Breaking Silos Across 40 Companies with Automation: A Case Study on The Ramco Group

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Event-Driven Application
• Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)

• Equipment & Machinery
• Packaging

• Quality Assurance

• Leasing Finance Automation
• Supply Chain Visibility

• Hardware Design & Engineering Services

The Ramco Group, a conglomerate of over 40 companies operating within East Africa, faced several challenges in managing their business operations. The group used multiple tools for different operations, which instead of providing a unified structure, created silos. This lack of process uniformity made standardization difficult, with overlapping functions causing confusion over the right tool for the right job. The use of multiple tools also led to poor process visibility, preventing the leadership team from gaining a clear understanding of the enterprise’s business operations. Additionally, the group faced challenges in getting timely approvals due to the difficulty in tracking requests spread across different tools.

The Ramco Group is a conglomerate of over 40 companies operating within East Africa. The group started as a hardware store in Nairobi in 1948 and expanded into manufacturing, building materials, print and packaging, office and IT Distribution, services and trading, and real estate in Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. The Ramco Group employs over 4,000 people and has an annual turnover above US$300 million. The group faced challenges in managing their business operations due to the use of multiple tools, which created silos and hindered process uniformity and visibility.

To overcome these challenges, The Ramco Group sought a tool to streamline all its business processes and workflows. They chose Kissflow to set up processes across all their departments, from IT to Finance. Within a year, the group set up 85 processes, 400 integrations, 50 data sets, and 5 case systems using Kissflow. They automated key processes such as job outsourcing and IT hardware requests, which provided clear visibility on jobs outsourced to different locations, tracking of raw materials and daily production output, and standardization of hardware requests. The automation also enhanced user experience and helped the IT team maintain its compliance standards. The group plans to use Kissflow to consolidate reports, integrate it with other existing systems, and automate the reporting process.

• The implementation of Kissflow in The Ramco Group's operations led to significant improvements. The automation of key processes provided clear visibility on jobs outsourced to different locations and tracking of raw materials and daily production output. It also standardized the process of hardware requests, enhancing user experience and helping the IT team maintain its compliance standards. The group was able to break the silos created by the use of multiple tools and achieve a unified structure for their business operations. The support from the Kissflow team was also highlighted as a key factor in making the transition smooth and fixing issues promptly.

• Saved 30+ hours per week

• Reduced the process cycle time by 35% - 45%

• Processed 2,500 items