Over the years, the real estate industry has held its position as one of the fastest-growing industries in India, with its ability to turn the increase in demand for commercial and residential spaces into growth and profit. And the market has been flourishing as work-from-home mandates ended and the need for office spaces increased.

But with market growth came a list of prerequisites for the real estate industry. With corporates and stakeholders emphasizing the importance of transparency in operations, the real estate industry has been focussing on the need to transform to meet those expectations, and what better way to bring about transformation than with the help of digital tools and systems?

Established in 2002, Panchshil Realty is one of India's finest luxury real estate developers. Renowned for its leadership and excellence in real estate development, the company has successfully delivered 29.5 million sq. ft. of prime real estate with 27.5 million sq. ft. under development across multiple asset classes. These encompass high-end residential projects, office parks, built-to-suit campuses, hospitality developments, special economic zones (SEZ), and more. Panchshil's 360° approach covers everything from planning, construction, architectural and design services to infrastructure development and providing automation and facility management services. With global partners like YOO, The Trump Organization, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Hilton, Oakwood and World Trade Centers Association amongst others, Panchshil has played a significant role in putting Pune on the world map.

Recognizing the need to improve integration and streamline processes within the SAP system, Panchshil Realty sought to enhance project visibility by integrating their CRM system, which included facility management systems, with SAP to unify data sources and provide a holistic view of the customer lifecycle.

Transformation journey

Having previously worked with IBM for an SAP ECC implementation in 2008, Panchshil Realty knew it could depend on IBM’s extensive experience with the technology and industry. Further, the IBM team had developed assets around SAP that could significantly reduce the time to implement and deploy solutions for the real estate market.

“IBM offers a two-fold value to clients looking to migrate to SAP – a deep technology experience and a knowledge of the inner workings of the real estate industry. It is this two-fold value that empowers us to support clients in the real estate industry in their transformation” explains Devang Sheth, Account Partner, IBM Consulting.

Panchshil Realty and IBM consultants engaged in brainstorming sessions to identify pain points and solutions that would help the real estate developer transform. With a clear understanding of the requirements, the IBM team implemented RISE with SAP, which leveraged IBM’s implementation expertise, advisory services, application, and technical management services to take care of all aspects of the transition from planning to execution. In a move that ensured that the client gained faster value, IBM consultants brought in best-in-class practices at the every stage of the project and successfully integrated the CRM and facility management systems.

The project went live on 14th July 2022.

Speed and efficiency unlocked

The implementation was Fiori-based, which meant that users could access the system from any device using a link and their login credentials. IBM also helped bridge the gap between siloed teams and systems of record by integrating projects, procurement, sales, leasing, and finance systems and created a seamless data flow for real-time statutory and MIS reporting.

Further integrations with the facility management system is improving efficiency in processes from end-to-end as IBM’s approach to integrating key systems increases transparency and productivity. The integration process also eliminated blind spots in customer data, helping Panchshil streamline operations and improve the overall customer experience.

In addition to the benefit of having an integrated system, the implementation led to the creation of a scalable digital platform, which required just a single instance of SAP S/4HANA. The platform has made business processes more robust with digital signatures enabled for all outgoing invoices and a banking integration that supports host-to-host payment systems. With the digital approval process and digitally enabled end-to-end invoice tracking process, Panchshil ensures on-time execution and visibility across departments.

The tools, techniques, and best practices that IBM brought to the implementation process is helping unlock the value of systems faster and is providing Panchshil a competitive edge in a rapidly changing business environment. The journey to move up the digital transformation value chain continues as Panchshil works with IBM to implement SAP Analytics for better visibility and quick decision-making across its projects.

Working with IBM Consulting, Panchshil Realty could fix inefficiencies and bring in much-needed visibility and transparency across the enterprise and transition to become future-ready. “With the help of the digital ERP systems that SAP S/4HANA has enabled for us, we are confident of delivering greater value to our clients,” concludes Resham Chordia, Director, Panchshil Realty.