SCG focuses on upskilling employees to train Thai low-code developers
The Siam Cement Company Limited (SCG), a leading conglomerate in ASEAN, has announced its plans to become Thailand’s largest production center for construction materials that will be upskilled to create software using leading low-code application development platform, OutSystems. With an aim to educate employees to build business-critical cloud-native apps, the company transformed its financial and accounting processes digitally through a collaboration with OutSystems.
Thailand currently faces talent shortages, and with the need for IT teams to focus on the wider business objectives, SCG sought to upskill the IT team with the OutSystems low-code platform to be able to modernize applications that involve accounting systems by themselves in order to improve productivity. By using a low-code development approach, SCG built applications to support the operations of more than 200 affiliated companies and plans to reinvent business models and develop innovative solutions to support the country's digital economy in the future.
SCG’s main goal was to continuously enhance skills and develop knowledge for its internal teams. SCG previously focused heavily on traditional coding developments by tapping on the expertise from their IT department or outsourcing this to external parties, working to service over 200 companies in the group. With the IT department based within the accounting office, resources were a major challenge since its core business was focused on developing enterprise applications at scale and could not keep up with the high cost and scalability. With the adoption of OutSystems low-code technology, SCG created more than 10 new apps in one year, in addition to improving and updating various systems for its affiliates. SCG’s success in achieving this confirms the capabilities of OutSystems’ low-code technology for developers within any organization.
At present, SCG has three core businesses - Cement Building Materials, Chemicals and Packaging - held together by a central corporate team. This includes an IT team, which supports all aspects of digital technology, for example, building an accounting system for all business units to handle relevant tasks like requests for budgets and assets. They also take care of various technologies that have been deployed such as high-code, low-code, blockchain, and Robotic Process Automation (RPA), among others. As the central IT team manages all technologies in place, we can combine and use them seamlessly and effectively,” said Mr. Pichit Leelaphantmetha, Corporate Accounting Director, The Siam Cement Plc and Managing Director, SCG Accounting Services Co., Ltd.
“The OutSystems low-code platform allows us to enhance IT skills and abilities to develop new systems that increase the productivity of our accounting teams. Moreover, it helps us develop or update over 20 applications, some 50% more quickly, and we can develop applications with our own team more efficiently. SCG has provided training to employees for each business unit. Our target is to produce 20 OutSystems-certified developers in 2022,” Mr Pichit added.
Another key advantage of the use of OutSystems’ low-code technology for developing products and services is that by using OutSystems as a connector (Gateway API), SCG can immediately integrate its products and services into a wide range of applications and platforms currently in use such as SAP, Microsoft and SCG Integration Hub.
“SCG's future goal is to be Thailand’s largest production center for construction materials that is known for its commitment to upskilling employees. We plan to upgrade skills in using low-code technology for creating prototypes, designing and developing UX/UI, and we plan to expand cooperation with partners like OutSystems, which is our preferred vendor. In addition, we will develop a knowledge base and relevant skill sets to create a low-code consultant business model as there is a high demand for this in the Thai market,” Mr. Pichit concluded.
