People and Technology: How Henatenn's Operations Team Works
COO Shirley Lim on how Henatenn's operations team pairs a young, lean crew with revamped ERP systems, API integrations and automation that cut manual work.
With more than a decade of history, Henatenn group has shown tremendous growth. We catch up with Shirley Lim, Chief Operating Officer of Henatenn Group, to find out how Henatenn's operations team works and its growth stories over the years.
Introducing the operations team
Henatenn's operations team has grown over the years and is currently divided into operations and procurement. By focusing on improving day-to-day business operations and processes, the team is positioned as a value-adding function — mitigating the pain points and issues other teams experience in the course of their work.
How the team uses technology
As the organisation grew, technology became critical to day-to-day processes. Henatenn started off with manual work that was human-centric and error-prone, which led to the adoption of technology and automation. The pandemic became an opportune moment to relook and optimise internal processes: the team revamped its ERP systems and day-to-day processes with more API integrations and automation, reducing manual work and ensuring system-to-system conversations.
The group's automated distribution centre — one outcome of the operations team's technology push.
"For me the best part of the job is that every day there are new challenges, especially when the group is transiting. Alongside the business management and the management team we make sound decisions together to walk a stronger path together."
Shirley Lim, Chief Operating Officer
Helping the company make fast, accurate decisions
The operations team ensures that the rest of the company — from sales to procurement — can make the fastest decisions and stock the right amount of quality inventory, achieved through connected, end-to-end processes grounded in data and research. The team prides itself on evolving with market trends and serving consumers with the right products and mix of brands, driving a stronger omnichannel presence: brick-and-mortar experiences and click-and-collect online orders alike.
The people and the culture
"Our team is actually very young, with many of us around our 20s. We function independently with our core roles, but on a regular basis we come together as a team to fulfil our objectives. We are a young, fun-loving team. My team always gives me energy and I look forward to coming to the office the next day."
Shirley Lim