Appcentric Solutions Inc.
The SAP Juggernaut

What's destined for greatness is hard to miss. The story behind Appcentric Solutions’ genesis follows a similar trail. In the year 2007, when SAP veterans Alexander Benavidez and Bryan Sychingiok were working as individual consultants, a client of theirs good-humoredly remarked, “Next time I expect to reach out to a company founded by you.” In a way, Appcentric was attracting clientele even before it was officially founded and what’s further remarkable is the fact that ten years down the line, the company's first client is still one of its strongest customers. Their 100 percent client retention rate is made possible through one stratagem: exceptional people and exceptional service.

As a homegrown technology business, what differentiates Appcentric from their peers is their best-in-class SAP consulting and enterprise-grade mobility solutions that run on top of SAP. They are a premier SAP Lighthouse Partner as well as hands-on experts in all SAP implementations from SAP ERP, CRM, Hybris, to Leonardo. The company is currently working with market leaders to deliver out-of-the-box AI-driven solutions that provide a rich user experience for millions of customers around the globe.

Their meaningful business expansion, affixes immeasurable value to traditional SAP implementations and a forward-thinking approach allows them to successfully embody a client's vision while being nimble and agile. “In the age of information, it is our personal mission to empower organizations with a holistic digital transformation journey that enables them to defy the ordinary,” begins Benavidez. The company’s rapid growth is a sheer testament to its credibility in the SAP space and Benavidez mentions, “Appcentric trusts that it is not the strongest species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.”

Exceptional is a Standard

When it comes to solutions delivery, the company steers away from one-size-fits-all and believes more in a customized approach. To ensure a business undergoes minimum disruption, Appcentric formulates a well-defined implementation strategy and all projects are delivered on time and on budget. Specifically, for warehouse management, the company has devised Appcentric Warehouse Mobility, a solution that powers seamless supply chain efficiency. The platform can be configured to run on mobile devices and allows warehouse managers to receive real-time updates on supply chain processes. Appcentric Warehouse Mobility not only digitizes business environments by eliminating paper-based processes but also maximizes productivity and revenue potentials.

To further highlight their value proposition, Sychingiok gives an example of a client, a prominent beverage producer, who was experiencing inventory inaccuracy, inadequate visibility, obsolete inventory buildup, and unexpected shortages. However, with Appcentric Warehouse Mobility to the rescue, the client can now accurately manage their inventory level, which has transformed their operations into an adaptive fulfillment supply chain, while increasing warehouse efficiency.

Going beyond warehouse management, the company also offers TrackCentric, a cloud-based GPS-enabled delivery monitoring system. The solution is easy to deploy, runs on mobile, and allows users to track the status of their trucks and assets from a command center in real time. “Truth be told, the growth of data today is unpredictable. A constant challenge for CIOs is to make sense of all these data points in view of volatile market conditions while transforming their business into data-driven organizations,” says Sychingiok. Keeping in mind the importance of data insights, TrackCentric natively accepts SAP data format standards and delivers relevant reports on performance and metrics such as time taken and sequence of delivery, traffic conditions, favorable days for delivery and more. The software is also embedded with AI, ML, and other advanced technologies that make it possible to encode delivery quantities onto the app, following which data is interfaced with ERP systems to trigger automated billing.

Owing to its expansive feature set, TrackCentric was the solution of choice for a large FMCG company in the Philippines that was experiencing several challenges in their logistics operations. This encompassed manual tracking, inefficiency in transport planning, lack of real-time visibility, and no single source of truth, all resulting in unreasonable spending and ineffective utilization of resources. “With our expertise, we tailored Trackcentric to run on top of their existing SAP system,” explains Benavidez. The results were multifarious from unparalleled delivery efficiency, right scoping of resources, smooth handling of order rejects, to real-time invoicing, automated billing, and a single source of truth.

Acing Digital Transformation

Appcentric's competitive edge stems from their strong customer-centric focus and breakthrough technological advancements. Largely responsible for Appcentric's continuous innovation streak and next-gen design thinking are Benavidez and Sychingiok who possess a combined experience of over 35 years in SAP consulting.

One of their recent innovations called Conversational AI allows organizations to interact with potential customers using AI and empowers them to shorten their time to realize business and never miss an opportunity. Another recent addition is computer vision, which uses cameras to identify and recognize items and process these data in SAP. “One of our innovations can also identify flawed items and falls under the category of visual automated inspection,” adds Sychingiok.

Apart from this, the company will also leverage SAP Leonardo, currently considered a viable platform for blockchain, conversational AI, machine learning, and image recognition. That said, it comes as no surprise that last year the company bagged the Top Revenue Partner for Cloud Award from SAP Philippines alongside the Top SAP Partner for Deal Registration for the highest win rates when it comes to SAP opportunities. Appcentric's strong technological acumen combined with their expert SAP knowledge positions them as one of the leading service providers in the industry to watch out for.

“Appcentric’s journey to success is like building a house. You have to make sure that the ground is firm and resilient. We have developed a foundation draped with passion and dedication to make our vision a progressive reality,” states Benavidez. Upholding the company's vision is the talent pool at Appcentric and the leaders behind the company believe in fostering a culture of employee empowerment and workplace flexibility.

The rest of the year is filled with dynamic projects, opportunities, and global expansion plans for Appcentric. They are looking at extending their footprint into Australasia as well as Southeast Asia. In line with its growth curve, the company is adding more talent, business concepts, and enterprise solutions to drive maximum value for customers. Part of the investment in bringing in these talents is to support the ongoing trend where companies are consolidating functions such as sales, marketing, service, commerce, and beyond. As a general company rule, Appcentric will continue pioneering and customizing indispensable technology around ML, conversational AI, IoT, and blockchain to stay ahead of the industry’s digital transformation needs.

The goal is to not only be competitive when it comes to the cost of ownership but also significantly enhance the user experience to win more opportunities and secure a healthy market share. Appcentric together with SAP wants enterprises to efficiently respond to emerging business models and elevate customer experiences. “My personal take is if you are going to do something, then do it well. Excel in it and inspire people to do the same. Remember, the power of people with the same vision can change the world,” ends Benavidez.