IBM Pushes for Smarter Industries in the Philippines

IBM strengthened its push for smarter industries by organizing an Industry Symposium for local clients and business partners recently at the Shangri-La Makati Hotel. The one day event showcased IBM’s ability to integrate powerful industry solutions that assemble the best of hardware, software and consulting services into one package. More importantly, clients were presented with useful insights and solutions that accelerate their ability to deliver meaningful return-on-investments.


At the symposium, IBM’s industry point of views and industry expertise were showcased with focus on five industries including Banking & Financial Markets, Government, Manufacturing, Retail & CPG.


Banking & Financial Markets
• Banks will create shareholder value by investing in sophisticated insight to become client-centric, reduce complexity and optimize risk
• Banks would need to build insight and sophistication to become client-centric and efficient in their operations and risk savvy in growing profit
• Business intelligence and analytics and mobility are the two elements most frequently chosen by Banking CIOs for use in visionary plans


Government
• Best practices needed for implementing effective programs with limited resources 
• Ultimate goal is to improve decision-making and elevate overall performance
• Reduction in fraud and improper payments a necessity
• Cross-government collaboration will lead to better outcomes


Manufacturing
• Drivers of operational efficiency are Outsourcing, Insourcing, Ofshore, NearShore
• Companies need to continuously improve the productivity and flexibility of global operations to leverage economies of scale, get supply chain visibility and have access to specialized service and skills
• Product commoditizations such as Smart Phones are driving service transformation and is the next most important business to business gadget


Retail & CPG
• Global retail marketplace is evolving rapidly
• Retailers face fierce competition from other retailers, manufacturers, and from all selling directly to  consumers
• Retailers need to become customer-focused enterprises, providing consumers with a seamless shopping experience that delivers the merchandise they want, where they want it and at a price they are willing to pay

“As the Philippine economy continues to regain equilibrium, leaders have to decide on how best to operate and thrive in the “new normal” – velocity and volatility. Opportunities for these key industries to become smarter are vast and IBM is in a good position to support them,”

 -  Ireen Catane, Country Executive for General Business, IBM Philippines.

As IBM celebrates its centennial in 2011, it continues its objective in increasing clients’ innovativeness,  efficiency and competitiveness through business insights and information technology solutions. Through its Smarter Planet strategy, IBM helps companies, governments and cities infuse intelligence into the systems and processes that make the world work smarter— from power grids, buildings and roadways to agriculture and waterways. IBM's clients consist of many different kinds of enterprises and represent every major industry and endeavor.