Despite facing unprecedented economic challenges since 2019, DIMO has achieved impressive growth. Over the past decade, DIMO has transformed fundamentally. Originally known for representing prestigious automotive brands like Mercedes-Benz, DIMO has broadened its portfolio to include sectors such as agriculture, building services, construction, digital technology, education, healthcare, power and energy, water and more. This diversification is a testament to DIMO’s commitment to evolving and growing in a dynamic business environment.
Gahanath Pandithage, DIMO’s Group Managing Director and Chief Executive, is at the forefront of guiding the company towards a future anchored in digitalization. This direction is a core part of DIMO’s philosophy, extending far beyond a mere reaction to current trends. “Our vision for digitalization involves more than just adopting new technologies. It’s about fundamentally reshaping our business processes to meet market demands,” Pandithage states. This vision includes centralizing supply chains, enhancing customer experiences, and utilizing data analytics for informed decision-making.
As DIMO aims to expand its global footprint, digitalization remains central to its strategy, focusing on delivering innovative, sustainable, and customer-centric solutions. “Digitalization is a strategic imperative for us, aligning with our long-term goals and our purpose of fuelling dreams and aspirations of the communities we serve,” Pandithage emphasizes. This commitment extends beyond improving operations; it’s about empowering the communities in which DIMO operates, positioning digitalization as a key driver of growth and development.
DIMO’s journey towards digitalization is reinforced by a strategic focus on further elevating its outstanding workforce through upskilling and reskilling. Recognizing that the true power of technology lies in its users, DIMO has launched a comprehensive awareness initiative. This initiative focused on highlighting the benefits of embracing change. “We acknowledge that the real challenge in digital transformation is cultural, so we focus on further enhancing our workforce’s capabilities, preparing them for impactful roles in this new era,” Pandithage remarks. This approach has allowed DIMO to manage its transition effectively, leveraging its diverse product range while avoiding redundancies.
A key element of DIMO’s strategy is identifying and nurturing digital talent. By addressing talent gaps and strategically hiring for crucial roles, DIMO ensures a smooth transition to a more digital-focused future, preparing the company for immediate challenges and long-term success. “Our dedication to digital transformation is deeply embedded in our corporate culture. We were able to build an agile, knowledgeable workforce capable of adapting to changes and seizing opportunities in a digitally-driven world,” Pandithage explains.
Beyond Tech
Pandithage contends that at DIMO, digitalization transcends the mere integration of new technologies; it represents a fundamental shift towards a culture of consistency and transparency. The group’s focus on digital tools is designed to standardize processes, which enhances trust and transparency with all stakeholders. This strategy has significantly improved relationships with customers, suppliers, and partners, enhancing the company’s reputation for excellence.
A pivotal advantage of digital transformation is DIMO’s evolution into a data-driven organization. This shift enables the company to make decisions based on comprehensive data analysis, moving towards an integrated innovation ecosystem. Such a transition not only boosts customer satisfaction but also increases the company’s market agility. “Adopting a data-driven approach allows us to be more adaptable and responsive, thereby delivering greater value to our stakeholders and maintaining a competitive edge in the market,” Pandithage points out.
Furthermore, the journey towards digitalization emphasizes a people-centric approach. Employees throughout the company will be equipped with data-driven insights, enhancing their decision-making abilities. This focus on people aligns with DIMO’s core values, ensuring that the company remains adaptable and forward-thinking in a constantly evolving business environment for people to deliver results.
Fundamental Change
DIMO reached a pivotal milestone in its digital transformation journey with the recent rollout of a comprehensive ERP system. This implementation is more than an advancement in technology; it signifies a profound shift in the operational paradigm of the business.
“Technology alone isn’t enough in the digital transformation journey. It’s about fundamentally changing how we operate,” Pandithage contends. The ERP system at DIMO is intricately designed to be at the core of this transformative journey, realigning the company’s business processes and organizational structures.
This ERP implementation acts as a powerful catalyst, transforming data into a strategic asset. It integrates seamlessly into operations, improving data quality and accuracy, and offering real-time insights essential for informed decision-making. “With this system, we’re fostering a culture of collective intelligence through synergistic collaboration across our teams,” Pandithage adds.
Scalability is a crucial feature of DIMO’s ERP system, reflecting the company’s foresight in accommodating the dynamic nature of business. The system aligns with the group’s strategy for diversification and expansion of its global footprint, ensuring that the technological infrastructure evolves alongside the company’s growth. This scalability is key to maintaining the agility and adaptability of the business in a volatile market environment.
A standout feature of the ERP system is its modular design, which covers a diverse range of business functions and value chains. This design is not just about managing transactions and information; it represents a commitment to implementing industry best practices and fostering continuous innovation.
“Our advanced ERP system is integral to adapting to market changes, evolving customer preferences, and industry trends swiftly,” Pandithage points out. The seamless integration of this technology into DIMO’s workflow exemplifies the company’s commitment to operational efficiency and agility.
In addition to operational improvements, DIMO places a strong emphasis on customer delight, a key aspect of its digital transformation. The successful rollout of the Customer Experience (CX) initiative marks a significant step in aligning the organization towards a customer-focused approach. “By embracing a customer-centric paradigm, we’re not just reacting to market demands; we are actively reshaping the way we interact with customers through digital means and their future needs,” adds Pandithage.
This strategic focus on digital transformation and customer delight has already started yielding positive results for DIMO. The implementation of advanced technologies and the CX initiative have been instrumental in driving profitability, enhancing competitiveness, and fostering sustainable growth.
Tenacity and Vision
Throughout its digital transformation journey, DIMO has successfully navigated a myriad of challenges that confronted the economy, including foreign exchange and fuel crises, import restrictions, and the persistent effects of the pandemic apart from usual resistance, technical, and organizational barriers.
DIMO’s approach to these challenges is marked by a growth mindset, resilience, and a collaborative spirit. This approach has not only helped DIMO persevere but has also paved the way for innovation.
“Our digital journey goes beyond overcoming challenges; it’s about seeing obstacles as opportunities and actively shaping change while fostering a culture of continuous learning within DIMO. This demonstrates how companies can leverage digital transformation to thrive amidst uncertainty and change,” Pandithage noted.
The country’s network coverage, and average broadband speed, are critical for Sri Lankans’ digital transformation journey. However, this rapid digitalization also presents challenges, especially in data governance, cybersecurity, and ethical considerations of emerging technologies. Addressing these challenges is crucial, as Pandithage points out.
“Successfully managing these challenges is key to endorsing the digitalization process and facilitating digital adoption across sectors. Effective policy frameworks are necessary to ensure data privacy, cybersecurity, and digital governance, thereby enabling Sri Lanka to fully embrace digital transformation”, he says.