Unilab Implements NetSuite OneWorld To Modernize Its Operations

According to Oracle NetSuite OneWorld has been implemented by Philippines’ biggest pharmaceutical company, Unilab. This is in a bid to assist in powering its distributors since they have been set up as distinct business partners.

Initially Unilab was using an application which was locally developed for one and a half decades. With the unified cloud Enterprise Resource Planning system, Unilab’s distributors are now empowered to manage their inventory more easily. The billing processes have also been enhanced. Currently Unilab has in excess of 10,000 trade accounts and this includes grocery stores, clinics and pharmacies.

Cloud system

“Unilab upgraded from a 15-year-old locally developed application to a unified cloud ERP (enterprise resource planning) system, enabling its distributors to easily manage inventory and billing processes,” said Oracle NetSuite in a statement.

NetSuite OneWorld is also being used by Unilab in multi-subsidiary management as well as data and sales consolidation. The implementation of NetSuite OneWorld by Unilab was completed in January 2017 and since then distributor operations were streamlined. This has allowed Unilab to gain greater visibility of its channels which form a substantial percentage of its annual revenues. Currently annual revenues of Unilab have reached $1 billion.

In the Philippines, Unilab has emerged as the pioneer in the pharmaceutical sector in leveraging cloud enterprise resource planning with a view to standardizing and stabilizing the distributor management program via iSERV 2.0.

Company history

Unilab was started more than seven decades ago and produces more than 350 brands. These products range from personal health care items to prescription medications as well as over-the-counter drugs. Currently it employs approximately 4,000 people and is headquartered in Mandaluyong, Manila. For over thirty years, Unilab’s market share has consistently been above 20%.

In order to assist in supporting continued growth, Unilab decided to shift from a system that was on-premise to a cloud-based one allowing for flexibility and scalability. Previously the business leaders at Unilab had to manually track and consolidate data from distributors. Shifting to the cloud also helped Unilab in enhancing its disaster-protection measures since in unexpected events such as typhoons the entire system would remain stabilized.

Currently NetSuite OneWorld offers support to 20 languages and 190 currencies. It also offers automated tax calculation as well as automated tax reporting in over 100 countries. Transactions in over 200 countries are also supported. Oracle NetSuite was a pioneer of cloud computing as far back as 1998 when it became the first firm to offer business applications and software over the internet.