Vardhman Yarns and Threads Weaves Digital Transformation For A Seamless Future

The Challenge

Vardhman Yarns and Threads Ltd (VYTL) is a joint venture between Vardhman Textiles Ltd from India and American & Efird LLC (A&E) from the United States. In India, VYTL has five manufacturing facilities that produce threads for various industrial segments, supported by 26 sales and service locations and over 5,000 employees.

The company faced critical challenges in its business, which it looked to overcome through technology. Digital transformation means different things for different organisations. The concept encompasses a wide range of changes tailored to an organisation’s specific needs, goals, and industry context.

For Ajay Kumar Dhir, CIO, VYTL, digital transformation meant focussing on three critical areas – modernising the outdated communication methods; the lack of a user-friendly mobile application that limited order placement and tracking convenience; and the absence of robust analytics capabilities to leverage historical data for informed decision-making.

Website Modernisation

Before 2018, VYTL maintained a traditional website that lacked interactivity and innovation. The site primarily featured static content, which failed to engage users effectively. Given the perception of the thread manufacturing industry as low-tech and labour-intensive, VYTL needed to redefine its digital footprint to reflect its commitment to quality, cost efficiency, and agility.

Previously, the website was hosted on WordPress and managed by a small agency that employed freelance developers. However, after conducting a thorough analysis for cost efficiency, it was decided to host the website on the internal data centre, a move which Dhir says, “not only reduced costs but also enhanced our control over the website’s security and performance”.

The revamped site, which created a modern, functional, and user-friendly interface, offered ease of navigation, allowing customers to access information quickly and efficiently.

“This functionality is critical for both direct consumers and B2B clients, as it facilitates seamless interactions across various sales channels, including direct sales and distribution through dealers. The redesign reflects Vardhman’s brand ethos, presenting the company as a forward-thinking organisation that embraces innovation while honouring its rich heritage. The website now effectively communicates the company’s values and operational strengths, making it an essential tool for attracting potential employees and partners,” says Dhir.

While revamping a corporate website, IBRS recommends prioritising a user-centric approach by conducting thorough research to understand the needs and preferences of the target audience, besides implementing a responsive design that ensures a seamless experience across devices, making it easy for users to navigate the website and access information.

Dhir implemented an internal tracking system to monitor website traffic and user engagement. Customer satisfaction surveys indicated a marked improvement in user experience, with respondents appreciating the neat design and ease of information access.

“As a result of these improvements and the on the new user interface we developed, we have significantly increased user satisfaction, achieving a 2.5x increase in the delight factor” says Dhir.

Plans are underway to integrate the website with SharePoint, creating a unified digital platform to further streamline operations and enhance collaboration.

Mobile App for Streamlined Interactions

For customer communication and order management, VYTL relied on traditional methods such as phone calls and emails, which were cumbersome and inefficient for its customers.

The lack of a dedicated mobile application limited the company’s ability to provide a seamless and convenient experience, resulting in potential delays in order fulfilment and customer dissatisfaction.

To address this, Dhir developed a mobile app, leveraging Laravel, designed to facilitate smooth communication and transactions for customers.

“The app allows users to place orders, track order status, make payments, and receive goods – all with minimal effort. Although we are not an ecommerce platform like Amazon or Flipkart, our app caters specifically to our established customer base, enabling them to interact with us efficiently,” he says.

By integrating the app with our ERP system (Oracle JD Edwards), Dhir created a seamless experience for customers, enhancing order validation and credit checks.

To maintain this momentum and ensure the successful fulfilment of orders, VYTL has aligned its processes to prioritise order validation and credit checks. This comprehensive approach ensures that the entire order cycle is optimised, from acquisition to delivery, providing a positive experience for both, the customers and the organisation.

“The app’s success was evident as we observed a significant increase in business. Our mobile app has revolutionised the way customers interact with our organisation, enabling them to place orders conveniently at any time, even late at night. By eliminating the need to wait for a customer service representative or engage in lengthy conversations, the app provides a personalised and efficient ordering experience. The result has been a 24×7 order flow,” says Dhir.

IBRS advocates IT leaders must rethink existing plans if they plan to develop custom mobile applications. In particular, consider if these applications could be provided via an off-the-shelf mobile eforms solution (as IBRS believes many can be), which would not only reduce coding and complexity, but free up resources to focus on the compelling need to implement an integration infrastructure that enables the information to be made available to new mobile business processes.

IBRS recommends paying little heed to the debates regarding device selection, market share and ‘mobility trends’ for devices such as tablets and smartphones. While significant, IT departments can only cope with these rapid changes by building architecture(s) that abstracts (isolates) both device and application code from the organisation’s strategy.

From Hindsight to Foresight: Analytics to Fuel Strategic Initiatives

Once Dhir streamlined the various digital processes, he looked at how they could all be brought together to provide actionable insights for business.

VYTL faced significant challenges in leveraging the vast amount of data accumulated over two and a half decades. The existing reporting systems were static and lacked the dynamic capabilities needed for effective decision-making. The leadership struggled to access timely, relevant information, which hindered their ability to make informed decisions. Additionally, the transition from the previous ERP system, Data Text, to Oracle JD Edwards created a need for a robust analytics framework to mine historical data and provide actionable insights.

“To address these challenges, we developed a comprehensive analytics capability using Power BI, enabling us to harness our extensive data resources effectively. This solution involved creating dynamic, on-demand dashboards tailored to the needs of various stakeholders, including operational heads and top leadership,” says Dhir.

By integrating these dashboards with the ERP system, Dhir ensured that the data was fresh and relevant, allowing for real-time insights into finance, manufacturing, operations, and customer service.

“We focused on establishing key performance indicators that were not static but rather adaptable to the specific needs of different operational tiers. This approach transformed data into a vibrant, kaleidoscopic view, enabling leadership to visualise and interpret the same information from multiple perspectives,” he says.

Furthermore, the migration of historical data from the previous ERP system to a non-proprietary SQL database was initiated, allowing the company to conduct data mining and analytics on 20 years of operational history.

“This process provided valuable hindsight, enabling us to assess past performance and identify areas for improvement. As our leadership became more adept at using the new dashboards, they began to embrace a DIY approach to data analysis, empowering them to extract insights independently,” Dhir adds.

IBRS advocates aligning the needs of users with the goals of the enterprise to help identify the right data analytics tools to invest in. They can develop a deeper understanding of problem-solving and value the dynamics of a data-centric culture through consistent exposure to advanced analytics applications. In addition, the executive team must encourage the organisation to continue identifying opportunities that will make data analytics a fundamental part of their daily operations. They can launch recognition programs for projects that drive value, or require regular upskilling through training sessions or by external data consultants.