KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Corp (JCorp) - owner of KFC and Pizza Hut local franchises and KPJ hospital chain, among others - is driving digital transformation across its vast businesses spanning agribusiness, wellness and healthcare, food and restaurant, and real estate and infrastructure.

This digital transformation is integral to the bigger JCorp 3.0 reinvention plan launched in 2020 and is being done through data analytics that leverage on the latest technology such as cloud platforms, artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain and machine learning.

"Digital transformation is key for us to prepare and evolve into a Value Driven Organisation or  VDO. We commenced our journey with the end goal in mind by having our Digital Dashboard developed and rolled out first in January 2021," JCorp chief digital officer Ahmad Yusri told the New Straits Times.

"The digital transformation that is taking place for JCorp has made tangible progress in strengthening and launching its digital capabilities through enhancements of its digital architecture, infrastructure and culture."

Ahmad Yusri added that Digital Dashboard had made it possible for the company to track its performance, anticipate potential risks and plan its activities in a truly holistic manner.

"In fact, we have made great progress in strengthening and launching our digital capabilities through enhancements to our digital architecture, infrastructure and culture. Currently, we are deep diving into enhancing our capabilities via analytics, cloud computing, automation and big data," he said.

By next year, JCorp expects to extensively utilise these technologies to make informed decisions on a real-time basis based on updated data that is of high integrity.

JCorp's digital transformation comprises three waves.

"We kicked of Wave 1 (Strengthen and Launch) in 2021 with a focus on enhancing and improving our digital ecosystem, including connectivity, devices and relevant digital platforms to enable access to digital resources," he said.

Wave 2 is about "Leverage and Sustain"

"For 2022, we are currently focusing on automation and analytics development to support our decision-making processes. This entails complete migration to the cloud and development of our own internal data scientist pool as part of our enablers.

Wave 3 is about "Reimagine and Dominate"

"In 2023, we will continue building our analytics to incorporate components such as AI and machine learning to enhance predictive and prescriptive capabilities. At the same time, we will also focus on establishing full data integration with our investee companies.

Besides the focus on technology, Ahmad Yusri said the company's digital transformation also emphasised on the culture of innovation through its innovation engine framework.

This aims to inculcate the innovative spirit among JCorp staff to spark ideation, development, assessment and experimentation, deployed in a structured manner.

"At JCorp, this happens via Rapid Innovation and Technology Excellence (RITE). It is a framework which has been extensively researched, tried and tested and then developed by implementing best practices and experiences of our strategic partners," he said.

Ahmad Yusri said as part of JCorp's digital transformation, the company used cloud as the platform for its data and applications, serving as a "single source of truth" for all its business and operational knowledge.

"This creates efficient data management, accessible across our network. We have collaborated with Amazon Web Services (AWS), the global leader in public cloud service offerings in creating the platform for our usage.

"By working together with AWS, the knowledge transfer process on their technical and innovative solutions provides our team with beneficial exposure and insights," he said.

According to Ahmad Yusri, JCorp's investee companies were also implementing digitalisation transformation for its respective businesses to continue to innovate their business value chain.

Citing a few examples, he said QSR Brands (M) Holdings Sdn Bhd, the local franchise holder of KFC and Pizza Hut, had started its digital transformation journey before pandemic started.

As as a result, QSR is fully ready to ride the challenges that cropped up during the movement restriction period.

"KPJ Healthcare Bhd, meanwhile, is gearing up for the utilisation of its hospital management system, the new Damansara Specialist II. The new management system will provide new and enhanced user experience for patients and medical practitioners at the hospital supported by technology and digital automation," he added.

JCorp believes that digital transformation is a necessary component for the company to execute, grow and deliver in an efficient manner during challenging times.

"We place a very high value on capacity building. To this end, we have redesigned our organisational structure, giving rise to a workforce that is more future-ready and agile by strengthening our learning and digital capabilities for our workforce.

"Our AI driven digital transformation plan is designed to provide solutions and analytics on a real-time basis. All this will help us unlock further value and improve business sustainability," Ahmad Yusri said.