As we continue to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Blue Ocean Systems, there is no mistaking that the team is the lifeblood of our organisation’s success. A dedicated, passionate and focussed group of specialists all aligned to the same goal of providing innovative and quality solutions to clients.
Let’s meet them…
Arun Devan – Managing Director
besWhat’s an average day in the BOS office for you?
“There’s really no such thing as an average day here! As we grow our team and take on new projects to develop our innovation capabilities, things are moving fast and constantly changing; every team member has been incredibly flexible as we go through this exciting phase. At the moment we are really focusing on strengthening our SAP B1 HANA expertise so we can transfer this knowledge to our clients and help their business analytics improve dramatically. This means the whole team have been undergoing lots of training, online workshops and exams to ensure they are up to speed. It really has been a group effort and I am extremely proud of their achievements so far.”
Charlie Heng – Business Development Manager
Why do you enjoy working with SMEs on their ERP solutions?
“For me, small and medium sized enterprises offer a wonderful challenge and opportunity to deliver something different. Our SME clients are often in the business growth stage when we meet, but they are prepared to look beyond the present situation and foresee transforming into promising local enterprises. This is where we can really add value; we can help them achieve success through systems and people, leverage the SAP best practices, raise their topline and reduce their bottomline. We want their business to be amplified without many growing pains. This is why I love what I do!”
Bessy Hu – Business Development Manager
What’s your favourite part of your job?
“I am fortunate to work with clients in the early stage of their (potential) SAP implementation so this involves a lot of talking, and listening, to fully understand their current situation and what operational difficulties they are facing. I really enjoy this because I am able to offer solutions, ideas and suggestions which they may not have thought of before and can really make a difference to them.”
Yang Lay Chin – Senior SAP Consultant
What’s your approach to problem solving for your clients?
“In my role, listening is the number one way to help my clients. To many of them, they believe they are the only ones suffering a certain operational crisis or workflow issue but you’d be surprised at how common some issues can be. Once I have fully understood their problems, I work with them to come up with an answer which not only fits their current needs but also anticipate what might cause issues down the line and try to mitigate them as much as possible. There’s never a problem which can’t be fixed with plenty of listening!”
Brenda Tan – Inside Sales
What’s the most challenging aspect of your role?
“When I talk to people who have never heard of SAP before, or who know little about it and don’t think it can help them. But I soon overcome this by trying to understand more about their business and what they hope to achieve and then how a solution like SAP can support them in that.”
Lin Limei – >Administration
What do you enjoy most about working in the Blue Ocean Systems team?
“The entire team really pulls together and helps each other on any matter they are facing – it’s wonderful to witness such genuine team work and care for each other. The passion, expertise and dedication each team member shows in their work is really inspiring and makes everyone else want to do their best too.”
Tan Keng Oon – Senior SAP Consultant
When you’re working on a large, global implementation project, what are your main challenges?
“Managing everyone’s expectations can be tough, especially when trying to make sure we implement on time and within scope. But I believe most of the challenges on large projects can be resolved with excellent preparation and planning and I put a lot of effort into ensuring all parties are fully aware of how a project will roll out, what they can expect at each stage and try to anticipate any stumbling blocks we may encounter and how to overcome them. These are the types of challenges I really enjoy!”
Jaren Loyola – Senior SAP Consultant
How do you help clients use their SAP Business One application more effectively?
“Often, clients will implement SAP for a few key areas of their business, like finance or inventory management for example. But sometimes their other business areas do not know how to fully use the system and leverage all the other benefits like human resource management or customer relationship management (CRM). I learn a lot about a client’s industry and organisation and work out ways that they can work more cohesively with their core functions who thrive using SAP Business One.”
Lim Yong Ghee Senior SAP Consultant
Reporting is so important for business, how do you help your clients with their reporting needs?
“When I meet clients, they are often already running several reports across their various business departments; some provide really great insights into their business, but others are not very helpful at all. I work with key team members to fully understand what they need to achieve from their business reporting and help to work out the best way this information can be accessed. It could be something as simple as a more in-depth cash flow management report or something more complex like overdue accounts payable within a certain business unit.”
Shanthi Chandrasekar – Project Manager
Within your project management role, what are some of the key areas for success?
“I attribute project success to a few key areas; 1) A committed team of consultants with excellent experience and knowledge, 2) A quality approach at every level, 3) A well defined implementation methodology, 4) Regular project communication, 5) A proactive approach to risk and issue management, 6) A collaborative team spirit – the consultants at BOS support each other by sharing knowledge and workload.”
Alfred Eu – SAP Business One Consultant
Which features of SAP Business One do you enjoy working on the most for clients?
“Any of the SAP B1 features can help clients significantly so it really depends on the client, their current situation and their unique requirements. Sometimes, a seemingly small improvement to their operational processes can have far reaching benefits on their business as a whole. I really enjoy showing a client a feature they have not been using and demonstrating how their processes might improve even further.”
M. Sundararaja Perumal (Raja) – Senior SAP Business One Consultant
How do you ensure a company uses the SAP best practices available?
“Sometimes clients don’t think that their organisation would fit into SAP’s best practices but they can usually leverage them in some way. I always try to find the best way a client can run their business in a familiar way whilst balancing this with introducing new and innovative approaches they may not have tried before. Whilst minor changes to current processes might seem unfamiliar to begin with, the benefits quickly outweigh the initial adjustments.”
Lisa Covarrubias – SAP Business One Consultant 
Your role involves a lot of process re-engineering activities for clients. What benefit do these bring?
“An SAP B1 implementation can be a great opportunity for clients to reinvent themselves – either in some departments or across all functions. I guide them through how their existing processes could change and we play around with various solutions until they find one which suits them. They often start using a new process which they had not previously thought of – this is a really satisfying part of my job when I witness such innovation.”
Marlon Suliguin – Senior Consultant
How do you explain to non-tech savvy people the use and benefits of SAP Business One?
“I try not to explain too much – instead I listen a lot and then show clients the benefits; this is the best way I have found for anyone to understand SAP, whether they have a technology background or not. For example, if I am talking to a finance person, I will show them how easy it is in SAP to pull up complex financial data. When talking to a supply chain manager, I demonstrate the accessibility of all their product locations and available to promise status. SAP doesn’t just need technology people to understand it because the real benefits are for business people performing their daily activities.”
Sanil Man Singh – Senior SAP Consultant
How does the Blue Ocean Systems partner ecosystem help clients?
“We have the capability to work across multiple industries and bring together key experts, systems and expertise to address a wide range of clients and requirements. We work with these partners on a regular basis so we understand how they work (and vice versa) and we know how their strengths can help us to deliver a client solution. Whether it be retail, maintenance or manufacturing we have a collaborative approach to all of our client projects and enjoy working with such experts in their fields.”
Uma Rakesh – SAP Business One Consultant
How do you apply your passion for innovation and technology to your role?
“I believe that technology is able to bring huge business benefits for all clients, big and small. It is by using the latest advances in data analysis (HANA) and the evolving SAP Business One capabilities that we can really help organisations to reach beyond their goals and achieve new levels of success. I can’t help but be passionate about that and I always try to explain how the technology can be applied in a business sense for clients.”
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