CONSULTING

Wai Leng has helped her clients identify numerous opportunities, redressed risks through her innate ability to reflect, scenario build and develop incisive strategies, and getting all key stakeholders on the same page.   Areas that she consults in include:

CONSULTING

Wai Leng has helped her clients identify numerous opportunities, redressed risks through her innate ability to reflect, scenario build and develop incisive strategies, and getting all key stakeholders on the same page.   Areas that she consults in include:

List of Projects Accomplished

List of Projects Accomplished

Strategy

Strategy

  • Concurrently project managed, developed Business Plan, Cost & Productivity frameworks, for a leading heart institute – managed a team of consultants including a colleague from the Swiss office
  • Business plan scope included examining present and future health care industry dynamics, patient demographics, technology prevalence of heart diseases and funding systems of key developed nations for health care – objective of ascertaining their current and future position within industry
  • Led various focus group and individual doctor interview sessions and Visioning workshop with senior doctors and management – objective was to explore a feasible operating corporatized model for the Heart Institute
  • Project managed the operational productivity study which reviewed the workflow of various wards eg. Intensive Care Unit, pediatrics etc.
  • A review of the pharmaceutical items was conducted to rationalise the list of drugs available and included the review of its tender and award processes
  • Ascertained aspirations & expectations of local environmental non-governmental organisation(NGO) awarded with European Union funds to solicit for conservation project proposals
  • Developed strategies to build capacity among eligible recipients i.e. National Stakeholders Committee (NSC)
  • Capture salient features in the EU document to localize to Malaysian context
  • Clarified expectations of various stakeholders
  • Provided a framework for analysis of submitted project proposals
  • Prepared Project Charter and evaluation criteria for the successful application of project proposals
    • Facilitated identification of key success factors to draw higher value project proposals into the future
  • Provided project management best practices and templates to be utilized by project applicants

Prepared documents to effectively communicate with non-state actors on expectations and processes involved

  • Developed compensation framework to promote a performance and quality driven culture based on:-
    • Reward system which encouraged performance excellence
    • Promoted teaming among various groups from different departments
    • Differentiated and retained high performers
    • Encouraged consistent performance and continuous improvement
  • Facilitated development
    • Supply chain management, operational goals and matrices that are tied to compensation
    • Pivotal processes through value chain analysis that encourages greater team work
    • Changed culture and compensation that promotes teaming when goals are achieved

Framework to iteratively review and raise performance bar  

  • Collaborated with the Board of Directors to develop a customer centric organization for a regional ERP service provider
  • Facilitated process to install a knowledge management culture and database
  • Gathered feedback from customers about service level from permanent staff and contractors
  • Shared customer feedback with Board of Directors and staff
  • Conducted brainstorm workshops for staff to gather input for improvement
  • Reviewed ways to implement Customer Relationship Management and Human Resources Information System
  • Trained and coached staff in efforts to change organisation culturally to a customer centric organisation
  • Developed dashboard of goals and key performance indicators as a customer centric organisation
  • Brought healthcare industry knowledge, strategy, supply chain management conceptual and operational experiences, financial modelling; to facilitate the identification of key issues and strategy development – to renew privatisation concession for National Pharmaceutical Distributor
  • Interviewed key management to gather views for rationale of the concession renewal and its future strategic direction
  • Prepared a preliminary storyboard for the renewal, based on feedback from interviews with management and key stakeholders
  • Facilitated a brainstorming session with senior management staff to affirm storyboard and on future strategies for the renewal of the concession
  • Conducted working sessions with the management to finalise details of the renewal report
  • Consolidated and prepared report which identifies the rationale, verifies strategies to renew the concession
  • Projections into next 5 years
    • Profit and loss statement for the concession based on the current inventory list, based on agreed market assumptions
    • Costing model for the concession based on technical inputs, key parameters, variables and assumptions
    • Evaluation of price strategies
    • Demand and supply projections
    • Potential future investment requirements
  • Strategies included :
    • Better positioning to enlarge future pharmaceutical list, with projected cost savings expected from economies of scale
    • Cost savings for the Government of Malaysia eg. inventory and operating expenditure
    • Potential areas for supply chain optimization and its value chain constellation

Overview of ways to improve local health care industry and its supply chain partners eg. future supply chain competencies and international exposure

  • Concurrently project managed a team of consultants, on a privatisation proposal, 5 year business plan and financial projections; for local chain group of laboratories
  • Developed Business Plan together with various key strategies and action plans to propel the laboratory into becoming among the top 2 laboratories within 5 years – brainstormed with Chief Executive Officer(CEO) on market growth and penetration rate to be achieved
  • Evaluated growth reported in their annual financial reports which was on track
  • 5 year financial projections were conducted to ascertain the actual cost of providing such services with projected growth and profit margins
  • Privatisation proposal pertained to a laboratory service within the Ministry of Health
  • Proposal scoped and delineated the laboratory service solicited with potential key benefits highlighted
  • Team member involved in strategic analysis of synergy created by large chain group of hospitals, through the use of ‘Economic Value Added’(EVA) modelling
  • Deduced the reasons for the current state of its EVA from a hospital industry perspective
    • Designed interview questionnaire with both quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators
    • Led 2 sets of interview sessions with Chief Executive Officer(CEO) and her senior management staff members
  • Analysis was presented and brainstormed with the CEO and her senior management:-
    • Current ways that group’s revenue was derived and major cost drivers
    • Benchmark of other private hospitals portfolio of revenue and cost – highlighted group’s differences in revenue generation particularly with other private set-ups

Identified other areas for improvement eg. Casemix costing (Activity Based Costing modified for hospital set-ups), Performance Measurement, Marketing, Strategic Information Systems Plan

  • Performed and managed Diagnostic Assessment project with 2 other personnel -involved ‘turning around’ a hospital from the red into the black, in which analysis reviewed revenue collection and cost reduction
  • Immediate success recorded with identification of debt outstanding of RMXX,000 at Accounts Receivable department – which was collected within 4 weeks to improve cashflow
  • Provided input on ways to improve accountability of materials management and purchasing department with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), to avoid fraudulent activities
  • Discussed with CEO ways that price of goods purchased could be reduced –volume purchases with other sole and independent hospitals and clinics
  • Discussed various marketing strategies for other support activities with CEO eg. expand successful bakery beyond the hospital premise

Successfully implemented as evident with set up of bakeries, availability of breads and pastry in selected supermarkets through out Malaysia

  • Identified health care related service lines in demand in an untapped market such as Malaysia i.e. case-mix costing and clinical benchmarks for global management consultancy in Kuala Lumpur
  • Organised case-mix costing presentation/ seminar for partner in charge of global consultancy’s New Zealand Health Care practice as presenter – 40 participants from public and private hospitals attended
  • Organised follow-up case-mix presentation for Director-General of Health, Ministry of Health and University Hospital team involved in case-mix research, & 2 private hospital chains
  • Developed health care consulting strategy focusing on market size and projected growth for identified service-lines over phases; resources, training and skills required
  • Prepared numerous proposals involving specific health care service-lines, organisational change management, Enterprise Resource Planning(SAP), for potential health care clients
  • Completed Market Environment Analysis’ on 2 multi-national corporations, to assist in identifying consulting opportunities for a global management consultancy – for Australian and Asia-Pacific partners
  • First analysis used to target an American multinational with business presence in Asia-Pacific, the second to penetrate a local multi-national corporation
  • Analysis included details of geographic location of manufacturing and distribution sites, products provided and distributed by individual sites, current marketing, advertising and strategic initiatives, issues impacting overall client performance like financial crisis in Asia, financial and productivity information, Information technology capabilities, competitor analysis, ‘Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats’ analysis – worked with virtual team from Australia, India, Japan, South Korea & Taiwan to obtain information

Recommendations on consulting opportunities have since been translated into a ‘Shared Services’(based on cost savings) sales pursuit for the local multi-national corporation

Feasibility Study & Commercial Negotiation

  • Conducted financial feasibility study on laundry department at premier medical centre – recommendation to reactivate department adopted by Board of Directors with anticipated cost savings of RMX00,000 realised at end of first year
  • Conducted tender exercise to purchase 2 new industrial capacity washing machines, which eventuated in cost savings of RMX0,000 achieved through rigourous commercial negotiations
  • Negotiations included bigger capacity washers, trade-in value for old washers & dryers, free demolition and renovation works by contractor

Operational Audit on Hospital Patient Related Linen

  • Conducted operational audit and derived formula for patient linen usage for each individual ward and unit
  • Audit included interviews with Nursing Director and various Nurse Managers from the obstetrics/ gynaecology, medical, surgical wards, Intensive Care Units and Outpatient Department
  • Audit interviews also included verification with the Financial Controller and Administrator of Support Services(in charge of hospital laundry)
  • Draft formula developed was discussed with the nursing and finance departments – formula and report were agreed on and endorsed by both parties
  • Formula utilised as a check and balance by Finance department to evaluate purchase requisitions made on linen by various nursing departments
  • Revisioned Accounts Receivable department to a front-line office from a back end function using Business Process Reengineering techniques at a premier medical centre
  • Anticipated results included on-line issuance of bills as compared to current scenario of 2 months
  • – enabled through reduced work processes, paperless environment and Information Technology
  • Anticipated results included
  • Reduction of personnel from 15 to 2 personnel, in which the 3 major processes would be automated
  • Potential merger between the accounts receivables and marketing departments
  • Anticipated strategic alliances were with XYZ Bank, to tie-up financial services as part of marketing offering
  • Anticipated value-added service included
  • Offering relevant marketing/ loan packages to corporate and individual clients

Advicing corporate clients on accounts receivables and possible leakages/ abuses within the system

  • Reviewed cashing area to identify loop holes and weaknesses eg. cheating and carelessness among cashiers, of local chain group of supermarkets
  • Plugged loop holes and eradicated 2 syndicates which cheated – involved the cooperation of directors, supervisors, other employees and police
  • Provided training and guidelines to combat carelessness
  • Reviewed quality of intake of fresh cashiers eg. literacy and numerical capabilities
  • Provided monthly monetary incentive to cashiers who consistently reconciled daily cash balances and collections
  • Successfully reduced carelessness and cheating among cashiers by more than 90% – evident from daily reconciliation of cash and till balances
  • Reduced attrition rate by 50% through aggressive recruitment of both local and foreign workers in short term
  • Created teams to maintain group cohesiveness and sense of belonging by uplifting staff morale in long term
  • Achieved by actively motivating a core team of supervisors, incentive programs, reward system and regular motivational talks
  • Supervisors in turn better managed and motivated their staff
  • Resulted in better attendance and punctuality of workers by 70%
  • Developed better customer service through personalised service
  • Trained staff to better serve customers efficiently, effectively and courteously
  • Developed cordial working relationships with ministerial and local authorities
  • Store was first few to be awarded a “Fairprice Store” by the Ministry of Trade & Commerce, based on its popularity and anti-inflationary measures
  • Represented the store in a number of anti-inflationary promotions on media (newspapers, television and video)
  • Trained 2 managers on effective, efficient store operations and human resources management of 2 outlets, and 1st hyper market in Subang
  • Trained and prepared a core group of supervisors for the Subang hypermarket
  • Conducted operational assessment of 2 outlets, and put forth recommendations for process improvement
  • Spearheaded recruitment drive for all outlets and hyper market by bringing in both local and foreign employees
  • Oversaw accommodation arrangements for more than 100 employees
  • Assisted with the set up of the store’s first delicatessen
  • Oversaw operations at delicatessen and kitchen management
  • Successfully processed more than 5,000 applications (involving NZD multi millions), of civil servants in both pension and lump sum schemes at Pension Fund, New Zealand
  • Assigned one of the heavier work loads within team of 12 members with about 50 applications a week
  • Personal turnaround time of less than 2 weeks with than less than 3% error rate in processing applications
  • Team member in successfully clearing up department’s 2 months backlog of work – achieved through team cooperation, realistic targets set and over time
  • Successfully reduced department’s turnaround time from more than 2 months to 3 weeks – achieved through team redistribution of work load
  • Trained on 20 different superannuation schemes eg. Government Superannuation Fund Scheme and Meat Superannuation Scheme
  • Had a good understanding of the benefits, implications and related obligations to clients
  • Assisted with the administration of Government Superannuation Fund Scheme for senior government servants – rules and calculation of benefits differed from the National Lump Sum Scheme

Worked with various team members in multi-cultural environment – nationals from New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Vietnam, Britain, India, America

  • Involved in change transformation of Pension Fund, New Zealand, from a government to a corporatized, and eventually to a private entity(eventually sold to Jacques Martin, Australia) over the course of 5 years
  • Part of team involved in business and image changes with emphasis on
  • Internal system excellence i.e. reconciliation of various outstanding schemes and process improvement
  • Conversion of manual data to automated introduction of Information Technology, databases and set up of off-site technology Recovery centre
  • Customer service, corporate outlook(office moved from government to business district centre)
  • Recruitment of younger and educated employees

Internal and external training provided to both existing and new employees

  • Chosen by management to reconcile 4 special projects involving NZD millions at Pension Fund, New Zealand i.e. Meat Superannuation Scheme, Government Superannuation Scheme, National Lump Sum Scheme and National Pension Scheme
  • Worked under supervision of and in conjunctions with actuarist and senior managers on all 4 special projects
  • Projects required reconciling manual workings and information systems reports
  • Involved audit assessment of contributions and the verification of contributors

Projects all successfully reconciled and completed within deadline given

Strategy & Supply Chain Management

  • Defined new supply chain structure including information systems and processes for regional plastic manufacturer
  • Cost savings – identified list of products and services, to conduct study to evaluate raw materials, common items & vendors to be consolidated for better negotiation outcomes
  • Investigated ways to negotiate with vendors to gain bulk purchase benefits
  • Conducted efficacy study of geographical location for Regional Distribution Centre to better support customers and manufacturing sites
  • Determined the viability of outsourcing the warehouse
  • Reviewed study to identify clean room facilities to cater to
    • Respective industries
    • Geographical location
    • Business opportunities from other cleanroom services
  • Identified centralized manufacturing site to develop respective products/ services (supported and based on outcome from strategy session), e.g. TVF for food/non-food, tapes, etc.
  • Identified relevance of Industrial 4.0 & machinery to utilise
  • Reviewed geographical sites to be consolidated (based on market forces and client centricity)
  • Brought strategy, supply chain management(SCM) operational experience and conducted SCM diagnostics in consulting project for National Pharmaceutical Distributor; to improve processes and to meet their customer’s(Ministry of Health) new service level agreement
  • Facilitated process to clear back orders estimated at few million RM a month
  • Arrested potential purchase orders(PO) from becoming back orders, estimated to negatively impact profit by a few million RM a month
  • Improved internal processes to meet the 7 and 10 working day delivery stipulation for all items, respectively for East and West Malaysia
  • Reviewed warehouses nationally to further improve operational and capacity efficiencies
  • Conducted working sessions and training for personnel
    • successfully cleared back orders on a pilot implementation program, to improve delivery service levels
  • Refined SCM and Key Performance Indicators, based on outcomes of pilot implementation program
  • Developed Regional Distribution Centre (RDC) concept
    • Write-up entailed entire scope, roles, responsibilities, delivery capabilities of the RDC
    • Analysis included various warehouse configurations (eg. self owned, outsourced, partial outsource) inventory management practices, key performance indicators
    • Phased approach to implement described in concept with pilot project rolled out immediately post concept development
  • RDC has successfully increased its volume of inventory exchange, and serves Asia-Pacific subsidiaries and agents with a complete range of products

RDC successfully gained greater cost and service efficiencies for its sales subsidiaries and agents in Asia-Pacific

  • MNC in Asia-Pacific recognises that distribution is not their core competency and have partially outsourced their warehouse and distribution services in Penang
  • MNC’s plans include extending outsourcing its warehouses through out Asia-Pacific in various phases
  • Objective of engaging 3rd Party Logistics(3PL) companies and/ or distributors, is to primarily achieve both cost and delivery efficiencies and uniformity
  • Identified uniqueness and needs of various warehouse in Asia-Pacific eg. partially outsourced to local distributor, own warehousing
  • Developed Request for Quotation to
    • reflect strengths of 3PL/ health care distributor eg. presence in specific geographies, focus and capabilities in certain segments like health care
    • match to the unique requirements that can increase cost and delivery efficiencies

After successfully implementing Request for Quotation and tender process, strategic alliances were created with selected 3PL

  • Successfully reduced excess inventory and cost saved more than Euro 1 million for Japanese sales subsidiary(‘A’ market in Asia-Pacific) for global hospital care multi-national company – reduced within 3 months
  • Japanese counterparts agreed to reduce and maintain inventory levels at 3 months from 4.5 months – with assurance of more consistent supplies from MNC’s German factory
  • Asia-Pacific Supply Chain Management(SCM) team worked in a tri-partite relationship with Japanese sales subsidiary and inter-company manufacturer in Tuttlingen, Germany
  • Travelled to Tuttlingen, Germany to further analyse figures and to research possibility of visibility into inventory for regional office and sales subsidiary(Japan) – to better manage flow of inventory and its management
  • Conducted 5 day SCM workshop on site in Japan with senior management, sales, logistics personnel, together with colleagues from Tuttlingen and the Asia-Pacific Regional Vice-President of SCM/ Operations
  • Completed report with executive summary, current challenges, value proposition, strategic goals & methodology, current operational assessment and project work completed, action plans with responsibilities and aligning Japanese sales subsidiary with Asia-Pacific’s SCM’s strategic goals and direction
  • Report fully endorsed by Asia-Pacific Managing Director, Asia-Pacific SCM Vice-President and Managing Director of Japan
  • Conducted visioning workshop for Supply Chain Management(SCM) Asia-Pacific Regional team members including Vice-President, SCM
  • Carried out external, and internal study of MNC’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
  • External analysis included implications of globalisation, trends : business in general, health care, technology in health care, pharmaceutical industry and supply chain management, SCM benchmarks and MNC’s Asia-Pacific Strategic Direction
  • Evaluated SCM’s team’s achievement of quick-win activities and long term activities eg. to build regional or virtual hubs. This included evaluation of the warehouse and distribution system, customer efficiency, Key Performance Indicators, cost savings and automation, delivery lead times, identification of various challenges, labeling & harmonisation of articles, and the evaluation of various SCM projects
  • Identified potential inventory savings of more than Euro X million, representing about 13% of existing inventory holding, with breakdown of ‘A, B & C’ type inventory through out Asia-Pacific
  • Analysis of business model for distribution model eg. 3rd or 4th Party Logistics, flow of goods globally – Demand and supply fundamentals in both value ($) and volume, and 5 asset classes : physical, customer, organisation, financial and employees
  • Notable strategy and key action plan included the set up of a Regional Distribution Centre to better serve Asia-Pacific in terms of cost and delivery efficiencies – subsequently executed soon after
  • Pioneering project which involved developing an Asia-Pacific distribution hub for hospital care multi-national company
  • Established Baseline Cost Model which focused on 4 areas i.e. Operations, Transport, Storage & Handling and Opportunity Cost(Inventory),
  • Utilised in pilot project in Malaysian sales subsidiary to benchmark and measure reduction of excess inventory by RM10 million in Malaysia
  • Developed rationale and calculation of opportunity cost from inventory reduction i.e. interest saved and greater liquidity/ cashflow
  • Other cost and operational efficiencies conducted simultaneously included:-
  • rationalised 6 warehouses to two in Petaling Jaya and another in Penang
  • identified and initiated the outsourcing of warehouse and distribution activities to a more efficient and effective 3rd party logistics provider who managed distribution and transportation services
  • Order processes were reviewed and improved on eliminating duplicate activities resulting in greater time and cost efficiencies
  • Baseline cost model included key performance indicators and relevant reports for senior and middle management to make timely and strategic decisions with

Base line cost model still actively in use up until today, and has been rolled out to other Asia-Pacific supply chain sites for report and decision-making uniformity eg. Singapore, China, Japan

  • Set up the tender unit which achieved cost savings of RMXX millions within a year on purchases of medical equipment, supplies and services for premier medical centre
  • Developed policies and guidelines with input from Director of Finance and manager from Materials Management
  • Cost savings successfully achieved through rigourous commercial negotiation and strict adherence to tender procedures
  • Activities within the tender unit included organising and analysing opportunities to form strategic alliances with selected vendors for mutual financial and other synergistic benefits
  • Vendors selected were based on the large volume of purchases and their reputation
  • Cost savings of between 10%-20% were anticipated on total annual purchases, with prices negotiated to be fixed for a minimum duration

Audited, Developed Training Module & Conducted Training

  • Audited and improved Material department’s database on purchases eg. internal requisitions and purchase orders
  • Developed training module pertaining to Internal Requisitions
  • Delivered training to managers

Set Up Accountability System for Centralisation of Store

  • Tracked inventory at crucial stages by mapping out entire business work process flow of Materials store – from internal requisitions to delivery flow
  • Mapped this to Oracle system involving the Purchasing, Store Inventory and Order Entry modules

Mobilisation Plan for Centralisation of Store

  • Spearheaded planning efforts for mobilisation of centralisation of main Materials and Pharmacy stores
  • Involved extensive consultation with end-users over their requirements, including plans for continued operations whilst renovations were carried out
  • Coordinated and conveyed information to project architect and main contractors
  • Purchases(issuance of Purchase Orders) of both material and pharmaceuticals were merged, under purview of Materials department for better accountability purposes
  • Identified and restructured inefficient processes store wide with particular focus on the ‘wet’ market area
  • Successfully reduced time delivery and availability of market produce by 2 hours, and increased the range of vegetables and meat products
  • Resulted in vegetable and meat produce available daily by the time the store was opened to customers by 8.30am, as contrasted to the usual 11am
  • Successfully increased the range of vegetable and meat products which has largest profit margins and sales volume – through increased display space
  • Successfully ensured the full range of grocery stock items through the review of its supply chain/ operational flow and timing of delivery, distribution and display of goods
  • Initiative led to increased sales volume by 15% in which revenue increased by the millions in a year
  • Identified loop holes in cashing area, resulted in a reduced rate of carelessness and cheating among cashiers by 90%

Overall store sales volume increased between 10%-20% which corresponded with implementation of more effective and efficient overall operational processes

  • Financial highlights included
  • Project managed a RM40 million SAP implementation
  • Successfully negotiated a consultation fee reduction of RM1.5 million
  • Project managed Asia-Pacific MNC’s team and consultants towards a validated environment, a requisite for the hospital care industry and for medical compliance purposes
  • This compliance is referred to as a Quality-Management Information Technology(QM-IT) procedure – to qualify under a validated environment
  • Coordination towards the development of a harmonised system between Asia-Pacific and global head quarters in Germany eg. common article numbers, master roles, working within a common development server, identification of frozen zone between Basis teams of Asia-Pacific and global headquarters in order for harmonised sequencing of transports to be realised
  • Ascertained global and local business processes – Asia-Pacific can only develop and configure local processes and not global processes eg. coordinate the import of relevant global and local processes
  • Resolved business issues by scoping, identifying core issues eg. batch numbering and classification for 5 various manufacturing plants and other related batch management issues, identification of sales history importance and coordination of such data to be uploaded into SAP
  • Ascertained appropriate logistics organisational structure for various plants eg. Materials Management or warehouse structure
  • Coordinated ABAP development for interfaces with 3rd Party Logistics with Materials Management organisational structure

Ensured that training or information sessions conducted by consultants were effectively delivered to end-users eg. populating masterdata upload sheets, by getting effective team leader involvement