Holding exclusive rights to sell Caterpillar machinery in the Philippines, Monark Equipment Corp. seeks to streamline its dealership parts and services operation through new data-management software.  

Monark International Inc. was founded in 1962 when Filipino civil engineer Onofre Banson licensed the sale and use of Caterpillar machinery in the Philippines for use in the forestry industry. Monark Equipment Corp., a subsidiary formed by two of Banson’s sons in 1987, became the sole authorized dealer of Caterpillar equipment in the Philippines. Today, it provides heavy construction equipment and power systems for multiple industries, including agriculture, manufacturing, industrial, construction, mining and marine. Projects carried out with CAT equipment supplied by Monark include hotels, windmills and airport terminals throughout the Philippines. 

As activity scaled, however, it became more of a challenge for Monark to manage the underlying data and business operations in support of its dealerships. Recently, the company set out to improve the management of both parts and services, including its data-reporting capabilities, which were highly manual in nature and therefore prone to error. In addition, the company was lacking visibility of basic operations due to outdated and fragmented sources of key information. 

According to the company, that information was being held within numerous functional siloes, making it difficult to share insights across the organization, and resulting in inconsistent reporting practices. 

The answer lay in the acquisition of supply chain management software from TADA Cognitive Solutions. The vendor specializes in B2B applications for data analytics and the creation of digital twins, which mirror physical operations in a virtual environment. 

Monark implemented TADA’s Dealer Control Tower, a cross-functional platform enabling collaboration across multiple supply chain functions. For the first time, the company says, it was able to acquire “a single source of truth” for accessing parts and service data, allowing for better decision-making and the streamlining of reporting processes. Along the way, Monark also saw fewer data errors with the introduction of a system for automated collection. 

Read more: Full List of SupplyChainBrain's 100 Great Supply Chain Partners

TADA says the efficiencies driven by its software ended up saving Monark more than 5,600 person-hours per year in its parts and services organization. “This allows Monark to redeploy personnel to more strategic activities and improve its operational efficiencies,” the vendor adds. 

In the reporting function, Monark was able to cut the time and effort required for report generation by as much as 30%, even as it enhanced data accuracy. 

Tetel Bacus, director of information services for Monark CAT, says TADA’s software has torn down functional silos by giving the company one common place in which to access accurate information in a timely manner. The change has made it possible for Monark “to focus on strategic and critical decisions on operations that positively impact the bottom line,” he adds. “The common view of data and insights has created a highly collaborative environment allowing the teams within our organization to focus on the overall business versus isolated islands. 

“Bottom line,” says Bacus, “the team has their finger on the pulse of their parts and service business, driving operational efficiencies and business growth.” 

Resource Links:

Monark Equipment Corp., https://monark-cat.com/company/about-us/

TADA, https://www.tadanow.com/