Chugai Pharma China launches digital transformation with SAP SuccessFactors and RPA

Client Challenge: Chugai Pharma China wanted undergo a digital HR transformation at its Chinese locations to adapt its HR processes in order to better align with local regulations and better support organization’s strategic decision-making

Solution: Working with Capgemini, Chugai Pharma China implemented a digital solution that included RPA, full modules from the SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management Suite, and SAP Analytics Cloud

Benefits:

• More efficient HR processes
• Greater accuracy and more effective use of data
• Faster responsiveness to business needs

Adapting HR to local needs

Since being founded in Japan 1925, Chugai Pharma, a subsidiary of Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd based in Japan, has built itself around a mission to develop advanced drugs that can help improve health and safety all around the world. Such delicate and complicated work requires talented personnel at every level and, as such, the company has always demanded the very best in terms of processes and technology for its HR teams. However, as the company spread from Japan to China, its specialized approach that had been so well-suited to its country of origin needed adjustment in order to fit the local culture and needs. Realizing this, Chugai Pharma China set out to update its HR processes within China in order to ensure that it could continue to draw from a deep pool of talent.

Specifically, the organization was determined to reduce the number of manual tasks and implement an integrated platform that would consolidate the various systems that already existed. All of this would serve to make the overall process more efficient and enable the teams to deliver more effective talent management and recruitment. To do so, Chugai Pharma China chose to implement the SAP SuccessFactors Human Experience Management (HXM) Suite. However, the complexity of the required digital HR transformation meant that the project would require a substantial degree of expertise. To gain access to the necessary level of knowledge, Chugai Pharma China decided to engage Capgemini and launch a partnership based off of mutual values and complementary expertise.

SAP SuccessFactors HXM drives better talent management and recruitment

Together, the partners began the project by reviewing the organization’s existing systems and processes in order to create a common understanding of the challenges that needed to be addressed. Following these early conversations, Chugai Pharma China and Capgemini agreed to follow an iterative approach that would develop the solution and test a series of versions for unexpected issues prior to the final rollout in order to avoid such problems cropping up following the solution’s go-live. This involved a comprehensive plan for the rollout of the new system that established key milestones for the partners to fulfill.

In addition to the SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite, Chugai Pharma China and Capgemini introduced robotic process automation (RPA) that helped manage a variety of essential functions, including labor cost predictions, the calculation of employee bonuses, cost sharing, regulation compliance, and employee attendance rate calculation. Cloud analytics provided greater insight into the status of the organization’s data architecture, which then led to more effective support for future business management reforms based on regional requirements. Finally, Chugai Pharma China and Capgemini utilized AON evaluation to improve the recruitment process and to better identify talent.

All of this formed a system designed to more effectively identify individuals suited to open roles within the organization through a better understanding and usage of data. In addition, the introduction of automation into the HR system ensured greater efficiency and enabled Chugai Pharma China employees to spend less time on repetitive tasks and instead apply their experience to more value-adding elements of the HR process.

Innovation leads to improved speed and efficiency

After a four-month process, the partners completed the first phase of the project and rolled out the SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite smoothly. With this implementation, Chugai Pharma China became less reliant on manual work through its HR processes and more reliably aligned with Chinese regulations. With its new system and processes, the organization can more quickly communicate and act upon business needs as a result of its digital HR transformation. Cloud analytics provides efficient support for daily management decision-making while RPA has reduced the workload for key users while simultaneously improving the accuracy and efficiency of their associated processes.

With an approach and HR system better suited to a Chinese setting, Chugai Pharma China can more effectively fill roles within the country that are critical to the organization’s highly impactful work. The SAP SuccessFactors HXM Suite has also prepared the company to pursue further innovation within the HR sphere. For example, future work will expand the organization’s ability to utilize data in order to evaluate potential recruits and further refine its scouting process. With this new system in place, Chugai Pharma China will continue to lead the industry and produce cutting edge drugs that will help treat patients all across the world.