&G since January for our project, this was an incredible opportunity to also meet with members of the marketing team. We looked at trends for Asia, which P&G coins "Older, Urben, Richer, Smaller." The product portfolio and distribution strategy will change significantly moving forward. The BI capabilities I mentioned above are critical to remaining competitive. It's all about data!
The week has flown by, and I cannot believe it is already Friday. I've had classes taught by NUS faculty (National University of Singapore) from about 9am-2pm everyday, followed by corporate visits in the afternoon.
Monday we visited an HP plant that manufactures 3,000 computers 6-7 days a week. The floor manager ran us through the major processes that take place at this particular facility, from sourcing parts and receiving orders to QA (which they break down into "pre-test" and "run") and shipping. It was very interesting to see that their process still depends on paper scanning and is very reliant on human labor. Unfortunately, no pictures were permitted inside.
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| HP Plant, Singapore |
After HP, we visited the Marina Barrage, which was more and educational experience than a corporate visit. It was fascinating nonetheless. Marina Barrage is a prime example of how Singapore's government actively innovates. Singapore is a tiny island- only about 700 square kilometers- smaller than most American cities, with very little natural water. Singapore receives a lot of rainfall, however, and flooding can be a serious problem. Marina Barrage serves three functional purposes. The first is that it captures fresh water that can be treated and used by Singaporean citizens. Secondly, it prevents flooding by opening gates during low tide and by pumping out water during high tide. Finally, it serves as a tourist attraction- a place for local Singaporeans to relax on the grass above the building and learn about sustainability in the gallery inside. Kite flying is also a popular past time at the Marina Barrage. Below are some images of the Marina Barrage and the educational gallery inside.
