BEIJING and ARMONK, N.Y., Dec. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/
-- IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced today that Sinofert Holdings
Limited (HKSE: 00297.HK), China's
largest fertilizer producer and distributor, has transformed its
business with new mobile apps to help hundreds of millions of
farmers across the country increase crop yields such as rice,
wheat or soybeans.
China's agriculture and food
supply chain is critical for the country's stability and
contribution to global food markets. Therefore, it's important that
farmers avoid disruptions – including access to fertilizer – that
could negatively impact production of vital crops.
To continue to grow its business and remain competitive,
Sinofert needed a more efficient system to service its massive
sales and distribution network. Key to that growth was investing in
mobile technologies to help its sales force improve decision making
from the field, better anticipate demand, and offer customers more
relevant products and services. Sinofert's network includes 17
branch offices, nearly 1,700 sales outlets, more than 600 transit
warehouses and 2,100 distribution centers.
Sinofert and IBM Business Partner Enwaysoft Software Technology
(Enwaysoft) selected the IBM MobileFirst Platform to transform its
sales and distribution processes. Enwaysoft quickly developed a set
of industry-specific sales and customer relationship management
apps to empower the Sinofert workforce – improving their reach into
untapped markets in remote and rural areas, and ensuring more
accurate and timely order placement and delivery.
"Investing in industry-specific mobile solutions has enabled our
organization to gain a more timely, holistic view of our entire
sales and operations process, and provide insight to make better
decisions about business development and growth plans," said He
Pingshi, project manager, Sinofert Holdings Limited. "The apps have
been critical to improving the productivity and responsiveness of
our sales team and increasing satisfaction among our farming
customers."
More than 2,000 of Sinofert's sales team are using the new
mobile apps to easily check product pricing, client profiles, open
new accounts, update client records, plan sales visits and place
orders – anytime, anywhere. Orders can now be placed instantly,
streamlining the entire sales process and cutting delivery times to
an average of 10 days, a process that could previously take more
than a month.
"As an affordable and accessible means of communication, farming
communities in China are realizing
the potential of mobile to create economic opportunities while
bridging the rural digital divide," said Li
Han, mobile business director, Enwaysoft. "Our collaboration
with Sinofert creates a positive user experience for the sales team
that focuses on the specific needs of the farming industry and
ensures their customers' operations run smoothly and without
interruption, allowing farmers to focus on their crops, not
worrying about supplies."
The sales team can also access Sinofert's database to quickly
and accurately respond to questions from the field, especially from
farmers who live in remote areas and aren't able to always meet
with the sales team in person. They can streamline and expedite
placing orders, even from remote areas with unreliable Internet
coverage, and eliminate manual order entry. The apps synchronize
with Sinofert's back-end systems to expedite processing and
delivery coordination from days to minutes.
About Sinofert Holdings Limited
Listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Sinofert Holdings
Limited is the largest fertilizer distributor, the largest supplier
of imported fertilizers and one of the largest fertilizer
manufacturers in China. Sinofert
produces and distributes nitrogen, phosphate, potash and compound
fertilizers, offering customers the widest range of fertilizer
products. As one of China's
leading phosphate resource owners, the group is also the largest
feedstuff phosphate manufacturer in Asia. Sinofert is a flagship company of
Sinochem Corporation specializing in fertilizer operations.
Sinochem Corporation was established in 1950 and has been named one
of the Fortune Global 500 for 23 consecutive years.
About Enwaysoft Software Technology Co. Ltd.
Established in 2008, Enwaysoft is among the first in
China that have entered the
enterprise mobile app development market. The company has led in
more than 100 large-scale mobile app development projects. For
further information visit: http://www.enwaysoft.com/#
About IBM MobileFirst
IBM's 6,000 mobile experts have been at the forefront of mobile
enterprise innovation. IBM has secured more than 4,300 patents in
mobile, social and security, which have been incorporated into IBM
MobileFirst solutions that enable enterprise clients to radically
streamline and accelerate mobile adoption, help organizations
engage more people and capture new markets. Through IBM's
partnership with Apple, the two organizations are transforming
enterprise mobility with a new class of industry specific business
apps. For more information on IBM MobileFirst, visit the press kit
or www.ibm.com/mobilefirst. Follow @IBMMobile on Twitter, and see
IBM MobileFirst on YouTube, Tumblr and Facebook.
Media Contacts:
Harriet
Ip
IBM External Relations
Phone: +65-8161-8505
Email: harrieti@sg.ibm.com
Liz Campbell
IBM External Relations
Phone: +1 617-693-2718
Email: lcampbell@us.ibm.com
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SOURCE IBM