The key learnings from Asian Paints’ digital transformation journey

The Takeaways:

1. Asian Paints’ success is attributed mainly to its customer-centric approach and understanding of Indian culture. By catering to the diverse needs of Indian customers and adapting to local festivals and traditions, the company has been able to differentiate itself and become a market leader.

2. Disrupting the traditional supply chain model was crucial for Asian Paints’ success. By connecting directly with dealers and removing the middleman, the company was able to build efficient demand forecasting and logistics systems, which have been further optimized through technology advancements.

3. Digitalization and analytics are at the core of Asian Paints’ strategy. The company collaborated with o9 to build an advanced S&OP engine that feeds market intelligence from 600+ commercial people in the field into the demand planning process.

4. They have also partnered with o9 to implement a control tower capability, which the company calls its “Logistics Workbench,” to provide real-time visibility of critical data, knowledge, and decisions to the logistics team, enabling them to achieve a 98.5% same-day order fill rate (their original target was 95%).

5. The pandemic led Asian Paints to shift its focus from a paint-only company to a decor organization through its Safe Painting program. This program has enabled the company to transform its services and improve its offerings while keeping the customer at the center.

6. Sustainability is a key pillar of Asian Paints’ long-term strategy, focusing on product stewardship, process improvement, utilizing more sustainable raw materials, and working with ecosystem partners and communities. The company has already achieved significant results in this area, and sustainability will remain a key driver for its future growth.