How Tata Technologies' Digitization is Strengthening Supply Chains

Most organizations have been challenged to mitigate the effects of supply chain disruptions and the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated these shifts. Organizations are forced to re-evaluate their supply chains to balance efficiency and resilience. This week, Tata Technologies, Global Head of Procurement, Vijayanand Choudhury shares with us how they are using their digital capabilities, developing innovative solutions and managing suppliers in this ‘New Normal’.

1. What is your top priority currently in your procurement organization? Can you explain this further?

With the rise of the second wave of COVID-19 in India, organizations could not further emphasize the need to manage business continuity during events like a pandemic. Building resilient Supply Chains by being pro-active, nimble, and quick to react to maintain business continuity has been our top priority. Furthermore, being empathetic is key by understanding both the upstream involving our suppliers and partners and downstream involving our operations, logistics and customers. Hence being empathetic and resilient are our two key priorities.

2. How are you managing the supply chain now that there are rising cases of COVID-19 in India?

The first wave was an eye opener and the pandemic set a ‘New Normal’ in everything we did. Hence, the second wave did not disrupt the operations of organizations drastically, but the human loss and its impact is being felt deeply. In India, most companies have taken all possible measures not only to help employees and families within the organization but everyone in the society at large. We see a steady decline after peaking up in the second wave, we hope to build a more resilient nation to face any such untoward and unfortunate events.

3. Being a tech company, where are you at now with digitizing procurement processes?

Most of our activities are digitized, like spend analytics, P2P operations, Invoice to Pay operations. Automating all kinds of transactions has been our forte. We also provide digital solutions in supplier lifecycle management and product lifecycle management to our customers. We now look forward to digitalize our supplier risk management to have a holistic view of our suppliers on a real time basis.

4. What are the opportunities and challenges for the Sourcing and Procurement Management Solutions market created by the outbreak of the Covid-19?

COVID-19 has pushed organizations to develop touchless operations to ensure products and services are delivered remotely. All suppliers have innovated themselves in the way that they want to operate. Our S2P solutions that were digitized with the past in mind now needs a change, keeping pace with the sudden digitalization that the markets offer in everything that we do. For example, all our suppliers have developed platforms to deliver better, our systems today need to be tweaked so that they can collaborate seamlessly with such supplier platforms and automate all our relationship transactions.

5. How does Tata Technologies start along the road of Supply Chain Diversification and create a network of suppliers that can thrive in the new normal?

Supplier diversity has been a key feature of our procurement policy and operation practices. But the challenging times does not mean that we need to create a new network of suppliers instantly. These are times where we have to present workable platforms and support to enable our suppliers to continue with their supplies, and at the same-time keep pace with those suppliers who innovated themselves much faster to address the crisis. Thriving in the ‘New Normal’ does not only means achieving a stated objective but it also means enabling our suppliers to address the ‘New Normal’.

6. What do you want to see from your procurement team in 2022 and beyond?

I would see the time of 2020-2022 as a period of expedited evolution. 2022 will be a time of a high-tech digitalized world. There is sudden transformation amongst the talent as well. All of us are getting more tech savvy and have learnt to get innovative to address situations of crisis. The boundaries of various functions and sub-functions will cease to exist, everything would be more agile, and fluid supported by automated systems.

7. Can you also name one or two ways on how you think you added or can add the most value to your organization during this trying time?

During these tough times we have built a resilient supply chain that addresses the current needs more aptly than ever. We have been able to forecast in the short-term what could be the demands of the organization and have been always prepared for the same. We have taken a another look at the process of risk management and brought about the changes. The systems, processes and talent have gone fully adaptable to today’s challenges and are able to deliver much better than yesterday. We wish these times pass much faster than anticipated and bring in a much more digitalized and collaborative world.  

8. What will you be sharing at ProcureCon Asia and why is this a must not miss event for you?

It is tough and rare to find a real good congregation of procurement professionals. I am sure ProcureCon Asia will provide one such unique platforms where eminent professionals from the world of procurement and supply chain will participate. It would be my pleasure to share our learnings specially in these tough times of pandemic. More importantly this event would also help us to learn about various initiatives and happenings across categories, industries, and nations.