Czech startup ZYNCTOS Consulting comes to market with an innovative application Co-creator and Executive Director, Mr. Peter Kubala, explains more about how the application works, who it’s intended for, which specific problems it solves, how much value it adds, and why it’s so innovative.

PETER KUBALA
He has worked in the field of IT, software implementation, and consulting for about 20 years. For decades he has implemented the Oracle (JD Edwards) ERP system across many European countries for important customers, such as Johnson & Johnson and the well-known British broadcasting company SKY UK.

What is your goal?
The platform can be simply used as an e-commerce store, or it can be utilized to speed up and streamline communication both internally and with external business partners, speed up the selection of new suppliers, increase efficiency, and make better use of company’s own equity and human capital. It is a one-stop shop solution for all current needs of a company. If management does not have the opportunity to identify the current operational needs of the company quickly and clearly, then it does not even have the power address these issues effectively. This platform will allow key stakeholders to quickly identify what each branch needs, algorithms will match supply with demand, and all users are informed without having to be logged in to the platform. External users have similar options.

What type of companies do you focus on?
Our typical customer is a company that has 500-plus employees, has several branches, warehouses and stores, not only in one country, but also in several others. We usually work with multinational companies looking to expand that already feel that internal communication is becoming a problem. What’s more, resources (whether manufacturing resources or human capital) are not fully optimized, and these companies have numerous tangible and intangible assets that could be much better utilized. As for industrial branches, we focus mainly on serving the field of engineering, the automotive industry, electrical companies, the chemical industry (including oil processing and distribution), pharmaceutical companies, and food and beverage firms. Above all, they are companies open to cooperation and innovative technological solutions.

In which areas can you see the greatest potentialfor use of the platform?
In our experience, the platform is best used in the area of purchasing, followed closely behind by the area of asset management. We also see massive potential in the areas of production and human resources. And last but not least, it can be used by internal auditors as well as sales departments to support their activities.

Many companies already have an ERP and an intranet. What makes your platform surpass them?
The task of the platform is to complement and expand the existing ERP system and its possibilities. The goal is not to replace ERP. It is a tool for a quick overview of the current needs of a company, containing information concerning better uses of their resources and assets. It will help in finding new suppliers and business partners, in improving and simplifying communication with existing business partners, and with internal communication too. Our portal can even be integrated with an ERP. As for the intranet, current solutions do not usually provide information about the current needs of the company and cannot be used for communication or establishing cooperation with external partners.

How to summarize the real added value of your platform?
Added value is definitely realized the most in the area of ​​cost savings. Obtaining a new supplier often means lower prices. The second benefit is a better overview of what is happening within the company and among external partners, concerning current needs and future possibilities. In essence, we are streamlining the central procurement and utilization of assets. Lastly, I have to mention the benefits of improving and speeding up communication with internal stakeholders and external business partners. For instance, current solutions do not facilitate real-time information exchange with suppliers concerning your tenders, offers, or requests. Likewise, this scenario often plays out within manufacturing as well as human resources. Frequently, HR departments do not know about staff demands to transfer to another department or branch within their company, and the result is that disgruntled employees leave for another company. We assume that total savings in the areas of purchasing, sales, asset management, production, and human resources can amount to at least 3 to 5% of operating costs annually, based on conservative estimates. The return on investment is achieved within a few months, and we consider this to be one of the huge advantages of using our platform.

What is the difference compared to similar solutions?
We offer the platform as your own bespoke, in-house platform. Therefore, you, as the owner, decide whether anyone can access this platform, or whether you will grant access to selected entities only. Your company will also decide how the data is further processed on the platform. One of the other crucial differences is that we do not focus on too much on e-commerce and sales, but rather on the side of purchasing, assets, human resources, and manufacturing. The platform has a universal basis, works on all devices, can be used in four languages (other languages can be added on request), and the whole platform can be easily adapted to meet customer requirements. The platform can be used not only for external but also for internal purposes. Vital internal information can be hidden from external users to protect intellectual property and trade secrets. Last but by no means least, we offer quick implementation. We can deploy the basic platform framework within a month of signing the contract.

OUR VISION IS THAT A COMPANY-OWNED B2B PLATFORM SHOULD BECOME THE SAME STANDARD FOR COMPANIES IN AREAS SUCH AS PROCUREMENT, FACILITY MANAGEMENT, MANUFACTURING, HR, COMPLIANCE, AND INTERNAL COMMUNICATION, AS E-COMMERCE IS TODAY FOR SALES DEPARTMENTS. WE WOULD BE HAPPY IF WE MANAGE TO PARTIALLY (OR FULLY) REPLACE COMPANY INTRANETS MOVING FORWARD AND WE HOPE TO BUILD A MEANINGFUL COMMUNITY OF CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, AND EMPLOYEES THROUGH OUR SHARED PLATFORM.

Article was published in Komora (Chamber) magazine, author: Petr Simon