By Aye Ubaldo
In a strategic move to strengthen its supply chain operations, Century Pacific Food Inc., one of the Philippines’ leading food and beverage companies, has partnered with Blue Yonder, a US-based AI firm known for its expertise in supply chain management. The collaboration aims to accelerate Century Pacific’s digital transformation using advanced AI and machine learning technologies.
Through Blue Yonder’s platform, Century Pacific seeks to achieve more accurate demand forecasting and optimized operations, improving efficiency and reducing costs across its product categories. The partnership also enhances the company’s resilience to supply and logistics disruptions such as natural disasters by enabling smarter event management and ensuring consistent product availability. Automated task management and improved logistics are expected to help the company quickly adapt to market shifts, leading to better service and cost savings.
Richard Manapat, chief finance officer and chief information officer of Century Pacific, said the partnership represents a long-term transformation rather than a simple system upgrade.
“Even if we are able to market effectively and efficiently, but if our supply chain does not work and cannot keep pace with the complexity and demand, then all the effort of the marketing and sales teams will be for nothing,” he said. “The intent is for all aspects of our processes to be optimized to deliver what Filipino consumers need. Because, to some extent, Filipino consumers are also evolving.”
Edwin Africa, executive vice president, corporate general manager, and group business unit head of Century Pacific, said the company’s focus on technology adoption underscores its goal to improve how it operates.
“We have great products that both our Filipino consumers and pets are happy with. That’s what we’re doing now is the how,” he said. “Improving how we deliver and make our products will not just enhance customer service and ensure the right products reach consumers at the right time but also improve costs.”
Antonio Boccalandro, president for Asia Pacific of Blue Yonder, underscored the importance of the Philippine market. “We’ve been here for 35 years, and the Philippines is our second-largest market,” he said. “Four of the top five retailers are our customers, and one has been with us for over 25 years. The Philippines is growing faster than our number one market, Thailand.”
Corey Tollefson, chief revenue officer of Blue Yonder, said the company’s system focuses on configuration rather than customization, allowing modular deployment without heavy development. “With our new platform, it’s not custom — it’s configurable, and it keeps you on an upgrade path,” he said.
Century Pacific’s partnership with Blue Yonder marks a step toward digital efficiency as it seeks to enhance supply chain operations, better serve Filipino consumers, and remain competitive in the food and beverage industry.