Digitizing a paper-based process drastically improves precision, performance, and productivity – sea to table.
Digital transformation has created a new era of supply chain management, in which transparency and optimization can quickly be achieved with integrated and customized solutions for improvements, end to end.
When it comes to supply chain optimization, global seafood company Royal Greenland knows the value of digital transformation. They streamlined reporting across their organization by developing and launching three applications, built on SA built on
SAP Business Technology Platform.
Since implementing the suite of three apps, Royal Greenland has:
- Converted >70k purchase orders from paper to digital entries
- Streamlined the catch registration process
- Empowered fishers to submit their data digitally with a user-friendly app
Lars Bo Hassinggaard Jensen, Corporate IT Manager at
Royal Greenland, joins us in the latest episode of Better Together: Customer Conversations. We dive into how a trio of applications is having far-reaching effects on Royal Greenland’s supply chain, benefiting people, processes, products, the planet, and profits.
Tune into the podcast and LinkedIn conversations to learn more:
- In the podcast: Tamara McCleary, CEO of Thulium sits down with Lars Bo to discuss the outcomes of Royal Greenland’s digital transformation. They examine how digitization can benefit traditional sectors and they explore how it’s changing the seafood industry.
- In the LinkedIn conversation: Lars Bo and I discuss the practical details of the project, from implementation to ongoing development. He guides us through their design process and outlines the essential elements of their solutions.
Here are a few takeaways from this episode.
Target Inefficiencies
Lars Bo says that in an industry as heavily regulated as fishing, “Buying a fish is not just buying a fish.” Reporting is essential to every step, from tracking quotas to conveying information to the customer. “You need to collect a lot of data, and that is just difficult to do if you have a piece of paper and it's cold, rainy, and windy,” he says.
Royal Greenland decided to digitize the reporting process to benefit the fishers. Lars Bo says “Giving them the possibility to do that registration from wherever they are, from the boat, from the fjord, or even if they have just left the goods on the harbor side and then go home for a cup of coffee, they could do it from home–this flexibility is important.”
The new process allows the fishers to complete the registration on their terms and timeline while also streamlining the information for the Royal Greenland staff. By resolving the inefficiency, Royal Greenland has drastically improved the procurement and processing experience, end to end.
Design for the End User
In the ongoing development process, Lars Bo says, “We have been using both field studies and Design Thinking processes to make sure that what we bring forward is the right thing.”
Lars Bo cautions not to lose sight of the end goal of a transformation, saying: “It’s most important to have the end-user and those who need to use a product in the center of the development.” This focus on the end-user led Royal Greenland to develop a more intuitive UI that translates across different languages and skillsets.
Royal Greenland demonstrates that it’s essential to tailor the solutions to the needs of the users. Within days of launching the new technology, they had fishers reaching out to request access. Now, over 2200 fishers use their app. That’s what i like to call ‘the power of the palm.’
Prioritize Sustainability
Regulatory reporting isn’t just a legal requirement. Quotas help maintain healthy fish populations, accurate reporting is also good for the company’s bottom line. “A well-balanced ecosystem is important for us because we want to fish today, but we for sure also want to fish tomorrow, and in a year, and in 10 years,” Lars Bo says.
They are also using data collected from the fishers and other sources to shape the future of their fishing operations. With this information in hand, Royal Greenland can more accurately report to fishers where their boats should go. “Why not go fishing there where the fish are, instead of sitting around for days using up fuel?” says Lars Bo.
Through their supply chain digitization, Royal Greenland is achieving positive outcomes for the company, the fishers, and the environment. They’ve kept sustainability at the center of their digital transformation and will reap the benefits.
Join the Conversation
Royal Greenland’s innovation story illustrates the value of digitization for supply chain optimization. They’ve demonstrated how processes, businesses, and the planet can benefit from digital solutions.
Interested in additional sustainability customer success stories?
Are you looking for more inspiring stories straight from SAP Business Technology Platform customers? Find the Better Together: Customer Conversations series, and more, at
sap.com/btp.
Please let me know if there are topics you’d like to hear more about in the future as well as questions you’d like to explore. And, as always, please
contact us if you’d like to be a guest on a future episode.
