July 5, 2018
The cloud computing megatrend has been hard to miss for consumers or businesses. Cloud-enabled platforms have transformed everything from transportation to accommodation, and helped create some of the world’s most valuable companies. As a matter of fact, 1.65m business people rely on cloud data day in and day out. Adoption by enterprises has been swift. Technology research firm Gartner published a report in February predicting the pace of growth in public cloud services would reach its peak this year at 18%, with a total value of US$246.8bn. Companies were pursuing cloud strategies, said Gartner, due to the “multidimensional value of cloud services, including values such as agility, scalability, cost benefits, innovation and business growth ”. Despite these and other benefits, manufacturers appear to be slower adopters than those in other sectors. An Economist Intelligence Unit report published last year notes that “manufacturing appears to have something of a late…
July 5, 2018
Majans traces its history back to Fiji in the 1960s. Today it’s a thoroughly modern manufacturer, headquartered in Queensland and employing 120 people, with a decent share of Australia’s $1.2bn snack market. The company has grown exponentially in recent years with brands like Bhuja and Infuzions. Today, its gaze is firmly fixed on the future, and the opportunity to create an intelligent, efficient, data-driven factory of the future. It’s building the foundations right now. Working with Microsoft partner Sable37, Majans has replaced an SAP Business One solution with Microsoft’s Azure-based Dynamics365. Majans Director Amit Raniga explains that the business is focussed on gaining a competitive advantage by digitally transforming its end-to-end processes. While a significant player in the snackfood market, Majans is dwarfed by giant international competition. Sustained success and the opportunity to expand into international markets will rely on discovering ways to do things smarter, faster. “We have a weekly forum, we’re calling it Majans’ Labs, and the forum’s clear mandate…
July 5, 2018
Imagine the scenario: You own a small or medium-sized business. The business is stagnating because you don’t want to stop micromanaging. You have a team who can perform their roles, but you don’t believe you can depend upon anyone. You are mostly working in the business – not on it. As a result the business is not growing or realising its potential. You are in firefighting mode every day. The whole time is spent “managing” people, resources or urgent customer issues, which is frustrating. As a professional running the organisation, you hardly have time for your own projects that could help the organisation. You can grow fast as the market and the product you are in is in a growth phase. However, that growth needs managing and you are short of management resources. You need to hire managers but don’t know who to hire, what skillssets suit your organisation, or who will…
