optimalOne™ powers CIMA’s supply chain

Kuala Lumpur, September 15, 2004 – In the launch event held today, CIMA announced the successful undertaking of its supply chain revamp initiative called the “Logistics Winning Edge Solution”. CIMA’s Managing Director, Dato’ Rosli Sharif, describes it as a world-class solution for manufacturers, particularly those within the cement industry.

The initiative began with CIMA’s goal to achieve better customer service and increase delivery reliability. To power the new supply chain structure, CIMA selected Maestro Solutions, an award-winning Supply Chain Management software provider, to deploy Maestro’s flagship software, the optimalOne™ Supply Chain Management suite. Maestro’s focus on supply chain optimization, visibility and collaboration was a perfect fit for CIMA’s extensive requirements.

Success across 9 internal locations and over 40 external locations
In less than 10 months, Maestro successfully deployed optimalOne throughout CIMA’s locations across Malaysia, as well as to its distributor and transporter partners. The system connects not only all internal stakeholders to one system, but also external parties such as distributors and transporters.

CIMA has garnered significant accolades from their partners who attest to the success of this project. At the launch, CIMA’s partners provided testimonials on timesavings, cost savings, and productivity increases. The General Manager of Perniagaan & Pengangkutan Chin Hin Sdn Bhd, Mr. Chua See Hing, expressed his satisfaction with the system: “It’s more powerful than we thought. We thought optimalOne was just to put in orders, but when we saw CIMA’s delivery system become more efficient, we realized that everyone is acting on information given by optimalOne".

The increased collaboration and visibility provided by optimalOne to participants of CIMA’s supply chain has translated to a significant reduction in phone calls, better delivery reliability, and greater customer service throughout CIMA’s supply chain. CIMA’s order processing efficiency has increased because orders are more effectively distributed to the various depots. Planners take into account not only the traditional consideration of distance to the customer, but also order urgency, stock-levels, depot congestion and transportation availability.

Results proven to be immediate
The results show that the positive impact of CIMA’s Logistics Winning Edge Solution can be felt even by the end-customer serviced by CIMA’s distributors. CIMA’s distributors can now provide precise delivery times for their customers, enabling them to better plan their operations.

In CIMA’s video presentation, the Managing Director of Aroma Zaman Sdn Bhd, En. Mansor Mohd Kassim said “we can now monitor when the delivery has been out of the factory. So with that information we can commit to our clients. Now that kind of commitment is very crucial in construction because the laborers are paid by the hour.” En. Mansor also elaborated on other ways he can now provide better service to his customers. “We were in Malacca a few weeks back, and the office was closed on Saturday. We got a last minute order from the client, so we just went into a cyber café to key in an order. Previously, we would say, sorry the office is closed, you can only do the order on Monday. But when we can say that we will give you the order on Monday, versus just entering the order on Monday, that makes a big difference”.

The future is clear
In today’s business world of increasingly fierce competition, higher customer expectations, and growing dependency on partners in the extended supply chain, it is more crucial now than ever before for businesses to compete at the supply chain level. This is particularly true for the commodity manufacturing business environment such as cement, where the market is very price-sensitive and delivery-time sensitive.

CIMA has reaped significant value from optimalOne, and plans to continue leveraging Maestro Solutions’ core strengths in optimization, visibility, and collaboration in other areas of its business. Maestro Solutions is confident that on-going value-added supply chain initiatives with CIMA, will provide CIMA and its partners the winning edge in the cement industry.

About Cement Industries of Malaysia Berhad
Cement Industries of Malaysia Berhad (CIMA) Group of companies is one of the largest cement and concrete manufacturers in Malaysia. Listed on the Main Board of the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange, CIMA is 53.9% owned by UEM World, one of the largest conglomerates in Malaysia. Our products are well recognised in this region for its reputable superior quality.

CIMA commands a strong market presence with two strategically located plants in the north and south of Peninsular Malaysia. The marketing activities on its two brand names, the 'Blue Lion' brand and the 'NS Cement' brand are made more efficient in reaching the consumers through its extensively developed distribution networks of marketing offices and packing depots throughout the country. Excellent customer service is our strength. CIMA can be found at www.cima.com.my.

About Maestro Solutions
Maestro Solutions is an award-winning supply chain management solutions provider that helps businesses maximize cost-savings. Maestro’s flagship software solution, the optimalOne™ suite, enables global organizations to run efficient operations under increasingly aggressive competition and uncertain global events. optimalOne helps businesses realize rapid ROI by:

The company is dedicated to providing world-class software solutions for our customers to help them solve the challenges of their business. Maestro Solutions can be found at www.maestrosolutions.com.