Challenges
Solution
Results
From its humble beginnings in 1977, Sunlight Paper has grown into Singapore’s leading tissue paper manufacturer and supplier. As it grew, Sunlight adopted new machineries and solutions to drive operational efficiencies and increase productivity. Manual processes were replaced with digital solutions, and its digital transformation journey to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Microsoft Teams streamlined processes, reduced operating costs, and improved customer relationship management.
As a 43-year-old business, Sunlight Paper previously relied on systems that were highly manual and reactive. Sunlight’s ERP system lacked data for proactive business decisions and its manual logistics system meant zero visibility on the movement of its fleet of delivery trucks, thus impacting delivery planning and scheduling. Other inefficiencies included a manual sales cycle and paper documents. To address these challenges, Sunlight appointed ILLUM (9), a Singapore-based system integrator and member of the Microsoft Partner Network, to launch its digitalization journey by migrating from a siloed legacy system to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central.
Efficiency through data
“Business Central provided a holistic end-to-end view of how Sunlight Paper was operating as a business,” says Marc Chua, a director of Sunlight Paper. One key element is the successful implementation of Business Central with the fleet management system. “With this new digital ecosystem, our entire operation—from sales order to warehouse, delivery, invoicing and collection—is now seamless, cloud-based, and paperless. Information is available in real time, online and across devices.“And with Microsoft Teams, our management personnel are constantly in communication without missing a beat, even working from home during COVID-19 did not pose any problems whatsoever,” asserts Chua.
The transition has increased transparency across the business, improving the company’s bottom line. “We used to have very little insights on how various arms of the business were operating. We have reduced our logistics cycle by 60 percent and reduced our sales cycle by 70 percent. Productivity in certain processes increased by up to 400 percent,” Chua explains.
Since the transformation, Sunlight Paper now delivers its products to customers on time, resulting in improved customer satisfaction. Upgrading to a more streamlined solution has also unlocked and accelerated opportunities to grow Sunlight’s customer base.
“The insights gained through Business Central have taught us more about our customers’ unique wants and needs,” says Chua. “This increased understanding led to a 60 percent improvement in account closing turnaround time.” The outlook for the future is bright. “We look forward to riding the digital wave and to prioritizing growth in market share to become the largest tissue products supplier in Singapore.”
The insights gained through Business Central have taught us more about our customers’ unique wants and needs. This increased understanding led to a 60 percent improvement in account closing turnaround time.
– Mark Chua: Director of Sunlight Paper
Read the featured article on Microsoft: Singapore tissue supplier streamlines data and gains deeper business insights with Dynamics 365 Business Central